Ordinary Miracles

Ordinary Miracles is one of our textbooks. It is a compilation of short stories from OTs and OTAs. They are uplifting and remind you of the importance of occupational therapy. It is not very technical and has stories from a variety of practice areas. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to get a better idea of the different things OTs do. It is not going to tell you all the things OTs do like write notes, and plan sessions, but it will show you some of what they can do.  

Review of Classes

It is hard to believe  I have been in OT school for almost two months. I have learned a lot in these two months and met some great people. I remember a few months ago wondering what my classes would be about. Well now I think I can give you a good picture.

Models of Reasoning

We started off learning AOTA's Practice Framework. We discussed the process OTs use to help clients and what they should consider. Lately, we have been discussing different assessments we can use to evaluate clients and how to interrupt the results. This class started off very abstract, but not it seems very applicable. Our fieldwork is also integrated with this course.   

Evidence Based Practice

This is the class that the majority of the class is struggling with. It is our research course. I enjoy the material, but our teachers don’t have the best execution in teaching the course. This semester we are focusing on how to locate information and evaluate it.

Wellness and Illness

This class is hard because it is our only class on Friday and it is three hours long. The information is very practical though. We first focused on what healthy is because to define dysfunction you have to know what functioning is. We talk about specific diseases and what interventions are used to treat them.

Foundations

I thought this class would be application based, but it is more theoretical. We talked about AOTA's practice framework for a while in this class. Lately, we have been discussing the different theories and frames of reference one can use. We have also done presentations on OT internationally and some of the different specific fields.

Lifespan

This class is about occupations throughout the lifespan. We perform evaluations on different lifespan groups. I like this class because we have mini-fieldwork. We currently at the child stage. It is much like my college lifespan course with OT evaluations sprinkled in. The rest of my classes have been very different than undergrad.

Note Writing

Lately, we have started writing notes for class. It is hard to write notes because right now we are evaluating typical people. You have to know what is typical before you can detect what is atypical. Setting goals and creating interventions for typical people is challenging. I like it though because it makes you think outside of the box. It also challenges my theory that everybody could benefit from having an OT. The other hard part is the notes we are writing are much longer than they will ever be in the clinic. This is because the professors what to know our entire thought process and observations, and they can only know that if we put it in the note. It's hard for me because I am more of a big-picture girl than a detail girl.

Tomorrow, I am going to a childcare center to evaluate a child using the Peabody. We have learned several assessments over the past couple of weeks. It makes this OT thing seem real. In the past, there have been a few kids get a real evaluation because of our results. I hope my kid is ready to be tested and do what I want. We are doing in pairs, so we have a little help in implementing. 

Interviewing

The two big ways that occupational therapists gain information about their clients is through observation and interviews. Our professors have us interviewing so many different people this semester. It is really awkward. Part of the reason is normally we already know the people we are interviewing, even if just a tiny bit. That makes the introduction weird. It also makes it hard to ask the difficult questions, such as what was the hardest time in your life. I feel like that section would be difficult either way though. Most of these interviews are somewhat conversational, but not so much so that I can have a conversation like I normally would with the people I am interviewing. I am glad that our professors force us go out and perform interviews, even if it is on people we know. It is so much harder than it seems. It is also super rewarding because I am learning things about these people that I would not have otherwise. It is also surprising to learn how many different kinds of interview there are. Who would have imagined?

Fieldwork and Burnout

Yesterday we got to chose where we are going for fieldwork. They had roughly fifty locations for the forty students to choose from. The first fieldwork is only a week long, which means I was willing to try anything. Going in I really did not want to stay local and I wanted to work with adults because that is an experience I have not had. I ended up staying near school (there was nothing worth paying for a hotel or near family) and I am working with adults. There will also be two other students with me. Overall, I am super excited even though it is well over a month away. My facility also has a psych ward, but I was told we probably would not see that this fieldwork. It was a nerve-racking process, as our names were getting pulled out. However, even though I was 35/38 I am happy with my selection. It was one of my top three, so that goes to show you that everybody wants something different.

Some burnout has started to settle in. I think everybody is ready for a break. Most of the schools we went to for undergrad have fall break around this time, but not this year. This week doesn't have a lot going on, so tonight is my somewhat chill night. Some of the burnout is my fault. I thought the first month would be how it would be all semester, so I took on more volunteering than I probably should have this semester. Just doing two out of three would be plenty. I also need to say no to social things occasionally. It is hard to say no because you know people will be talking about it the next day at class, and I want to get to know everybody, but there is plenty of time. I just need to readjust my balance. School is wonderful though, and I am learning tons.

We did have our first practical this week. We had to rank part of the FIMs, but the video did not work, so we will do it on Monday. We also had to administer part of the KELs to another classmate. It was easy because no classmate wanted throw off another classmate. The hardest part was introducing myself to the "client". The other hard part was the professor asked our "client" to ask what was occupational therapy was. I can explain it in general, but it is different in a clinical situation. 

Burns and Theories

Tomorrow we have a poster presentation due. We are in groups of four, and each group chose a different setting in which occupational therapists practice. My group has burns. This was never a setting that entered my imagination when I applied to be an OT, and it only came into my awareness when someone asked about it at one of my interviews. Since then, the burns setting has been brought up a few times in different contexts. What I have learned is that burn therapists are involved in creating splints, scar massage, and increasing range of motion, but they also play an important role in the mental processes of pain management and re-entering the social context. I came across some really interesting articles studying how music therapy and virtual reality can help with pain management. Another part of the project is about cultural awareness in burns. We learned that people with cognitive issues are more likely to receive burns; therefore, prevention measures may need to be improved in those areas. So far one group project done with little drama.

We are also stating to delve into some OT theories. The hardest thing about studying the theories is they seem like common sense even though they are not. They are also very similar to each other. We have to make a theory chart. I like it as an assignment because it will force me to recognize the differences and what makes each unique.

Professional Wardrobe

This week we had our first test. I feel like I know the material, but I need to practice in reading the questions carefully. Lesson learned. We also started talking about fieldwork. In a couple weeks we will choose where we go for our first level I fieldwork. They say there are a lot of choices for this fieldwork, so lets hope I get something I like and that is a new experience.

Also upcoming, is baby day. Baby day is where different families are recruited to bring in their babies for us to observe. I just finished making my reflex  cheat sheet. However, this is the first time we will have to dress professionally for class. Professional, meaning something along the line of khakis and polos. I personally like to have a little spunk in my clothes. Usually, this is done through jewelry, but jewelry can get in the way. Polos are suggested because when the therapist bends over no one can see down their shirt. While, I don't mind polos; they are not my favorite. I went looking for other professional tops that are not so nice that I would mind them getting ruined, but nice enough to be considered professional. Under those requirements I could find quite a few, but if I had to bend over you were going to see down my shirt. I ended up finding something that could work, but an occupational therapist's professional wardrobe is harder to build than I originally thought.