What's in YOUR OT toolbox?

I found this as a draft from 2007?!!!! I do have a pediatric OT toolbox video on Youtube that's super old. I have a newer one I posted on this blog that I guess I should post on Youtube, although I think I'm ready to do an updated one again!


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So...I made a video based on what I keep in a little box for when I am a real occupational therapist and not just a student...but I know there is lots I haven't thought of. So my question to you all is....what is in YOUR OT toolbox? Via text or pictures or video, let me know...I'll post it. I'd LOVE to get more ideas.

One day I'll actually get good at setting up videos, but for now, y'all gotta bear with my learning curve.

Here was the stuff I talked about, if I remember correctly, in no particular order:

1. Duct tape
2. Nylon cable ties
3. Jumbo playing cards
4. A laundry detergent cap
5. Non-skid liner, often called dycem
6. rubber bands
7. Play money
8. Dollar store occupation-based ideas - like a map puzzle for people who like to travel to use to talk about, or sort, or do...or whatever.

Oh no I'm blanking on what else! Guess you gotta watch the video to find out the rest. LET ME KNOW WHAT IS IN YOUR TOOLBOX! What can you not live without?

I already know my friend Burt is "cogitating" on a mini video to do on basic REAL tools he thinks all OTs should carry around...he is my tool hero. And his 17-year old daughter, Sarah, is my textbook hero because I show her diagrams out of my books (like Trombley, Pendretti, Willard & Spackman...) and make her teach me things. For example, we learned in an adaptive activities of daily life lab the other day some one-handed dressing techniques for button-down shirts, but then I was confused by the diagrams in the book and it would have taken me a while to figure it out, and so I showed them to her and she taught me in about 2 seconds because her brain likes diagrams and mine doesn't. I've already decided she should follow me around for the rest of my life helping me with environmental modifications and anything else requiring a physics/math/3-D artistic brain. I know my strengths and weaknesses...I don't plan to work in a setting that requires a lot of those things!

Ok I'm gonna go check my laundry now and convince myself it's going to be okay. I have a serious phobia about washing machines and dryers. I'm always convinced they are either going to flood or blow up. I'm serious. I have no issue with flying across the country by myself, walking up to strangers to ask a question, dealing with insurance, or being in a mildly scary part of town...all the stuff that scares a lot of people....but get me near a blender, a microwave, a washing machine/dryer, or any other machine that plugs in and makes noise, and I am SCARED!

Okay,I totally wasted way too long going off on multiple tangents. Probably procrastination from having to go face the scary laundry. Dum dum DUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

White noise apps to help inattentive children focus on schoolwork

http://www.behavioralandbrainfunctions.com/content/6/1/55

The effects of background white noise on memory performance in inattentive school children

This is a Swedish journal article (in English) about how white noise can potentially be of help with inattentive school children. There are a lot of cheap white noise apps you can buy and some I think are even free. However, the white noise actually worsened attention for children who are typically attentive. It goes into some of the neuroscience involved with why kids with ADHD would be helped by it, and it wasn't just because it masked other noises. Interesting article, I recommend at least skimming it. It does also say there are individual differences though, so this is NOT saying immediately play white noise for all kids with ADHD. I do like the idea, however, of trying white noise apps with headphones on for SOME kids while doing independent work...

OT blogging mid-life crisis

I'm working on weaning off my basic sleep medication (my entire life, sleeping has been an issue) so that means I'm awake. Actually, it's only 1030pm on a Saturday so that's not crazy. But my best friend is spending the night (yes, we're 29, but she lives in Tijuana across the border so this is easier!) and she went to bed an hour ago. So I feel like I'm up late!

I've been seeing and learning about quite a few high-quality new blogs in the OT blogosphere that I think I've recently mentioned or linked to, and I just finished reading a bunch of Katie Riley's blog posts about PR/Media. And I have a case of jealousy. I love my blog and I love writing, but I'm just such a rambler. Why write something in three words when I can write three hundred? AHAHAHAHA. I like typing out my thoughts, I like typing, and I don't like editing. I typically write a post quickly, then post it, and don't re-read it or try to make it shorter. I actually enjoy reading long posts so I don't think twice about it. Most of the time.

But then a night like tonight, after reading about talking in "sound bytes" to recorders, and being succinct, etc, I feel kind of lost and sad and stupid (and I keep hearing what sound like gun shots??!! so if this is the last post you ever see, I totally died. Hopefully not!!!! Maybe my blog will become posthumously popular though....I wonder if i can access statcounter.com from Heaven???) Just kidding. On most of it. Except the sounds, I do hear those. Moving on, did I mention succinctness is an issue, I doubt all my work on this blog, and the point, and feel like I should just start writing short little things, and that most of my blog is worthless. The problem is, not counting my summer breaks from my OT school job, I don't have much time I can give this blog, except as a therapeutic reflection tool or to keep things going. I don't have the interest or time to make this the professional blog that gets me 40,000+ hits a month and is media-friendly...it's not my personality. I wish it was. 

I know I have some long-term readers here (ie 5 years, wow), and you probably recognize I go through a mini mid-life blogging crisis every once in a while. This is one of those times where I go out and buy my blog a new convertible and a gym membership. I need to figure out how I want to approach the future. Shorter posts? Less rambly posts? Keeping rambly posts but making it so where have to click a link to read it if it's gonna be more than a paragraph? Less diversity? More diversity? More professionalism? I don't know. The point of this blog, ultimately, is to both provide as a therapeutic outlet for me AND hopefully be at times helpful to others, but how to make those two more supplementary to each other,....I repeat. I don't know. I don't know. I love redundancy too, anybody notice that I like repeating myself??? ;) ;) Ahh, I crack me up.

So. Here's the deal. I do plan to try and add labels to future posts, and slowly start going back and adding labels to older posts (I have over 1,600 so that's not easy), but it was a recent suggestion and a good one. I think the main reason I haven't been good about labels is that I usually blog via my e-mail, so I don't have label access then. I'll try to write future posts that have more singular topics and don't go all over the place. And while I will, pessimistically, probably not succeed, as my glass is not only half-empty but cracked and ugly, I will try to think more...focusedly (apparently that's not a word but let's go with it, shall we?) AUGH MORE NOISES anyway, more focusedly, with my future posts as I rethink what this blog does for me and what it does for the OT community, if anything!

That would have been a good ending, right there. But we've established I don't do things correctly. So I want to say one last thing, that I'm also pondering on what I would like to write for another article. I know I still want to write about OT in a third-world country based on my shadowing in Bogota, Colombia, for an OT magazine. But I would also like to MORE NOISES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! write some things for some mainstream publications....like Anne Zachry (sp?) is doing over in Memphis. She rocks. 

Finally, Jan Olsen of Handwriting without Tears was mentioned in this month's Costco Connection, which just came and I would have eventually read and discovered myself, but my mom saw it first and let me know. :) 

There. Now let's stop at this awkward junction, shall we??? 

Happy Olympics :) 

PS1: Watching the Olympics tonight, I was thinking that the 37 year old Australian sand volleyball player was lucky to still have full uses of her shoulders and if she has had rotator cuff issues in the past....these are the things OTs think about.

