31 Dec 2009

Throw the blog a bone…

I swear I have not forgotten your existence, oh bloggety blog. The real world isn't much fun – I much prefer the student world – but I do still love OT. I just wish I didn't have to go to work 40 hours a week, lol. I want to go back for my PhD in a few years I think.

I'm learning to think on my toes….sometimes I help out in inpatient and I get thrown things were I am like are you KIDDING ME? lol. But it's good pratice and everyne is helpful. I am just a cautious person! I'm still striving daily to be a FUNctional OT and not just a coney, but some days I definitely find it more difficult than others. I can't wait to get certified in modalities. It's not fun to go put an icepack in a pillowcase and wait for someone else to slap it on the pt when I know exactly what to do and just am not allowed to do it!  I also would like to take a few basic neuro and ortho cases. I need to watch the PT do some shoulder stuff as well. I've got a lot to learn, yo. 
I'm getting more comfortable with throwing words around like facilitation, neuromuscular re-education, PNF patterns, isometrics, blah blah blah….my school was really big on mental health and not so big on phys dys, so I feel I am very very weak in that area compared to a lot of peeps, but I learn day by day, and that's all I can ask really, is to keep learning! I bought the book Therapeutic Exercises by ummm….I forget who know, but i've talked about it before. And I am helping two friends study for the PT boards, lol….yes PT not OT. I bought the PT Exam book :X Because I get so tired of PTs talking about all this stuff I don't know about so I want to learn more about it! Distractions and oscillations and their anatomy is wayyyyyyyy better than mine.
I am so tired all the time – I don't have a lot of desire to write when I am home – too bad I can't blog from work and get paid for it, lol. Um….I love OT!
I have been playing on OTConnections slightly more. Good resource.
Okay more some other time, this was enough of a bone for now right? 🙂 
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

16 Dec 2009

Preventing healthcare acquired infections like MRSA…

Barbara
Barbara Dunn has been e-mailing me about preventable infections – I need to check out the website for more information as it looks pretty interesting. One thing I always wonder about is the clipboards that get carried around everywhere! Check it out. 🙂

 I'd like to inform you and the readers of Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) about how to protect patients and healthcare workers from the huge number of preventable infections people are catching in hospitals and other medical care facilities.

I've created a useful site that you're welcome to check out and take any resources from you like:

http://haiwatchnews.com

That site is a summary of a bigger effort by Kimberly-Clark Healthcare called “Not on My Watch” which is aimed at eliminating completely preventable healthcare acquired infections like MRSA and ventilator-associated pneumonia.  Complete information about the “Not on My Watch” campaign can be found at www.haiwatch.com.

Please let me know if there are any questions I can answer for you.

Barbara Dunn
barbara@haiwatchnews.com
www.haiwatch.com

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

1 Dec 2009

OT

My classmate Dori….(well one class below me) is doing an internship here….we were representin' at a sushi restaurant or Thai or something I think.

It KILLS ME KILLS KILLS ME KILLS ME I can't share specific stories….today I have some stories I'd really like to share!! ARGH!!! It hurts!! I guess I can say this much….I like to use rest breaks productively….for patients who are into self-expression I encourage them to bring in their stories, poems, pictures, scrapbooks, whatever it is they want to share about their life…. (this is especially interesting when working with victims of trauma) – so that during a rest break they can share…

My other goal is that the patient goes home and makes their family jealous of therapy because it's so awesome, haha. I don't have that hard of a time doing that with younger patients who need global training (like lots of deficits to work on). But when it's a patient with just a hand injury or something I find it harder to make it awesome even though I know, I know, a good OT would have no problems making that work. I wish I had an unlimited budget for craft supplies and stuff. Hmmm.

As a new occupational therapist (um I started Sept 1st so 3 months now!) it's so easy to feel utterly incompetent…but I'm sitting here doing adult outpatient physical dysfunction iin another state, whipping out 700s and learning more about the CRAPPINESS of insurance companies lol, and if I had been a student I would just now be done….so…I guess I need to be patient. I keep being told it takes a year, or five, ahaha, to feel okay…..

Hmmm
Better go prep for tomorrow…
I hope y'all had a nice Thanksgiving
PS I have 152 new mails to look at and over 200 to review/respond to, so um….yah 🙁
PS2 I need art ideas 🙂

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 3

26 Nov 2009

Martha Stewart blew my mind today, oh and Glee's handicapped episode

So this has nothing to do with OT but it struck me as really ironic.

I follow Martha Stewart on Twitter along with a bunch of other random peeps, and my Twitter came up and she had a few Tweets up and they all had no grammar, ie did not capitalize “i”, no periods, commas, etc. I was like…..Really? Am I the only one who finds that hilarious, considering she is known for her attention to detail???

Oh but by the way, to make this vaguely OT related, I am listening to “Defying Gravity” – I just watched my first episode of Glee, called “Wheels”, after I think it was announced in AOTA's minute or something. It was relatively well done, having all the glee club have to use wheelchairs for a few hours a day to know what one of their members had to go through daily – they used the term “handicapable” which I haven't seen before. And I loved the song Defying Gravity. So I downloaded it on iTunes. I recommend the show or at least that episode….I know there is probably some talk over on OT Connections about what people did and did not like about the show.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

25 Nov 2009

booo

dang spambots with all their ads….gonna have to go back to moderating comments cuz of them! booo.

