First week of spring
classes are happening this week, and it kind of feels like spring here in
Georgia. This semester we take five classes, plus a one week fieldwork in the
realm of mental health. Previous students and professors warn that this
semester is a lot of work. It is also said that a lot of practical knowledge is
learned now, and it is a lot of fun.
The first class I
have is mental health programming. This class is going to focus on assessments
and interventions used in mental health. It appears that the big project in
this class is to lead a group session. The group will consist of other
classmates pretending to have different dysfunction. I am worried about this
class because I feel like mental health is very emotional and that is not one
of my strong suits. I feel like I am going to be challenged often.
Next we have
Assistive Technology and Therapeutic Adaptations. I am really excited about
this class. We have to do a home and community assessment on wheelchair
accessibility. We perform this by actually taking a wheelchair out to one of
our homes and somewhere in the community. We also have a family we are working
with that is building a new home for their son with muscular dystrophy. We are
helping design the home. The class is broken up into different groups to design
different rooms. We still have to work together to make it cohesive. I am
working on the son's bedroom. I am so excited. We get to do something with a
real client. The families they have done in the past have implemented most of
the changes that the students suggested. We also have to develop an assistive
device for a real person of our choosing. There is a fair where patent lawyers
will examine our devices as well as the professors. The have had seven ideas
patented from past years due to this project. This project still scares me because
I have no idea what I am going to do yet.
I am also taking
movement analysis. The professor is making the class a lot of fun, but it is
mostly a lecture and exam class. Did you know swinging your arms allows you to
walk faster than if your arms were crossed in front of you or in your pockets?
Also walking develops more core and leg muscle strength than running. Who would
of known?
Kinesiology is my
next course. The big project in this course is to make a movie analyzing a ten
second movement. You never think of all the coordination that goes into a
seeming simple task, such as brushing your hair. There are also a lot of labs
involved in this course. I am ready to try some hands on stuff.
The last class is
neuroscience. We are focusing on the anatomy of the brain first, but then we
move into how it works. That is the stuff I like. This is the only time we will
have a professor that is not an OT other than anatomy. It is going to offer some
different perspectives.
It's a strong line
up of courses. Here's to hoping I can handle it all!