PS2: I'll admit it, I shamelessly am begging for comments telling me what you do and do not want to see, what you do and do not like, etc...

PS3: Even on my most doubt-filled days of my own professional worth, I never doubt for a second that the IDEALS of occupational therapy - OT at its best - are absolutely phenomenal. 

PS4: I have scheduled a lost of posts for the future so who knows what's coming in the days to come.

PS5: I have several product review blog posts coming up - on Dycem, PenAgain, Classroom Solutions Foot Fidgets, in the weeks to come. 

PS6: Remember what I said about rambling???? :x 

PS7: So I sent this via e-mail and it normally posts immediately but something was weird so I am re-posting via blogger, so maybe you will see this twice. Guess we will find out. 

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My blogging mid-life crisis

I'm working on weaning off my basic sleep medication (my entire life, sleeping has been an issue) so that means I'm awake. Actually, it's only 1030pm on a Saturday so that's not crazy. But my best friend is spending the night (yes, we're 29, but she lives in Tijuana across the border so this is easier!) and she went to bed an hour ago. So I feel like I'm up late!

I've been seeing and learning about quite a few high-quality new blogs in the OT blogosphere that I think I've recently mentioned or linked to, and I just finished reading a bunch of Katie Riley's blog posts about PR/Media. And I have a case of jealousy. I love my blog and I love writing, but I'm just such a rambler. Why write something in three words when I can write three hundred? AHAHAHAHA. I like typing out my thoughts, I like typing, and I don't like editing. I typically write a post quickly, then post it, and don't re-read it or try to make it shorter. I actually enjoy reading long posts so I don't think twice about it. Most of the time.

But then a night like tonight, after reading about talking in "sound bytes" to recorders, and being succinct, etc, I feel kind of lost and sad and stupid (and I keep hearing what sound like gun shots??!! so if this is the last post you ever see, I totally died. Hopefully not!!!! Maybe my blog will become posthumously popular though....I wonder if i can access statcounter.com from Heaven???) Just kidding. On most of it. Except the sounds, I do hear those. Moving on, did I mention succinctness is an issue, I doubt all my work on this blog, and the point, and feel like I should just start writing short little things, and that most of my blog is worthless. The problem is, not counting my summer breaks from my OT school job, I don't have much time I can give this blog, except as a therapeutic reflection tool or to keep things going. I don't have the interest or time to make this the professional blog that gets me 40,000+ hits a month and is media-friendly...it's not my personality. I wish it was. 

I know I have some long-term readers here (ie 5 years, wow), and you probably recognize I go through a mini mid-life blogging crisis every once in a while. This is one of those times where I go out and buy my blog a new convertible and a gym membership. I need to figure out how I want to approach the future. Shorter posts? Less rambly posts? Keeping rambly posts but making it so where have to click a link to read it if it's gonna be more than a paragraph? Less diversity? More diversity? More professionalism? I don't know. The point of this blog, ultimately, is to both provide as a therapeutic outlet for me AND hopefully be at times helpful to others, but how to make those two more supplementary to each other,....I repeat. I don't know. I don't know. I love redundancy too, anybody notice that I like repeating myself??? ;) ;) Ahh, I crack me up.

So. Here's the deal. I do plan to try and add labels to future posts, and slowly start going back and adding labels to older posts (I have over 1,600 so that's not easy), but it was a recent suggestion and a good one. I think the main reason I haven't been good about labels is that I usually blog via my e-mail, so I don't have label access then. I'll try to write future posts that have more singular topics and don't go all over the place. And while I will, pessimistically, probably not succeed, as my glass is not only half-empty but cracked and ugly, I will try to think more...focusedly (apparently that's not a word but let's go with it, shall we?) AUGH MORE NOISES anyway, more focusedly, with my future posts as I rethink what this blog does for me and what it does for the OT community, if anything!

That would have been a good ending, right there. But we've established I don't do things correctly. So I want to say one last thing, that I'm also pondering on what I would like to write for another article. I know I still want to write about OT in a third-world country based on my shadowing in Bogota, Colombia, for an OT magazine. But I would also like to MORE NOISES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! write some things for some mainstream publications....like Anne Zachry (sp?) is doing over in Memphis. She rocks. 

Finally, Jan Olsen of Handwriting without Tears was mentioned in this month's Costco Connection, which just came and I would have eventually read and discovered myself, but my mom saw it first and let me know. :) 

There. Now let's stop at this awkward junction, shall we??? 

Happy Olympics :) 

PS1: Watching the Olympics tonight, I was thinking that the 37 year old Australian sand volleyball player was lucky to still have full uses of her shoulders and if she has had rotator cuff issues in the past....these are the things OTs think about.

PS2: I'll admit it, I shamelessly am begging for comments telling me what you do and do not want to see, what you do and do not like, etc...

PS3: Even on my most doubt-filled days of my own professional worth, I never doubt for a second that the IDEALS of occupational therapy - OT at its best - are absolutely phenomenal. 

PS4: I have scheduled a lost of posts for the future so who knows what's coming in the days to come.

PS5: I have several product review blog posts coming up - on Dycem, PenAgain, Classroom Solutions Foot Fidgets, in the weeks to come. 

PS6: Remember what I said about rambling???? :x 

Patient perspective, ADVANCE series

I enjoyed reading all four parts of this ADVANCE patient perspective series about a woman who had a spinal cord injury. I think more and more online sites are trying to get patient perspective which I love, I think that is the most interesting part of all.

http://occupational-therapy.advanceweb.com/Web-Extras/Online-Extras/Patient-Perspective-Joy.aspx

Click that link to see all four parts of her journey, from getting sick to recovery. 

Public school could use a little Waldorf infusion ;)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=1&emc=lm&m=664136&l=4&v=2724938

I work in public schools, but I have to say I like the philosophy of the Waldorf schools. I agree little ones don't need to be learning so much from screens and really would do better with more movement-based activities incorporated into their learning. Of course technology has its place, but overall, I can't imagine any OT who doesn't agree with the idea that children need more movement and creativity built into their school day. Too bad that's so hard now but some teachers get creative in public school with how to make that happen! :) 

Infographic on video games improving our health!

Ethan wrote me a lovely e-mail a while ago and we corresponded briefly. He showed me this awesome infographic but I don't have nearly the technical knowledge I need to know how to host it myself, so he wrote this up for me. I recommend checking out the infographic that he describes below, it's quite nicely done! And while I'm not a fan of LOTS of screen time, in small doses, it's awesome. :) I know a lot of OT rehab clients at my first job loved working with the Wii, and the Kinect is even cooler these days. Anybody see Erik of OT Army Fame, in the tech session at AOTA conference, playing Star Wars? Soo funny. He uses it a lot with his veterans.

Often times we think of video gaming as something sedentary (sitting on the couch comes to mind), but several consoles have started reshaping the way we view video games -- namely Nintendo's Wii and Xbox Kinect. These video game consoles have more than just fun applications with your friends on a Friday night. Now, health professionals are finding new ways of using these devices to help people with illnesses and general health. Check out this infographic from Big Fish Games that talks a little bit more about how video games are improving our health.