I'll try to post today!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

18 Nov 2009

OT Pumpkin a little late


Flashback to a few Halloweens ago..my friend Kerri indulged me in making an OT pumpkin. YAY OT!!!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 2

18 Nov 2009

electrical modalities in Georgia, Orlando FL AOTA Conference, and a cornocupia I can't spell

wow its been way too long since I last blogged. I am still struggling with the fact that I am almost daily going to face things I haven't seen before seeing as how I'm new!!I am trying to be evidence-based, occupation-based, learn all the basics….for example if I know I am going to get a patient with a hand diagnosis like trigger finger, then I can prepare for it by reading about it in a hand book, looking in an anatomy book to see what exactly it affects, looking in my OT book for ideas on how to treat it, determine my preliminary base of attack (ie pre-evaluation) which would include activity modification/education, modalities, extensor strengthening, range of motion, etc. I can also search online for evidence on what typically happens with the diagnosis and treatment, and even read first hand patient accounts on message boards or blogs, as well as see what is being said in the medical profession re surgical treatment, blah blah blah. So a lot of research and studying.

I got some magnetic poetry for a large metal cabinet in the clinic – you can get clients who enjoy self-expression to work on standing activity tolerance, or visual scanning, or fine motor coordination, while composing their own poetry. Or get window markers or dry erase markers and stand them at the mirror and let them trace themselves/draw themselves….in the case of children with autism, I've found that placing fingerpaint ON their face (like a red streak) will often get them to look straight into the mirror at themselves….and if you have one of those play tunnels that are manipulable, if for example the child is in the ball pit and you place part of the tunnel in the ball pit, they love to look into the tunnel… and you take the other half up and put it to your face…they will look you in the face more consistently and for longer periods of time. I dunno, just stuff that seemed true for me at least.

Um…..what else….I still haven't fenced with any of my patients…….one thing I think I wrote about on a previous blog entry is doing the american sign language alphabet with a lot of clients to work on praxis, fine motor coordination, etc…

I have a 139 NEW mails in my box that I havent even looked at…..it hurts me to delete them without reading them as most are AOTA listservs….but still have a lot of old mails to respond to including blog posts and comments I mean to do something with. I do have more stable Internet now so no real excuse beyond that I find the real world quite exhausting. I love OT, but I'd much rather do it on a part-time basis so that there was lots more time for sleep, my favorite activity ever……unfortunately I can't work part-time unless I find me a rich man….any takers? JUST KIDDING. Oh and loan repayment is so not cool. Which reminds me. I better go pay that bill. Oh crap.

So I am thinking about going to Orlando FL for AOTA conference this year..April I believe. I saw APTA is having theirs in February in San Diego, I wanna go so I can go home, but I don't think that would go over too well with my work, haha…OT at PT conf…haha…ludicrous…haha….anyway.

I am trying to find an electrical modalities course….or a thermal/electrical modalities course if need be….so that I can get certified in Georgia to do modalities. Soo important. But there don't seem to be any classes until this Spring and it's killing me yo. Any thoughts??!!

Um…….um……okay I think I've procrastinated enough. I love seeing OT students and OTs update their status on Facebook ….pretty interesting to see what other programs are up to…..
I better check out OT Connections…….oh wait….no more procrastination…..and oh yeah!! I did apply to the Emerging Leaders program, it worked out!! Now just cross fingers…

OKAY FOR REALS NO MORE PROCRASTINATION GOOD NIGHT.

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

9 Nov 2009

I saw this somewhere…it cracked me up…

“Medicaid guidelines are like the bible: how you follow them depends on how you interpret them.”

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

6 Nov 2009

Help AOTA members HELP

So I filled out the three page essay for the Emerging Leaders program only to discover I hadnt seen the second part of it…..(slightly edited) “Applications require a letter of reference from an AOTA member who has been impacted by your leadership. Should address character, leadership qualities and leadership potential, and your ability to successfully complete the proposed program.”
 
Well, it's a little late now as I waited until today – the deadline – to write that 3 page essay. Total bummer that it's not valid. Any AOTA members out there feel like writing me a reference letter on this lovely Friday afternoon? LOL. Hmmm.
 
Karen
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

4 Nov 2009

Trucking on

Lately I've gotten a lot of really supportive and sweet comments from people that let me know they are gaining something from my blog. That means a LOT to me, so thank you for taking the time to write. My roommate just got Internet, so I'm going to be able to write a little more….but not much more lol. I do want to write about some of the better treatment sessions I've had….like having hand patients do the American Sign Language Alphabet and Numbers 1-10 as part of their home exercise program to improve their fine motor/coordination….or having a hip patient (past precautions!!) do some stuff from a belly dancing DVD….or having a pt working on balance, endurance, etc, do some fencing with foam swords….or doing yoga poses for balance, endurance, etc….I think I do really well with younger pts (ie 20s or below) who need higher level work on things like balance and cognition….it's when you hand me someone who needs ranging and goniometry that I am like IS THIS PARALLEL TO THE LONGITITUDE AND IS THIS THE ANGLE AND DOES THIS LINE UP WITH THE THIRD METACARPAL AND HELP HOW DO I MEASURE CMC MOVEMENT AND AUGH.

But….I'm learning. In a typical day I may have patients with post polio syndrome (a lot of that here in comparison to other places!), a hand injury pt, an arthritis patient, muscular dystrophy patient, etc….except pretend I said that in person first language cuz I totally meant to. Ok I better go shower – just got back from a walk- then I'll come back to maybe blog in more depth or answer some reader emails or who knows what. I still need to complete the application for being an emerging leader through AOTA, that looks neat. And I couldnt take the PAMPCA course because its way overfilled :::sobs::: it makes me cry so much. Its hard to be an outpatient therapist and not be certified in modalities. Grrr.

Ok. Yeah. So. Thanks again for helpful and inspiring comments and I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH IN A NOT CREEPY WAY CONSIDERING I DONT KNOW ANY OF YOU IN REALITY….the end.

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 3