Student Blog
What are OS/OT?

The Need for BrOTs ⟩
September 9, 2016, by Erwin

Diversity What are OS/OT?

It’s no secret that occupational therapy is a female-dominated profession. But while the majority of occupational therapists are women, there is a growing need for men in the profession.

In order to best serve our diverse populations, it is important that we also have a diverse workforce. In this case, increasing gender diversity provides opportunities to better serve our clients and propel the profession forward.

For example, in an adult rehabilitation setting, male clients sometimes feel more comfortable having another male assist them in developing/regaining self-care skills such as dressing, bathing, and using the restroom.

The same could be said in other settings. For my Level II fieldwork, I worked in pediatric mental health. At this site, the majority of my clients were adolescent boys labeled with a mental health diagnosis. Working with these boys made me realize how important it was for them to have a male figure in their lives. While some boys were content working with female practitioners, other boys were more comfortable working with me because they found a male more relatable. This in turn created a therapeutic relationship where my clients felt more comfortable sharing their feelings and experiences. After all, for many boys that age, sharing delicate information to women isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do.

Although we love the companionship of our female classmates, I feel that the male students in the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy have developed a special bond. While about 10% of our student body is male, those numbers are growing every year. We “BrOTs” have to represent! After all, occupational therapy is about helping others, and helping others is not exclusive to a single gender.

Here are a few photos of USC’s BrOTs.

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Where can Occupational Therapists practice?! ⟩
September 1, 2016, by Alyssa

Fieldwork What are OS/OT?

One of the greatest perks about becoming an occupational therapist is that you have a variety of options to choose from when deciding where to work! Occupational therapists can practice in a variety of settings, which include but are not limited to hospitals, rehabilitation centers, home health, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, private practice, school systems, private organizations, industry, and community organizations! Occupational Therapy is a health profession that focuses on engaging individuals in meaningful occupations or activities. So . . . who are these “individuals”? And what makes an occupation “meaningful”?

During this past summer, I completed my level II fieldwork in the practice area of pediatrics at the non-profit, outpatient clinic Leaps and Bounds Pediatric Therapy in Norco, California. If you read Jessica’s prior post, she gives you plenty of detail of what a level II fieldwork is all about! During this fieldwork experience, I was able to apply the knowledge I learned from the classroom, develop my clinical reasoning skills, and get hands-on experience in treating children who are at risk for, or experience challenges, in participating in their everyday activities, such as playing with their favorite toys, that are typical and appropriate.

One unique opportunity I received during my fieldwork experience was learning and implementing the treatment strategy of Hippotherapy on a ranch! I know what you’re thinking . . . she did therapy with hippos!? Well, not exactly! Hippotherapy is a treatment strategy that can be used by occupational therapists, as well as other health care providers, such as physical and speech therapists, to use the movement of the horse to improve their participation in everyday activities, whether this means to improve their posture to sit upright at a desk when writing or strengthen their core to bend and tie their shoes!

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My Path to OT! ⟩
August 24, 2016, by Alyssa

What are OS/OT?

Dear Readers,

I am thrilled to be sharing my very first blog as a student ambassador! Ever since my undergraduate days, I have had big dreams to pursue a career in occupational therapy, especially at USC. I am thankful to have supportive family and friends who inspired me to strive and achieve these dreams, no matter how big or unreachable they may have seemed in the moment. Now that I am on the right path to pursue these dreams, there is not a day that goes by without reflecting on the reasons why I choose and love OT.

These words are simple, yet so powerful. I choose occupational therapy because I realized that what I was doing and feeling during one moment was something I wanted for a lifetime.

During my undergraduate days, I focused my senior research thesis on aquatic therapy intervention, which took place at an outpatient pediatrics clinic. It was here where I received my first hands-on experience with working with children with special needs to teach them water safety skills. Prior to this opportunity, I had little knowledge about how prevalent drowning really was, especially in the pediatric population. I still remember the moment where I met one of the kiddos during one of my first weeks. He was terrified to jump in the water, or even swim across the pool without a float noodle. After working with him for several weeks and providing him with fun activities to learn water safety skills, he faced his fear. I saw him take a huge leap of faith, with him trusting me to take a jump in the pool. He landed in my arms, with a huge smile and endless laughter of the huge splash he had made.

It was through this opportunity where I learned the role of an occupational therapist and how he or she facilitates experiences that are meaningful and fun, while also teaching and instilling the skills they need to live life! After this experience, I knew that I had no choice but to choose occupational therapy because I loved the feeling of making a difference by facilitating learning and growth in these children.