Pre-Handwriting

I have deja vu, I think I've posted this before, but now I have a new system so it won't happen again of re-posting pictures I find in Picasa. Anyway, great pre-writing skill. Take your little ones to the beach and practice vertical and horizontal lines!! :) 

"Jane's" Journey

I think it's interesting to see how people's OT journeys progress from the pre-OT days. So this is a sweet girl who e-mailed me a long time ago and I just got an update on her. She said I could post her journey if I got rid of her name. :) 

 I decided to move from Washington state (where I've lived forever) to North Dakota for OT school! Well, hopefully! I am finishing my last pre-reqs this year, and will apply to OT school in December. I decided on this school because it was the most affordable for me (actually cheaper than staying in state, if you can believe that!). It's been fun, the last few months, doing volunteer hours in preparation for applying to Grad school. After every facility I spend time at, I realize I am even more sure that this is the field I am meant for!
 
I have also been in touch with your pal Eric (Army OT guy). I had no idea they had a program like that, and it sounds pretty sweet. So hopefully I will get into the grad program at UND, then my next focus will be doing well so that I can hopefully go through the Army's DScOT program! I don't know, maybe I have some lofty goals – but I guess it's better to dream big!

W-Sitting, by SouthPaw's OT/writer Deanna Macioce

This article was sent in Paw Print, which is the e-mail newsletter of of South Paw at http://www.southpawenterprises.com/

They have a lot of cool stuff for sale on their website and the newsletter always has a thoughtful article in it like the one below. They sell stuff related to fine motor skills, oral motor skills, rehab, etc etc....pretty diverse with a great mission. Check it out. And no, I did not get any compensation of any sort, nor was I asked to post this, but since I am posting the article I figure I better explain where I got it from. :) Sign up to get it yourself. 

The W's of W-Sitting

Deanna Macioce, MS, OTR/L 

We have all seen those toddlers who are playing with cars or dolls in the common position of "W-sitting".  And since we see it so often in young children, we may not see it as worrisome, however for many children if left unaddressed long-term "w-sitting" could lead to some overall developmental issues.  With that said, this month's focus is not to alarm, but to increase an awareness while providing some useful and tactical information for parents, teachers and therapists of the many children who find the position of "w-sitting" comfortable.

Although this is a common position to find a toddler sitting in, it comes with many implications of why it is not good.   For those children who move in and out of the position for short periods of time, it can be looked upon as just a typical playing position that the child will outgrow.  However, for many of the children we see in the therapy world, it can have a greater effect on a child's overall development  "W-sitting" inhibits exploration, does not allow for proper strengthening of the trunk, and keeps children confined to play only in midline. Effects of long-term "w-sitting" include hamstring tightness and tibial torsion and even hip dislocation. In addition, because it inhibits trunk rotation it also causes overall decreased balance and trunk control.  The lack of trunk mobility causes children who utilize this position on a regular basis the inability to cross midline and explore as much during play.
 
One of the most common reasons children hang out in this position is low tone.  Early on when children begin to crawl, you often find them stopping in the "w" position regardless of tone issues because they require a wider base of support at this stage.  However, as they get stronger, you should be able to see them transition into a proper ring sitting position with ease.  For the children who present with lower tone, they still require a wider base of support and will utilize a "w" due to ease, comfort, and stability.  In addition, many of the children who do "w-sit" also present with tighter hamstrings, making it difficult and uncomfortable to sit in long sitting, "crisscross applesauce", or ring sitting.

Ways to naturally work on correcting this it to utilize a toddler chair for sitting activities as much as possible, encouraging a 90-degree position of the hips and knees. When using larger chairs where the child's feet do not touch the ground, the use of a stool will help obtain this position.  Many children will be able to correct this position with verbal cuing, so you may often hear a parent, teacher or therapist use the phrase, "fix your legs" to cue the child to choose a different sitting position.

Ultimately, to help children move out of this position, choosing activities that strengthen the trunk and improve overall stability are beneficial.  Those would include things such as the use of an exercise ball, yoga, and balance activities.

Exercise/therapy ball activities are great for trunk strengthening; from performing activities while sitting on the ball that encourage trunk rotation to using the ball for completing sit-ups, these are excellent ways to engage trunk muscles and work on balance.  Activities performed in high kneel, such as drawing on a draw erase board or completing a bean bag target throw activity will also nicely engage that trunk muscles for strengthening.  In addition, using a balance board for activities in sitting, such as completing a puzzle, or standing to play catch or Zoomball will also achieve this.  Kid yoga programs, including Yogarilla from Super Duper are a fun way to introduce children to the overall core strengthening and attention improving art of yoga.

For those low tone children with tight hamstrings, performing leg stretches or utilizing target toss activities with obtaining bean bags from the floor or low stool with straight legs will help to loosen up the muscles.  In turn, you find children are able to maintain the position of "criss-cross applesauce" with more ease.

Therefore, although "w-sitting" is very common among all children, similar to nail biting, it is one of those habits that if addressed early can really making a difference in overall development, especially for children with lower tone. 

 

Random pediatric OT ideas...

Some random pediatric OT ideas by Melissa...

"Melissa says...

 I love using my steamroller at work before doing tabletop activities. I also started having my students sit on a therapy ball when we are working. It definitely helps my fidgety ones focus. I love scooter activites too. I have the student prone on the scooter looking for hidden tactile squares and then they have to toss them into a bucket. It's a great activity and the kids love it too! I started painting with small food objects for a great sensory experience and to help with fine motor skills too! I could go on forever lol! "

Pictures from AOTA 2012 Indiana conference :)

So I had to go through security with fake flowers and a tiara. I ended up scarring myself with the tiara, literally, as it was pressed against my upper arm while I ran through the airport. So I have a tiara scar now. 

SAN DIEGO BABY 2013 YEAH!!!! COME!! I'm having an OT party!! 

My esteemed and awesome Cheryl Morris who lead our presentation

The charismatic army OT guy Erik

Anita (virtual OT - in pajamas), me, Miss OTPF in pageantry wear, Erik, Army OT guy in uniform, Chris Alterio, OT business owner in a suit, and Cheryl, sweet Cheryl, in a lovely dress as our leader. 

Erik used the water pitcher to hold up his recording iPad. 

Go Anita. 

Wow. Tech room. 

Libby, a precious lovely blog reader and now a wonderful friend, who let me stay with her and her OT classmate Erica at conference, guarding our stuff...

Anita in action.

She was taking a picture of Erik playing star wars on the Kinect during his presentation 

Miss OTPF, Erik Army OT guy, Anita Virtual OT 

I love you Frankie!!!! :swoon:: BrOT :) 

Me, Libby, Erica, and Frankie....we need a name for our little group of awesomeness! 

LIBBY!!! 

Love you Frankie (we actually met him at conference, he was one of Anita's students). He's so chill, on Sunday morning we were in bed and he knocks on our door and just climbs into my bed to play on his phone while we waited on the other girls. :) 

Erik's SUITE, fancy room, after the AOTF gala....

