21
Sep
2009
some manly OT ideas?
When dealing with manly patients who like hunting, shooting – and a gym filled with things NOT like that – need ideas on manly man stuff. The rec therapist printed out some trivia questions on manly stuff like motorcycles of a guy who like that stuff, then we worked on standing endurance and quizzed him on manly trivia….the idea below is copy/pasted from a friend of mine. Other ideas?
Would, for example, he enjoy outdoor magazines? I am wracking my brain for outdoorsy stuff. There is a deer hunting video game. I'll keep thinking. Is there a range nearby and does he have relatives or friends who could check him out and take him? One idea – get a three pound hand weight, rubberband a sharpened pencil to it with the point pointing straight up. Put a six inch circle on the wall and have him hold it in one hand (or both hands) and raise it extended to eye level. See if he can hold it for 15 seconds, put down and then repeat. Mocks getting a sight picture and shooting a revolver.”
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
21
Sep
2009
Home Programs for OT
http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/Pages/index.aspx
” The above is a great site for home ex. programs etc. ” – former supervisor 🙂
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
21
Sep
2009
OT Blog Comments
I just published 11 comments – they had been building up since my internet on campus is so slow – so I am going to stop moderating comments and just hope nobody goes crazy. I'll get a msg when I do get one though so I can try and keep an eye on them.
So…keep commenting and now it will show up immediately.
Thanks guys for your patience!
Or shall I say all y'all.
Karen
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 4
21
Sep
2009
Any Portuguese (sp) speaking OTs out there?
If so I have a blog for you…
Hi Karen!
Hi there
>I'm an OT student in south Brazil and i'm the president of our Academic Centert and we are making one questionary to met the OT in other countries.
>This questionary will be published in our Blog(http://catoverbalize.blogspot.com/)and it will be put in the pin board of our university.
>Help us to met the OT!
=
>I'm an OT student in south Brazil and i'm the president of our Academic Centert and we are making one questionary to met the OT in other countries.
>This questionary will be published in our Blog(http://catoverbalize.blogspot.com/)and it will be put in the pin board of our university.
>Help us to met the OT!
=
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 3
16
Sep
2009
hmm
Loving Warm Springs and this area! Work is definitely a challenge for me with my giant inferiority complex, but in general, things are going well. I get stressed out with it but luckily the gym is next door so that helps me a lot with stress relief! I miss my cat Lester a lot and of course miss my Memphis friends even more, but I do like this area.
I'm working on learning more about spinal cord injuries, quadriplegia, debility, etc. It's hard to be occupation based and client centered at all times..but I did utilize the Wii bowling and air hockey table today!
Sorry I do not write more. Still paranoid about saying things on here about work, plus my internet connection is really bad in this area. Plus I'm always really exhausted…about to go to bed once I shower even though it won't even be 10pm. 😡
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
16
Sep
2009
hmm
Loving Warm Springs and this area! Work is definitely a challenge for me with my giant inferiority complex, but in general, things are going well. I get stressed out with it but luckily the gym is next door so that helps me a lot with stress relief! I miss my cat Lester a lot and of course miss my Memphis friends even more, but I do like this area.
I'm working on learning more about spinal cord injuries, quadriplegia, debility, etc. It's hard to be occupation based and client centered at all times..but I did utilize the Wii bowling and air hockey table today!
Sorry I do not write more. Still paranoid about saying things on here about work, plus my internet connection is really bad in this area. Plus I'm always really exhausted…about to go to bed once I shower even though it won't even be 10pm. 😡
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
9
Sep
2009
a typical day as OT now…I need ideas.
First, to OTs/PTs/SLPs out there: I'm doing inpatient rehab – typical stuff like TBI, SCI, CVA, etc – if you have any cool treatment ideas please share!:)
Sorry for the quiet. I am so limited in what I write right now since I haven't checked in with employees yet to see what all is kosher.
I can say some things though!
I'm half-way through my first full week as an OTR/L. (Only had Thursday/Friday of last week). It's been a little chaotic because of some unusual circumstances, so I've definitely had to step up and do things earlier than expected. But all the staff – OTs, PTs, SLPs, techs, etc, are all sooo helpful and smart and awesome and supportive, so it's worked out well. I had two patients on Monday, 3 patients Tuesday, two patients today…mostly different patients each day! If you have 3 patients that means you see them in the morning for 45 minutes and in the afternoon for 45 minutes – so each person gets their hour and a half of OT a day required. So you see people 45 minutes x 6 if you have 3 patients. So that's a lot of treatment, not to mention all the documentation. Maybe that's actually nothing – but as a new grad with limited experience in this setting, it seems like a lot. The most common things seen in this inpatient rehab hospital – are pretty typical – traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, debilitation, hip/bilateral knee replacement, strokes of varying severity…a lot of them have comorbidities or low vision so that all adds to it!
I've gotten experience with bathroom transfers requiring 3 people and lots of adaptive equipment (bedside commode with drop arm, sliding board, gait belt, etc)…picking up tricks from the experienced therapists on how to fasten adult diapers on a person while sitting on the toilet (attaching it like underwear) rather than waiting until they stand up, if they are pretty dependent….how to set up wheelchair to toilet or mat or bed most effectively and how to hold the person best…how to use an airsplint…etc etc.
