To anyone who may read this (which is like 3 people, lol), please check out my friend Karen's OT student blog that she recently made...

http://otstudents.blogspot.com/

I think it's an awesome idea to write about your experiences as a student and even as a clinician. It's so good to know I'm not alone in my hopes/fears/dreams! I know we'll be able to look back at this one day and appreciate what we've been through... we'll be better therapists for it, and hopefully more understanding teachers when it's time to mentor our own students.

Karen I think it's great that you get to practice with real patients already. That's what I'm looking forward to the most. As an OT tech, I'm extremely limited in the amount of hands-on interaction I can have with patients (which is understandable). It's nice to observe, ask some questions and try to figure things out without having any of the responsibility... but I'm already starting to crave it!

So I registered for my Fall classes, and my schedule looks like this:
~Foundations of Motor Performance
~ Clinical Conditions: Physical
~ Clinical Conditions: Psychosocial
~Science of Occupation
~ OT Practice Skills I.
I also applied to be a graduate assistant, so I'm waiting to hear back about that. School starts in 19 weeks, and as excited as I am, I am definitely not going to rush the summer along! I need to enjoy this one! ;)

Follow your dreams... except the one when you're at school in your underwear.

Patient: Hey Patti, are you an occupational terrorist?


HAHAHAHA. I like that one. Here are some lessons that I've learned so far during my short career in the rehab field. I hope to add to this as my life experiences continue...


Lessons from OT:
... Having the ability to listen and understand is more powerful than knowing the right things to say.
... A person's recovery is as unique as their fingerprints, you are never dealing with the same thing twice.
... Some questions might sound dumb, but they still need to be asked.
.... You will spend a great deal of effort helping someone out of bed, into their clothes and into their wheelchair. But once you head for the door, they will inevitably need to use the bathroom.
... There is no job duct tape can't handle.
... If you show passion in your job, you can see its reflection in your patients attitude and outcome.
... It's okay not to know everything, I'm sure even doctors need to use Google every now and then.
... Every day holds a learning experience, even when it's something you really didn't want to learn. :)

Hoppy Easter and OT Month!

Ryan doing an eval on a new pt...

Ryan: How old are you?
Patient: 93
Ryan: What's the secret?
Patient: Well I worked all my life, and I drank three glasses of whiskey.
Ryan: Every day?
Patient: Yes
Ryan: So you were hammered every day?
Patient: Yes.


~~~~~~~~ OT Bits of Wisdom....

Me: How long have you been married?
Patient: 48 years.
Me: Wow! What is the secret to a long marriage?
Patient: Compromise... and knowing when to shut your mouth.

:)

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Time for an update, as per death threats from Karen, my Memphis-OT-sister! (whom I need to visit this summer!) Life has been good, and a heavy weight has been lifted off of my shoulders now that I know I'll begin my OT education in just a few short months. It's going to be interesting to start learning more about what I see in practice every day at work. I try my best to observe and listen to everything that goes on during therapy, but there's so much I need to learn. Some of my friends recently got their licenses and it's really cool to watch their transition from tech and student to therapist... is that really going to be me one day?

I got to be a pseudo-OT last weekend with my grandma in PA, so of course I felt super cool. I made sure everything she uses frequently was within easy reach in her kitchen and bedroom and I removed an area rug. Her biggest concern was finding a way to get her bedside commode bucket to the bathroom, while still being able to use her RW. I showed her a slide/pass technique she could use by making little 'reststops' for the bucket along the way. She seemed more confident about it after she tried it. My grams apartment is much too small/smoky/creepy to stay at, but one of my favorite OT friends (who happens to live only about 15 mins from my grandma!) graciously welcomed me for the weekend. I swear God brings people into my life for a reason... I'm incredibly blessed.

So all in all, everything is good. I'm trying to make the most of my last few months of real freedom! I'm catching up with some old friends, and many of my friends are graduating college next month. I'm reading some books for "fun" (as in non-educational for once!), and I'm working hard on keeping up my gym routine. Till next time!