So a booth gave me this free instant snow bin to take home with me, which luckily TSA allowed in my checked luggage, and I love it, and I put a bunch of my monsters in it, but then I took them back out. Because most of my kids didn't like the texture, and it was messy, and worst of all, the snow smelled SO BAD!!!! But to be fair I think if I got the snow and did it outside and didn't put plastic things in it and didn't let a thousand kids touch it (this was the sample stuff they let people touch all day), it would be pretty cool. It lasts for WEEKS at least, it feels like real snow almost, and it stays cool to the touch, even at room temperature. So pretty cool stuff to try, I think. :) 

Novelty OT toys picked up on my trip...

So, I have all those shark grabber things where you pinch the handle to open/close the shark's mouth, and I am going to float duckies in water and then have them grab them. And those little duckies I got out of those $50 cent containers at a shopping market cuz they were super adorable, whether they float or not. I'll use those with tongs. 

These are those prickly pattern boards where you put beads on them and I guess melt them, but I won't take it to the melting phase. Just have them maybe do an outline, or maybe make a pattern and have them copy it, or add a face to that weird horse puppy character, or who knows. 

I have a tong fetish. In the sense that I try to collect as many types of tongs and tweezers as possible for my kids to use, and I found these in Norway, old fashioned wooden tongs. Great tool for the kids to work on hand strengthening, coordination, etc, but also fun! 

I got these at a museum in Norway even though they are in English, because the bugs in there are pretty high quality and cool, many of my little OT boys love bugs and especially like weird bugs, and there were plenty of weirdos in this package. 

I got these at Publix. Sword picks, mini forks, and flamingos. Hard to see, yes my photography sucks, sorry. But again great for putting in styrofoam, or using in clay, etc etc. 

My kids love Stretchables more than almost anything else. They always clamor to keep one as a prize. I sometimes give in, but try not to give in too often as they add up in price. I don't manage to find stretchable-animals too often (and when I do its usually lizards or frogs) so when I do find them I stock up. I got three packages of these once I saw the colors/shapes were a little different in each package. We mostly use these for tongs, and sometimes we use them as our invisible game friends, ie when it's just me and a kid and we want to play a game with like 3 or 4 people, we designate stretchables as people and they take turns....

All of these things were bought either in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Denmark, or Norway, lol. Some of it I could probably find back in CA, but if I saw it and hadn't seen it before, I got it just in case. I seriously have an obsession with buying stuff for my OT kids to use!!! 

More novelty OT toys

I have never tried this with my kids before, but I have certainly seen many other OTs use this kind of thing. Where you use repeated stencils, kind of, to make a complicated looking drawing. 

Mini sling shot. It kind of sucks, I tried it. But I may see how it does with little angry birds. 

Cheap gloves with velcro on them for the fuzzy ball. Super cheap, worth a try. 

These are actually golf tees in the shape of Eiffel tower. I love golf tees for use in styrofoam. Or who knows. Somehow, they will get used. :) 

Novelty toys I may use in OT

Random cheap pencil I bought in Norway, figured the crazy erasers would make it a little heavier plus be "cool" as sometimes the best way to get a child to write is just to provide a cool writing utensil. :) 

This Rubik's cube was super cheap so I got it, and then a friend gave me this tiny little metal puzzle. I think it might end up being a nice fidget. 

That yellow pencil is just a giant eraser, the square thing is also an eraser but it's a cube that comes apart so you can put it back together, and then feet paper clips. All just stuff that may or may not end up in use for OT sessions, if nothing else than for novelty. 

Apple of my eye or OT session

This is one of those "stay fresh containers" you can buy for vegetables, where the top is clear and comes off this one is a stay fresh tomato one, but I will probably use it as an apple and have kids put "worms" in it using tongs.  Try to not be too overly impressed with my crazy mad awesome photography skills. :x My friend was like, want me to get you some different backdrops etc and I was like no, I've made a conscious choice to have crappy pictures so that I can get them done fast....

Ziplock Big Bags for OT storage

I carry sooo many tiny items to work on fine motor, and have tons of self-made "kits" ie fine motor kits, sensorimotor kits, visual motor kits...and I think having these bags will be awesome to put together visible kits that don't take up a lot of room. I think they have L, XL, and XXL. I haven't tried them yet, but I go home Tuesday and plan to start organizing toys ASAP. I just saw these at Publix and bought them to try them out! 

Segway device puts wheelchairs to shame

http://gizmodo.com/5894489/segway+style-device-for-paraplegics-puts-wheelchairs-to-shame

This looks cool :)

"Famous" OT blog ;)

I copied this out of an e-mail (all the old ones I am going through finally). Someone was telling another person they should meet me at conference: "If you are going to the AOTA meeting, you might enjoy meeting my friend from California, Karen Dobyns. She is the famous blogger about OT (just google occupational therapy student blog). I don't know how to describe people well but Karen looks like an OT basically. She has that same caring-giving OT look all OTs have and her pictures are on her web site although she doesnt usually wear the Miss OTPF tiara."

This cracked me up! AHAHAAHA....I don't know about my fellow bloggers, but I have to wear a baseball cap and sunglasses just to go get some milk at 5am, because otherwise the fans just MOB me!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahahahaahahaha

"Anita" - woman with Down syndrome - movie - OT relevant?

My best friend's dad sent me this information, I have not seen it or heard of it but sounds interesting! Libby, have you heard of this one?? Don't forget you and your brother owe me a guest post some time! Once your universe settles down. :)

I want to share the information about this film because it is the acting work of an amazing young person with down syndrome. Also, it is a very riveting story told by a good filmmaker. Ala and I saw it and loved it!

"Anita"
This heart-warming film tells the story of a young woman with Downs syndrome (Alejandra Manzo) who lives a happy, routine life in Buenos Aires where she is meticulously cared for by her mother Dora (Academy Award-nominee Norma Aleandro). One tragic morning in 1994, everything changes when Anita is left alone, confused, and helpless after the nearby Argentine Israelite Mutual Association is bombed. As Anita wanders the city, she learns not only to care for herself but touches the lives of those around her.

Anxiety over graduate school/rotations...You can do it :) If I can do it, anybody can...

