Social Media and Updates

I started this blog a few weeks ago to provide a place to share my thoughts and feelings and ideas as I go through OT school and (hopefully) start a career in OT. It also seemed like a great way to document my journey and maybe even provide a place to meet other OTs/ OT students and talk about the field. Well, I was surprised to see an entire article on social media in the newest issue of OT Practice (in fact, the first issue I have received). I knew I wasn't the only OT blogger out there, in fact I regularly read Karen Dobyns blog (one of the bloggers mentioned in the article), but it was really cool to see the benefits and even the negatives of blogging and other media outlets. I love to watch OT videos on YouTube because I just want to learn as much as I can. Its also great to read the blogs of OTs to learn more about the field and how many different things you can do with OT, or to read the blogs of students and be able to empathize with them or be reminded of what is to come in my own journey. I hope I will be able to use this tool to grow as an OT and get as much as I can out of the years of schooling ahead. I also hope that others will get something out of it as well, even if its just that I'm a little off the wall. OT is something I am really becoming passionate about and I am so excited to be able to share it with others.

Now for a school update: I just recently got my schedule for the Summer. It is going to be a little intense, but I can't wait. I will be taking: Human Anatomy, Surface Anatomy, Intro to Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Intro to Evidence Based Practice, and OT Clinical Correlates in Occupation. Its 10 credits in 10 weeks. My books are on the way and I can't wait to jump in, classes start in 47 days (orientation in 45 days). Here's my updated to-do list before I go:

• find an apartment and roommate... making another trip on Monday
• get lots of shots and blood antibody titers - DONE!
• apply for loans - DONE!
• apply for scholarships - ongoing, but I haven't done as much as I should..
• buy a computer - DONE!
• pack all my stuff - I'll wait til May to start this I think
• review some A&P so I don't have as much to learn over the summer - ongoing, and I've been reviewing a lot recently
  
• spend as much time with my two doggies as I can before I have to leave them. - ongoing, and I'll never have spent enough time with them.

I'm getting there. The list is growing shorter. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel anyway, and that is always a good thing.

What is Occupational Therapy?

One of the suggestions in my OT Student Primer is that you have a working definition of what Occupational Therapy is so that you can answer the inevitable question that immediately follows "What are you going to school for?" I have been working on my definition recently as I am constantly asked to define OT. Yesterday, for example, I was talking to my mom about a youtube video I watched on Lifestyle Redesign. I explained all the cool programs this particular OT offered- stress and pain management, organization and study techniques for college students, green living, nutrition and weight loss- and when I was finished my mom asked, "What does that have to do with her being an OT?" I was very surprised. I had talked to my mom about what OT was and thought I did a decent job explaining it, but she didn't realize all that the field encompassed. I listened to one of the AOTA Living Life to the Fullest podcasts this afternoon called "What is Occupational Therapy?" An OT student asked how to define OT in a detailed enough way so people understand but still give credit to all the different areas. Even the two seasoned OTs who were asked talked of the difficulty. OT is constantly growing and expanding and there is really no way to define it in one sentence.

In order to survive my career as an OT student and following into an Occupational Therapist, I do need some sort of concise answer to this question. So here it is- with ideas taken from numerous other blogs and videos and other sources.

Q: What is occupational therapy?

A: Occupational Therapy is a field to help people perform common, everyday activities, such as, hygiene, household chores, job related tasks, or personal hobbies. The patient works one-on-one or in a group with a therapist to develop the skills needed to overcome a disability, relearn these skills after a traumatic event, or prevent trauma or negative consequences from occurring in the first place.

I am not saying my definition is perfect. Far from it. I am just beginning this journey, so I am sure many changes and adaptations will need to be made from time to time. Feel free to comment with any suggestions, additions, or your own definition.