Occupational therapy is a health profession that continues to evolve and focuses on the meaningful occupations or activities that take place in our everyday lives. With this field, I find excitement in the idea that there are endless, unique opportunities and places to practice occupational therapy and help others participate in doing the things they love, especially helping them love what they do. Above all, I truly feel that USC’s occupational therapy program is preparing me to become the occupational therapist I want to be and to value the power of occupation in a patient’s development and in healing. Welcome to my blog! I look forward to sharing this upcoming year with you! Fight on!

P.S. Here our some fun pictures of my first year in the program!

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A Positive Move ⟩
August 24, 2016, by Jessica

Admissions What are OS/OT?

For my first blog post, I wanted to share my story of how I found OT. I always find it so interesting to hear other people’s stories of how they discovered OT, and I hope that some of you can relate to my experience.

During my junior year at UCLA, I felt a little uncertain about what I would do after graduation with a degree in International Development Studies. Sure, I loved learning about other countries and cultures, but I wasn’t sure about how I could translate that passion into a career. However, I had a lot of experience working with children and adolescents throughout high school and college, and knew that was something I was good at. So with the advice of some close friends, I decided to apply for an Americorps program called Teach for America, where they recruit recent college grads to teach in underserved, low-income communities around the US. Fueled by my passions of working with children and social justice, I felt like this was the best career move for me. So within a week of my undergrad graduation, I packed up my whole life and moved across the country to Brooklyn, NY to be a 3rd grade Special Education teacher. Sidenote: This also happens to be where I met my fiancé/future husband.

My first two years of teaching were the most challenging years of my life, compounded by feelings of homesickness and constant questioning of whether teaching was the right career for me. Then one day, I vividly remember seeing a woman (who I had never seen before) with a stockpile of hula hoops and giant stability balls working with a student in the hallway. This student, who was previously crying and throwing tantrums every day in class, now had the biggest smile on his face and was appropriately communicating with the woman. I was intrigued, and asked my co-teacher who she was. She aptly replied, “Oh her? She’s an occupational therapist.”

That night I went home and Google searched everything I could find on occupational therapy. I couldn’t believe that this was my first time hearing about OT — everything I was reading felt like it was a perfect fit for me, combining my passion for helping people and opportunities to be creative. I kept this research in the back of my mind for the next year, before ultimately deciding to move back to San Francisco to continue teaching closer to home. Despite the change of setting, I still had the feeling that a change of career was what I needed. As a special education teacher, often working closely with occupational therapists, I was able to see the transformative power of OT in my students’ lives. One student had severe difficulties with emotional regulation, and after his OT sessions, he would come back with the biggest smile on his face. Over time, he was better able to articulate his feelings using the “Zones of Regulation,” and use healthy coping strategies (i.e., drawing, using lotion) to replace unhealthy coping strategies (i.e., tantrums). Witnessing these positive changes, I realized that I was much more passionate about helping kids with their socio-emotional skills than their math skills. After volunteering at an outpatient pediatric clinic, and many conversations with occupational therapists, friends and family, I decided to fully commit to applying to OT school. I only had a year to complete all my prerequisites, but I knew the struggle would be worth it to start a new career I was truly passionate about.

And now this brings me here to USC. After a year in the program, I can honestly say this is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  I feel so grateful to have found a profession that allows me to make close connections with people and provide them with the skills and tools to empower themselves to create positive change in their own lives.

Thanks for visiting my blog, and I’m excited to share the rest of my experiences with you all this year!

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Discovering Occupational Therapy ⟩
August 24, 2016, by Erwin

What are OS/OT?

For my first blog post, I wanted to share with you how I discovered occupational therapy! Believe it or not, I made the decision to become an occupational therapist back when I was in high school. Throughout my high school career, I volunteered at a local community hospital to explore various health professions. I knew I wanted to enter a field where I could help others, but like many high schoolers, I wasn’t exactly sure of what I wanted to do. As I volunteered, I saw the value in all the health professions, yet it was occupational therapy that really piqued my interest. I saw the difficulty some other health professions had in engaging clients in healing, yet with the occupational therapists, it seemed so effortless. It was amazing to see how they were able to engage clients in therapy through the use of meaningful activity — something that seemed so obvious in healing, yet not always practiced within other health professions. After my introduction to occupation therapy through my volunteer experience, I began to learn more about the profession through my cousin, who is an occupational therapist, and volunteering at clinics. As I learned more about the profession, I began to admire how occupational therapy embodies a holistic approach. How occupational therapists see the whole person, and not just his or her illness, deeply resonated with me and inspired me to pursue this profession at an early age.

After receiving my bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University, it was time to apply for my master’s in occupational therapy. USC had always been a dream school of mine since my family are die-hard Trojans. USC has one of the top occupational therapy programs in the country, so when I was deciding where to complete my master’s degree, USC was a no-brainer. My first year has been nothing short of amazing and I can’t wait to share my journey of becoming an occupational therapist with you through my blog.

Fight on!

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