I've had quite a few people now e-mail me to let me know their favorite posts are the more personal ones dealing with anxiety, etc. Let me tell y'all, I'm a walking DSM-IV-TR of issues. :) Always functional for work though, hello bosses and insurance companies (:::waves::...seriously though. I LOVED LOVED LOVED OT school, but the parts I loved most were with my butt in a chair - I love learning and I can memorize things and take tests really well. I was valedictorian with Virginia (who I am seeing Saturday!) as we both had 4.0 GPAs. After an undergrad dealing with neuroscience, OT school was super easy compared to my undergrad...the hardest parts were time management and dealing with being in like fifty small groups at once. :) Every time we had labs or rotations or anything hands-on, I got anxious. I hate to look stupid or not know what I am doing, and I get nervous and uncoordinated and forget everything I know, so even though most everyone else liked labs and real-world stuff most, that just wasn't my personality. I had three, three month Level II fieldwork rotations. My graduate school makes us do 9 months rather than the more typical 6 months because it requires us to have a mental health rotation, which is relatively unusual. ALL THREE of my fieldworks fell through, so my plans changed last minute. So I ended up starting with an outpatient pediatric setting (in Mississippi) and that was a pretty good starting rotation for me as it was in pediatrics which I felt strong in, and the kids we were seeing were semi high-functioning, ie we weren't seeing kids that were super complicated from a physical standpoint. My second rotation was in a hospital and IT NEARLY KILLED ME. Thank goodness it was a smaller hospital and we didn't get the super complicated stuff. I loved my supervisor and we are still friends, but, not kidding, I was taking quite a lot of anti-anxiety medications just to get through each day, even with semi-un-complicated patients, because the hospital setting was so stressful to me. Nobody really knew as I am pretty good at hiding it and I did very well apparently, but to me, I was a mess. I felt so awkward and stupid trying to maneuver people in and out of bed. The easiest, most foundational skills of an OT, were the hardest for me. They still are. I was so relieved to be done with that rotation even though I liked the people. It wasn't that it wasn't interesting, I just felt soo incompetent, even if I apparently seemed competent to the rest of the world, haha. That's a common feeling, to feel like a fraud or imposter, when first learning a healthcare trade, by the way. My third rotation was my mental health one (so my first was a specialty - I chose pediatrics, my second was physical dysfunction which was mandatory, and third was mental health, also mandatory for my school). Anyways, I spent 3 months in a locked psychiatric ward, specifically a geriatric one, so a lot of aggressive dementia. That was another one where I was sooo nervous each day entering the locked ward. We had to take a course that was basically self-defense, but with the defense being only to get yourself out of a tight spot, not to hurt the person. IE, if a person with dementia grabbed onto your wrists as you walked past, how could you get out of that without hurting anyone. Once I was on the ward I was usually ok, and had a hard time leaving it in the afternoon, but each day I was nervous. And each night I went home and slept for hours (I was staying with friends as this one was out of town). IE, get home at say, 5, sleep till like 8...get up for an hour or two, then go back to bed. It wasn't the rotation's fault, but my own psychological issues. Nobody knew that at work because I paid for it on my own time, so to speak. I was determined to get through the rotations. I'm not saying this to scare anybody, because again, the rotations were fine - it was me and my problems with depression and anxiety, etc, that made it a challenge. But I *still* got through all three of them with flying colors and was praised to the skies, so I wish I could have relaxed and enjoyed them more, as clearly I was doing okay...And am still in touch and friends with all the supervisors I had, and they all offered me jobs or would have if they were available. :)

For the most part, any of you who have read my blog since the beginning, have followed me through my schooling and fieldwork journeys, first job, etc...but I guess I am kind of summarizing it here with a focus on the personal part. Just feel like it tonight, lol. 

I did not get the dream job I wanted once I graduated/passed boards because of a long story, and I was devastated, but ended up in Warm Springs, Georgia, at the Roosevelt Institute, because I wanted a place similar to my dream job in terms of a "culture of excellence" where I felt I could be proud to work there. It was in physical dysfunction, and I would be the sole OT in a satellite clinic, which is EXACTLY what I do NOT and never did recommend to new practitioners, but I was escaping some demons so to speak, so I didn't listen to myself. It was a challenging year as adult physical dysfunction is my least favorite area, primarily because I feel the least confident (and you also don't get to use as much creativity). I did my absolute best and spent so much time researching, asking questions, etc, because I wanted to be the best OT I could be. But I still went home each night wishing I were better. I decided I could last a year so that I wouldn't burn bridges, etc, but it was a hard year. I loved (most of) my co-workers and they felt I was doing a good job, but each day was a struggle, filled with hidden anxiety. 

When I moved back to CA, a school job wasn't even on my radar, but over time, as I was job searching (plenty of jobs available, but I'm super picky), I realized how brilliant a school job could be, because it would allow a lot of breaks. When I first started the school job I was SO FREAKING STRESSED OUT because I started near the end of the year, during IEP season, with a lot of high profile cases. I cried a lot. But as I got more confident and knew what I was doing, I began to like it more and more....I ended up LOVING - still do - LOVING! My job. Of course it has its moments of stress ,but overall I love my coworkers, love my kids, etc. So I am doing much better because my environment is now a good fit. (By the way, I had decided always that I would do my first year in my worst area, physical dysfunction, because I knew if I started elsewhere, I would never go back to it!). 

My best friend, who I am staying with right now, in Alabama, is a physical therapist in a Level I trauma area, in acute care, and when she tells me some of her stories, it makes me sick, and so grateful I don't work in a hospital with all the associated stress. Every OT/PT/whoever has their own level of comfort, own level of interest, etc. I find it all fascinating and interesting, but I know that personality wise, I have to be careful where I work as I am easily stressed in certain aspects. I guess technically many people would find my current job intensely stressful, but I'm good at the things my job most requires, so I'm content. It's all about finding your niche. It's okay if you don't love or enjoy everything you encounter in OT school, it's okay if some of it you find super hard or boring or scary. You can get through your rotations with your support systems in place, and then you can choose a job that fits your personality and whatever strengths/weaknesses you bring to the table.

I know, for example, that I don't like manipulating people's bodies because I get scared I am hurting them. As an elementary school OT working with reasonably high functioning kids, I pretty much never have to touch them, and I certainly never have to cause pain. I know that I am very creative and silly, so working with little kids is great as they find me pretty hilarious. :) I know I can keep up with writing lots of big reports, because I'm a fast typist, fast reader, fast thinker, etc. And I mostly work with teachers, speech therapists, parents, kids, etc...not high-pressure nurses, doctors....I just don't have a hospital personality, although I still think I could handle a specialty pediatric hospital, ahem, which is still my ultimate dream job, but I'm many years away from even considering it. Also still plan on an eventual PhD :) 

I wish I could lay EVERYTHING out on the line in terms of diagnoses, medications, all my stories in details, but as we have all encountered, social media can get you in trouble. Like maybe a future place won't hire me, or an insurance company won't cover me, or whatever, because of things I write here. I've shared a lot, but as you can see still relatively vague.

Basically....becoming an OT is hard work, but soooo worth it in the end, and even if you have challenges, whether physically or mentally, the chances are, with support, you can still get through just fine. It's okay if you are scared that you are anxious and socially introverted and that it will affect OT school...I get a lot of e-mails like that. You will face challenges, but you can always overcome them, and you will get through them, and one day end up in a perfect job environment. Just have faith in yourself, use your support systems (including your own internal ones), don't be scared to get help, and MOST IMPORTANTLY - BE KIND TO YOURSELF! :) 

Sexuality, personal care attendants, OT??

I totally recommend checking out this PDF (link below) if sexuality in OT is something that interests you at all. Well, you know. Not practicing sexuality. But how OT can play a role in it, or at the very least, needs to be aware that sexuality is potentially an important component to a person. Often times, whether or not the client mentions it is directly related to how "open" they think the OT will be in regards to discussing it. Some brave OTs flat out ask about it. I remember that when I was a student, I was giving a hand-out on sex positions to a man having a hip surgery (how to have sex with hip precautions), and he pointed to one of the positions and said to his wife "Remember this one?" AHAHAHAHAHA

 I skimmed this PDF and I was impressed with some of the things it covers, that you don't typically see in print. A lot of it had to do with personal care attendants and whether or not they were comfortable with helping with sexuality, ranging from masturbation to positioning the person for sex, clean-up before and after, etc. Very intriguing. This PDF isn't specifically meant for OTs, but I think has a lot of relevant points that OTs should be aware of.