I have heard people talk about imposter syndrome and it's true…every day I'm like AUGH I'm such an imposter! I have my license, did everything I'm supposed to, but I still don't know much!! But maybe I know more than I think…nobody has any complaints at least and I'm told I'm doing well!
I got to see a therapy dog in action….pets really can make amazing differences!
The best part of all this is living on campus…walking out my door for 3 minutes to work….and then after work going 3 minutes the other way to the recreation center….the gym, the track, nature trails, ping pong, pool, weight room, etc….been going every night with few exceptions….I think I've gone about 6x a week the last few weeks! I go with another PT student, Tana, who lives down the road in a student cottage (her sister was an OT student here 10 years ago who now works with my former classmate Becca in Chattanooga – small world) or the SLP roommate, Jamie, or by myself!
Today at the gym after work a lady came in to do elliptical and she hadn't done it before (we were chatting) and I totally instinctively like guarded her as she got on, I was like sorry it's the therapist in me coming out! LOL.
Um…this is long but I'm trying to write a lot to give all the info and make up for lost time! I'm about to shower/eat dinner then go study for about an hour….brainstorm tomorrow treatment ideas etc.
Okay so a typical day…
Get up 640am fully prepared for day so can be out of house by 720….walk in by 730….check schedule…
start ADLs with someone up anytime until 9am…
9am to 945, 945 to 1030, 1030 to 1115 is treatment times…
then documentation time….
lunch 12 to 1230….if time lol.
1230 to 1- documentation
1 to 145, 230, 315, treatment time…
315 to 400pm, documentation….ideally leave by 4pm to not have overtime.
430ish or 5ish to 6ish or 7ish…go to gym…or walk on trails or whatever…
8pmish to 9pmish…study…
Chill in between those times…
Go to bed by 10 30pmish….soooo tired!
It's hard being a new OT and everything being new!! I'm on high alert all day and it exhausts me! I just want to try to sleep away the afternoon/evenings but I know that's the worst thing I could do so I do so much time at gym! It's been good for me. I'm typically high-strung with new situations like this but I think all that time at the gym has really helped me handle things.
I kind of get nervous/scared when I head into work in the sense that, well, duh, I'm freaked out about not knowing everything or even close…but I need to remember how much I've learned just in 5 days there…so…hopefully can continue!
ANYWAY….wow this is long.
It's cool living with a PT and SLP too…and having a PT student friend…etc…
Um….
Okay I'd better get hopping. I might share some of my treatment ideas here soon!!
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 5
5
Sep
2009
first week down
Monday I just observed a few hours. Tues/Weds general orientation all day. Thurs/Fri my first two full days as OT! So much to share yet can't lol. Everyone is awesome though and so is the facility and patients.
Fun though. Love living on the campus with the recreation center next door. Got to play air hockey and ping pong and go on walking trails near forest/lake and on outdoor track dodging deer and indoor track and weight room etc etc! With my fellow PTs/SLPs! Fun stuff!! Plus last night watched Warm Springs the movie with a PT student.
TODAY, we are participating in the special Labor Day weekend celebration where once a year they refill the pool with the waters and allow the community admission! Me, SLP & her husband, and PT student, are going for the 10 to 1130 slot ….these are the bouyant waters that made such a difference to many people with polio way back when.
Rest of plans for weekend include going to the gym, doing lots of OT study/review, especially of anatomy and the more technical stuff, brainstorming ideas on what to do – we do have air hockey, skee ball, a gardening area, etc for the patients so that is awesome – and then just chilling with various people or whatever.
My new motto when tagging along for just about anything is “It's Warm Springs – what else am I going to do?” lol.
I love the quiet campus…just the chirps of bugs and frogs at night…love its beauty…the sunset over looking Lake Dream….love all the recreation opportunities next door to me, love walking to work just a few buildings down, etc!! 3 minute walk from my door to therapy doors.
I need to talk to HR or someone soon about blogging – so sorry I can't give details! I can say this week I've done some transfers, goniometry, hemi dressing techniques, maneuvering for dressing techniques for paraplegia, deltoid aid, and toileting etc lol….love being an OT 🙂
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
2
Sep
2009
Day 1 of being a paid employee!
Day 1 of General Orientation was nice. Day 2/Final day of general orientation is tomorrow. There's lots of confidentiality rules etc so I will not be saying anything specific at all until I've probably talked to HIPAA people here and/or HR…I don't want to risk losing this job because of blogging things that seem to be safe but aren't! So whatever gets posted in next few days will be very vague if referring to work, and I'll try to stick to posting the things I said I would post and haven't yet. And now am too tired to do so, so perhaps tomorrow? 🙂
My goal for tomorrow is to not freak out big time tomorrow night in advance of my first REAL day, Thursday. So I'm going to go to the gym if it kills me to try and work off the stress. And do some review of phys dys stuff like manual muscle testing, major anatomy, range of motion, etc etc.
I should do some tonight but I'm toooo tired!
Good night!!!
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1