This document (see link) came out in 2011 on attendant services and sexuality and I thought you would find it useful ...(edited for brevity) But this document covers a real issue and is based on research in Sudbury and Toronto.

http://www.crncc.ca/knowledge/related_reports/pdf/Sexuality%20and%20Access%20Survey%20Summary.pdf

Challenging worksheets ...

Worksheets like this can be challenging for young children with fine motor and/or visual motor issues. In this particular case, the child has difficulty staying in lines but also being able to copy words from a box in one corner to the various lines. Often, because it is so hard for them, they end up giving up and doing an even poorer job...I chide my little guy (in a KIND, silly voice)....Did a troll do this? Because it looks like a troll did this. Was it you or a troll?  He knows to say it was a troll if it's extra messy. So then we erase the writing of the troll (a little at a time) and replace it with HIS nicest writing, not a troll's. :) Yay! No more troll writing!! This is amazing!! So much better!! Silly troll trying to take over your worksheets!!! 

Weighted Pencil DIY

I loved this tip about weighted pencils off of TherapyFunZone.Com's comments...

'I have had luck with wrapping a rubberband around the end of a pencil, then place nut, and pull rubberband to other side of nut and wrap around pencil again.  This way the nut can be moved up or down on the  pencil."

Some new OT blogs...

I like these tips at this blog: http://www.golden-reflections.com/p/occupational-therapy-tips.html

Some more blogs you may want to check out...I believe they are all either OT students or hope to start their OT journey soon. Will be adding some to my blog roll later today. 

http://pediatricotblog.blogspot.com/   by Abby! 

http://lifelessonsfromot.blogspot.com/ by Luna! 

http://immamakeot.blogspot.com/  by a pre OT student! 

 http://occupationaltherapyjourney.blogspot.com/ by Sarah! (only wrote like a post or two last year)

http://otebby.blogspot.com/ by Ebby! (Travel award)

http://emmajasminspink.com/ by Emma! (Psych student going into OT)

Bill's Journey, Becoming an OT, Part 3 of 3.

Search my blog for Part 1 and 2 if you missed those, I will link shortly.

Part 3-

 

August 19, 2010- the very day I learned of the results.  On my ride to go to the neuropsychiatrist's office, I had a couple conflicting thoughts.  On one hand, I wished my hunches were right because it would have explained a lot of my struggles in fieldwork.  On the other hand, I didn't want to be right because I would not know how to face my OT peers, as well as accepting the identity of being a differently able individual.  Two hours or so later, it was the moment of truth- I indeed do have autism, as I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

 

I was relieved for a second.  But, that sense of relief turned into sadness really quickly.  When I came home, I told what my parents what happened.  Then, I quickly went retreated to my room.  All I thought about were- how would I tell my classmates that I failed my first level 2 fieldwork, and how would I tell my classmates that I have Asperger's?

 

A few days later, my second year of occupational therapy school officially began.  As I expected, almost every classmates were beaming with joy.  But, I was feeling miserable and sad.  Because they were too overjoyed of seeing each other, almost all of them didn't realize that I was desperately in need of someone to talk to me.  Making matters worse, there wasn't any good spots to tell people privately about what had transpired with me.

 

Knowing that I need to get the depressed feeling off my chest, I told some of my classmates what had happened to me through Facebook.  All the classmates I talked to were shocked of the diagnosis.  After all, they all had seen the strides I made socially when I was with them.  Moreover, they realized how much fortitude I showed just to attend class with them during the early weeks of our second year of OT school.

 

At the meantime, I was planning my own recovery, as my parents left me in charge because they felt that I know a lot more about autism than they do.  So, I first decided to seek occupational therapy services, which I had been getting prior to the diagnosis through the Lifestyle Redesign for College Students Program at USC.  Then, the occupational therapist I was seeing at USC suggested me to go to a social confidence group that was offered by the counseling services also at USC.

 

Initially, I felt ashamed of the idea of going to a social confidence group.  After all, I felt that others in the group might have wondered why an occupational therapy school student would ever be a member of a social confidence group.  But knowing that I had to do whatever I can to be a competent OT, I reluctantly accepted the idea eventually.  Fortunately, the other participants in the group never judged me.  In fact, because I have relatively less anxiety compared to them, where I was at baseline (before I started with the group) actually was a point where these participants wanted to be.

 

Then, two key things happened proved to be pivotal for my recovery.  First, I stumbled upon a song called The Story Song by a former childhood cancer survivor named Paige Armstrong.  After listening to that song several times, I realized how lucky I am comparing to a lot of individuals with autism when they first learned the diagnosis.  I had some tools to help manage my symptoms (through my OT training).  I had a great support system (with my OT classmates and folks at my church).  I accomplished a lot (I got to OT school without needing any accommodations).  My symptoms are not as severe as others.  All that adds up to the fact that I have an opportunity to make a difference for the autism community.  So, I started to broaden my horizons in trying to understand the best I could about what individuals with autism are going through, as well as their caregivers.

 

My second thing that happened to me was during the 2010 AOTA/NBCOT Student Conclave.  I happened to have a couple one-on-one conversations with then-Assembly of Student Delegates Steering Committee chairperson, Jaclyn Tarloff, not once, but twice!  The first one was before the event started, as we used the time to get to know each other- since we competed against each other for the very position that she was serving.  The second one happened because of a gaffe that I made at the airport as I was trying to go back home to LA, which was a long story in itself.   As I was waiting for my flight home, I saw Jaclyn walking along the gate as she was waiting for her flight.  We ended up chatting for an hour, in which she gave me a pep talk once she learned what I was going through.  At the end of the pep talk, she told me that she respected me a lot than when she first knew me.  Considering Jaclyn had become one of my OT idols after we got to know each other, it was special for her to say that to me.  So, I decided to try to follow what she has been doing since then as a blueprint and adding my own elements.

 

On my flight home back to LA, I spent a good bit of time to think about making my mark in the OT profession.  I then decided to do the following things, which has led me into becoming a starlet in the OT profession.

 

1.     I associated myself with majority of the candidates who were running for the Assembly of Student Delegates steering committee positions in the last two years.  I was able to use my previous campaign experiences as a way to connect with them. 

2.     I began to share my "new found" perspective via OTConnections.  Dr. Clark (current AOTA president) has taken notice of what I did and named me as one of the vibrant pixels in the OT profession in the 2011 Spring edition of the USC Alumni Magazine, as well as constantly putting me on the top of the occupational therapy social scene at the occupational therapy conferences I have been to since I was diagnosed.

3.     After learning that Jaclyn would be doing her share of OT conference presentations, I decided to challenge myself to start doing some, too!  As I attempted to do these presentations, Dr. Clark also took notice, as she knew it probably took a lot of guts on my part to even try something like this, which was true.

 

Behind the glory, however, I was miles from where I wanted to be.  So, I signed up for not one, but two independent "bridge courses" where I could get my feet wet in trying to rebuild my clinical skills.  These "bridge courses" were designed for students who felt they needed additional seasoning before they go on their level 2 fieldwork assignments.

 

Although I have demonstrated good knowledge, anxiety still overwhelmed me when I was trying to lead treatments on my own.  Even though I expected the anxieties to happen, I knew that the anxiety episodes had to be under control when I resumed trying level 2 fieldwork again.  Towards the end of my second "bridge course", I decided to try anti-anxiety medications out of the urge of a Facebook friend whom I have never met but I happened to know her vicar.  She has dyslexia and ADD.

 

Coming from a family that resists medication, I initially didn't like the idea of being medicated.  But, considering what was at stake, I reluctantly to give medications a try.  So, the psychologist at USC who gave me the screening for autism prescribed me Lorazepam towards the last 3 weeks of my second "bridge course", since I would only be at the clinical setting 2 days a week for no more than 8-10 hours total.  I noticed some subtle improvements.  Then, I got a prescription for Lexapro because I would be at the clinical settings for longer period of time and at a more consistent basis. 

 

After getting used to the effects of Lexapro for the first 4 weeks, I have seen my performance at the clinic improved as my anxiety have dramatically reduced.  Although I still showed signs of impulsivity and anxiety at times, it was night and day comparing to me from almost two years ago.  Now, I am proud of the recovery I have made in almost two years since my diagnosis.  Sure, part of the reason for my wonderful transformation was that I started in a better position than a lot of individuals with autism.  But, without the hard work that I put in, the support I have received, and the fact that I tried to understand myself holistically, this transformation wouldn't have happened.

 

Sure, people may argue that I started in a much better position than a lot of individuals with autism.  But, without the hard work I put in, the support I have received, and my efforts to try to understand myself holistically, this "beautiful transformation" wouldn't have been as great as it is.

Therapeutic use of silence in OT

http://phillipagrace.blogspot.com/search?q=ot+blog

A few posts on the value of therapeutic silence. I have definitely learned that sometimes, staying silent a few extra seconds causes them to keep talking and tell me things they wouldn't have said otherwise. Try it. :) 

40 best online tools for OTs

I recently got this e-mail from a man named Kenneth who says:

 "I write articles for http://mastersinoccupationaltherapy.org/, a website dedicated to providing students with the information and tools needed in order to pursue their Masters in Occupational Therapy.

I ran across your site, and I thought that your readers might be interested in the latest article I’ve posted ( http://mastersinoccupationaltherapy.org/2011/40-best-online-tools-for-occupational-therapists/ ). It’s called 40 Best Online Tools for Occupational Therapists.

I checked out the first link and it actually looked relatively commercial. The second link of tools was more useful. I I definitely plan to check out some of the apps mentioned in that online tools link. 

Healthcare jargon....

My PT friend who works in acute care told me today that a social worker referred to a patient as probably having a "celestial discharge" ......I love it :) 

Girl in wheelchair bungee jumps!

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/03/21/paraplegic-girl-wheelchair-bungee-jump_n_1369171.html

Thanks Keith for sending me this link :) 

OTs and DMVs, sitting in a tree...

Check it out, OT mentioned in the DMV CA website!!

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/about/senior/health/fatigue.htm

Vacationing with a child with autism

Vacationing with a child with autism, three part story by a mom! Saw this in the ADVANCE newsletter last year

http://community.advanceweb.com/blogs/ot_9/archive/2011/09/15/vacation-part-one-weathering-the-storms.aspx

Toy Shopping for kids with special needs

I like this! 

How to Pick a Toy :Checklist for Toy Shopping

http://www.aota.org/Consumers/consumers/Youth/Play/Toy.aspx?FT=.pdf&emc=lm&m=666669&l=4&v=2724938

Blogging as a pre-OT student

Question Received:

I am a undergraduate college student completely in love with OT and

will be applying to MOT programs in the fall! Anyway, I found your

blog about a week ago and have been reading as much as possible ever

since! I started from the beginning so I'm still not caught up, but so

far I have loved your enthusiasm and all the great information on your

blog. Thank you so much! It is very encouraging to hear your passion

for OT and the joy you obviously feel practicing it.



Reading your blog has made me seriously consider starting an

OT-related blog of my own. Starting from right now, talking about

things to do to prepare for OT school or issues that pre-OT/healthcare

people in general should be interested in. I know I've stumbled across

quite a few of these type blogs for pre-Med students, but I haven't

seen nearly as many for pre-OT students. I guess my main questions for

you are: do you think there is still a need for more OT blogs on the

internet? if so, do you think I would have anything to contribute to

that as an over-enthusiastic, over-achieving pre-Ot student? and do

you have any general blog-writing advice or medical blog writing

advice (what info people seem most interested in, how to avoid

breaking hippa laws, how to avoid plagiarism on a blog, etc.)?



Sorry if that's a lot! I know from reading your blog you are probably

busy with OT things and already bogged down in unread emails :) Even

if you are too busy to reply, I hope you will at least read this and

know how much you've inspired me and helped to remind me of why I

started on this OT career path in the first place.

Thank you so much!


Answer:


There is at least two pre-OT blogs that I know about, LOL. I guess that's it. And I think there is ALWAYS room for another OT blog as long as it's because you have passion. Every personality is different and all the things you write about and reflect on will be different from other people, since we are all unique. So you will have different viewpoints. The key is that it has to be something you want to do! Just be careful not to use identifying information about people, and write what YOU care about - at first you will be talking to a wall as it will take a while before people can find your blog on search engines, but as you write more and more, you will get more readers.


Addition: I think the two pre-OT blogs I know about are Emma Jasmin Spink (spelling?) and Im'ma make OT?

Typical OT questions

I get a lot of questions, and I get frustrated with myself sometimes because I just don't always have the time to answer them. I'm just now getting to a lot of questions, an entire year late. As I always say, I do respond, it just takes me sometimes a LONG time. Here is a typical question:

I just recently stumbled upon your blog and I have been interested in pursuing a career as an OT.  I am currently a sophomore at XY University and a Public Health major.  I wanted to ask you about how you got to be an OT (if you have a blog post on it, you can just direct me there) and in your words the upsides and downsides of it.  I am in the process of figuring out how I will be able to get my prerequisite course done and if it would be detrimental for me to take the course in the summer, as my advisor said not to do this.  Please get back to me when you can and thank you for your time.

When I get e-mails like this, I kind of wish that I could forward it to someone at AOTA who could answer it for them (and not just with a form letter...a personal touch is everything).  I wonder if AOTA has recruiters that could take on these kind of e-mails. I guess maybe in the future when I get questions like this which require more of a factual response, I will respond saying try OT Connections to post the question, but I don't feel like that's adequate. Thoughts, suggestions? 

Good post on travelling OT

http://travelsizing.wordpress.com/

OT student feels down for getting a bad grade....

I get a lot of questions in my email....here is one I wanted to share as I am sure it is a rather universal thing to happen/way to feel!!


Question Received: I've been a fan of your blog since I started the OT program at XXXXXYYYYY. I don't know if you'll get to this email ,but I felt the need to seek advice from someone who recently used to be a student, but is now working as an OTR. I just finished the didactic portion of the program and will start my fieldwork level II's in September. I'm emailing you to see if you can impart advice to me since i'll be starting FWII soon. Actually, to be honest, I just got my test results back from my Geriatric Assessments class and i received a "C"! It's actually the first time I received a "C" on a test in this program. It was case study where we had to list out the problems and recommend the most essential assessments to use as well as how to administer, the purpose, etc. I didn't get the test back, so I'm not sure what I missed, but I'm feeling unprepared for my internship and worried that my clinical/critical thinking skills are not good enough. After 2 years of studying all these assessments and going over case studies, i thought that this test would be a breeze...boy, was I wrong. I'm feeling down and doubtful that I can be a good therapist. Do things get better? When did you start to get the hang of it? I'm feeling lost and disappointed.



My answer:

I know it is disappointing to get a C, especially when you thought it would be a breeze, but that in ABSOLUTELY NO WAY means you don't have the hang of it!! A test does NOT equal real life. Who knows why you scored low - if at all possible I recommend you find out why, if it's not too late to contact the professor. Especially since it affected you so much. It takes a while to get the hang of things, but you have support from your fieldwork supervisor and others. You are not expected to be a walking textbook. A lot of it comes from intuition based on the theory you have learned.

I promise you, do not let that C bring you down and make you feel you are not ready! As long as you bring your best attitude and a willingness to learn, you'll be fine. You can learn everything you need to know knowledge-wise for OT, what they can't teach you is the stuff you already possess, like a strong work ethic etc. Believe me, I've heard repeatedly from higher-ups, that it's not about what you know, it's about your attitude - they can teach you the rest. So focus on your strengths and work on your weaknesses and it will be OKAY. Do not start your fieldwork down on yourself! Have confidence in what you CAN do and the rest will follow, I promise.

So....cheer up my friend. I promise, the fact you doubt yourself, is a sign you will be a great OT, because you care and will try hard. :)


Her response: Thank you so much for the encouraging words! I feel so much better after reading your response. I am even more determined to be the best OT I can be.

Do I have the right personality to be an OT?

I have to tell you guys, my favorite questions from blog readers are in regards to things like anxiety, personality, etc. Personal issues. When prospective students ask me things like what is the difference between PT and OT I get a little frustrated because it can be found out through exploration. But when someone writes me and tells me their fears/worries/concerns about being an OT, it really means a lot to me. I was scared too. I have all sorts of anxiety issues and it's definitely been a challenge for me, but I love what I do. I just need a lot of downtime to make up for the psuedo extroversion...lol.



Question received form a prospective student:


My first question has more to do with the type of personalities that work well with OT. I would like to start off and say that I recently discovered the profession of OT -- I am embarrassed to admit I did not know it existed before. However, when I found out what being an OT entails I already got the intuitive feeling and "chill" that I knew this would be something I would love and feel passionate about on a daily basis, something I could really see myself doing for the rest of my life (as super cheesy as it sounds). I still feel that way especially since I always knew that my life goal is to help people on a more personal level. I have even had many daydreams of doing missions or volunteering abroad in developing countries, so I know that the passion for being an OT and helping patients is there. However, I have a little bit more of a shy personality, it is not too bad -- I am just more of an observer in the beginning of new situations until I feel comfortable (takes several days, nothing too drastic). I know this is probably a silly question but I also know how extroverted people excel easily and more quickly in patient related occupations as opposed to introverts like me. Do you think there is a "typical" OT personality that mainly includes more extroverted people?

Okay, now on to more of a normal question :-P. When it comes to OT schools and programs-- does the ranking of the program really matter when it comes down to it?


My answer:

Rankings wise, no, it doesn't really matter as long as you have the drive and initiative to make the experience good. The school is just a vehicle, you are the one that will make it worth it. Obviously a good school high in rankings might be better than other schools, but if you don't have time or resources to make it happen, just go to whatever school you can.


Regarding personality - I consider myself an introvert. I'm shy too, believe it or not. I do also like to have a few days to kind of figure out what's going on before I speak up. You will definitely be challenged to be an introvert in the OT world, but it is 100% doable, you will just be out of your comfort zone at times.


Addition: (I didn't put this in my email to her but I just reread the question and saw something I missed). There will definitely be people that tell you that there is a typical OT personality, and yes, life in a patient-centered healthcare field is certainly a little easier energy-wise if you are an extrovert, but even as an introvert you can be a wonderful OT and love your job. Just know your own strengths and weaknesses and find a job - there are so many options - that will allow your introversion. IE, perhaps don't sign up for a job doing lots of big groups!!

Yay!!

Part of the PRO of having an OT blog is getting lovely letters from people telling me they went into OT at least partially because of my blog. I've gotten quite a few of those over the last 5 years, but sometimes I get a really extra nice one and I would like to share it. Many of you have written or commented about considering your own blog, and I think when you see letters like this from readers, it really helps in making you feel like it was all worth it. :) You won't even necessarily realize it until one day when you get a message from someone who was helped by it even though they had never commented. Unfortunately it took me a long time to reply, but hopefully Mary is doing well and I would love to meet her some day! Maybe she will show up at conference in San Diego this April. :) Thanks again Mary!!!!

Hello! My name is Mary and I'm a student at XY College for OTA. I found your blog during my second OT class (creative media) as I was researching the ACLS. I started reading a few entries and was hooked. I started from the very beginning and started reading. I read mostly at work (shhhhhh!) and on school breaks. I must have looked like a mental patient laughing and crying at the computer at random. I am almost all caught up! Finally reached 2011 today LOL. I expect to finish tomorrow. I have also shared your blog with my class ( a few mates have read too). Being a student, especially in Functional Anatomy, it felt like we would never make it. I was so stressed and overwhelmed. I passed the class with lying colors. I know it will take you a while to reply to this, which isn't even necessary really. I just wanted to write you and tell you how much your blog means to me. You were so stressed and frustrated at times and questioned yourself, just like we all do now! Its nice to see someone who has made it and retained the passion of OT love. You mentioned in an early blog that you really should really live OT. You rented alot of books from the library for a plane ride that were OTish. That really stuck with me. I catch myself thinking totally different now than I did 6 months ago. I love OT so much! I wish I had learned about OT when I was younger and could have gone to school to be an OTR. You see, I'm almost 28 and have 3 children. The cool thing is practicing sensory techniques and "games" on my kids! LOL I think my middle child, who is 3, is a sensory seeking child while my 5 year old is a little hypersensitive. It really is important, as a mother, to see these little quirks in your child and know how to deal with them appropriately. Anyways, I'm sure you are busy! I don't want to burden you with yet another email (lol) but you really have meant alot to me and I just love your blog. It has gotten me this far and I can't thank you enough for doing it. They say the OT world is small, I hope to have the chance to meet you one day, it would be an honor. Keep blogging!!!

 

Mary

OTAS

 

p.s. You can post any of this with or with out my name lol. Oh and on that subject, I would love love love to hear some more inside thought of yours about sensory children :)

 

p.s.s If you read this during the month of October, say a prayer for us, we will be in our Phys Dys AND going out on Level 1 field work! aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh now the anxiety really sets in!

Closed webspace...OT pencil grips...

Notice the lack of opposition/closed webspace between thumb and index finger. We want that changed. :)