27 Oct 2011

yikes – OT chaos

I had so many good intentions. I have so much to write about the OTAC conference, and the classes I took, and OT4OT, etc etc, and catching up on my 100+ blog comments/emails, but noooo…I continue to suck. 🙂 Here is a screenshot of what my box looks like!!!! But I SHALL CATCH UP EVENTUALLY! I always do. You should see my floor – SO MUCH FILING!!! I accumulate awesome resources. Then they go into piles. Then they add up. Then I never use any of them because I have too many.

I like to think of myself as organized, but once I get overwhelmed that goes out the window for a while. So……still my ultimate goal to get it under control. Especially because I need to work on a few reports etc before back to work on Monday.

Anyway…….more later 😉

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

26 Oct 2011

Join us NOW

http://ot4ot.com/world-ot-day-2011/

We are in the start of OT4OT's big day!!! Join us!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

26 Oct 2011

OT4OT party time :)

It's fitting that a recent OT Practice magazine was all about international work. I've observed OT in Colombia (for several months) and also in Norway. I've been in a lot of touch with the OTs in New Zealand, Canada, and the UK over the years. I get e-mails all the time from blog readers in foreign countries who want to touch base. In some countries OT is more understood – like in Norway, where everyone I knew made comments like “Ooh, this would be good to use in OT”….I was shocked so many people knew what it was and what we do. It was lovely. And it was great to see OTs working in Colombia who had limited resources as part of being in a 3rd world country, but still did a fabulous job of providing high quality care.

One of my long-term goals will be to go do OT in a Spanish-speaking country for a while, to get immersed and learn Spanish better (don't worry, School Steps – not planning for a long time ;)). And I know there are many therapists who do missions in other countries. I feel like OT most definitely has a global identity and it's fascinating to learn about how it works in other countries, from insurance to relationships to resource access. For example, in the USA we learn how to out-source, for example for custom burn garments. Because we can. But in countries like South Africa, the OTs learn to sew custom garments themselves, because they don't have outsourcing possibilities. That's amazing to me!

I don't have any major enlightening thoughts on this subject besides I am so glad that there is an OT4OT helping to further the profession of OT in a very Centennial Vision kind of way. 🙂 Hopefully I can attend some of the sessions being held tomorrow!

http://ot4ot.com/world-ot-day-2011/

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

24 Oct 2011

ouch!

I got this lovely gem in my box. I stand corrected. I wrote that list during one of my first semesters in OT school and I never noticed my mistake, nor has anyone else ever pointed it out. I'll edit it to correct it, but I've got to say the tone of this correction kind of stung!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post “Top Ten Ways to Impress your Occupational Therapy …“:

It's Case-Smith, not Case & Smith. Dr. Jane Case-Smith is an OT professor and researcher from the Ohio State University. If you're going to leave feedback for future students, at least leave correct information.

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 4

23 Oct 2011

My birthday weekend!

I turned 29 this past Friday the 21st. I'm old, yo. 🙂 Having lots of small celebrations with family/friends this weekend. Tonight we had delicious Thai food in Pacific Beach. 🙂 I got a Sonic Care toothbrush I've been wanting from my mom, and a Wusthof serrated paring knive I've been wanting from my dad. I also got some neat gift baskets/presents/cash plus a beautiful purse and some OT toys! My gift to myself was going to be a 21 pound weighted blanket, but my friend Paloma pre-emptively bought me a THIRTY POUND (??????) one, so I cancelled my order. We'll see how 30 pounds is, I'm a little skeptical as that doesn't fit the typical rule of thumb based on weight. (Weighted blankets can be dangerous – use carefully only with able-bodied and cognitively intact people!) Oh wait, cognitively intact? That takes me out of the running… 😉

Tonight my friend Paloma helped me organize my toys (again). I need to get a better system in place during the week so they don't get so disorganized. I like to have LOTS of options with me.

I have a few pictures to put up from conference, plus SO MANY random topics I want to discuss that I jotted down during the various sessions. Technically I have NO excuse that I haven't been working on it this past week. Just failed. NOT COOL! So gear yourselves up for a blogging blizzard one of these days soon.

By the way, I was talking to an OT who is stressed out with her job and therefore kind of burnt out on OT. She wanted to know how I mantained my passion and enthusiasm for OT and I explained to her that my love for OT is separate from my job – no matter how bad a day or stressed I am from my job as an OT, in THEORY I LOVE LOVE LOVE the field of occupational therapy and what it STANDS for and what it supposed to be like. I realize that no one, least of all me, ever meets OT perfection, but I am passionate about our foundational beliefs. Every day, in every way, I am an OT. It affects how I see the world. Every single neuron of mine has a tiny little OT bubble in it along for the ride. I cannot separate being an OT from being human. I adore it with every ounce of my being. Even at the worst of times.

Ideally, obviously, you have an OT job that rocks so that you don't have trouble keeping up your momentum….but even if you do have that trouble with a difficult job, try and remember the OT values, even if they seem fuzzy at the moment.

That was kind of a random side note. It popped into my head.

Tomorrow two OTs are coming over so we can work on a presentation coming up. They are coming to my house and I can show them some of my toys, I am excited…

My goals for next week include writing up two and a half initial OT evals, preparing for three or four others, continuing to organize toys, clean my car of crazy toys (vision tubes, shoes for lacing, random board game pieces, dry erase board, etc), and dealing with ridiculous amounts of paperwork. 🙂 Procrastination is a bad thing.

The pictures: I need to try to get back to using more pics. I have thousands of OT pics on Facebook from like five years ago if people want to be my FB friend and go look at old albums (just tell me who you are when you request friendship, ie you are a blog reader). One is a LOLcat that I thought was amusing from an OT standpoint, and one is the pumpkin my talented friend Kerri carved a few years ago!

I think it would be very neat if people would take pictures of “OT” more often in various states such as sand, glass, tile, whatever…..do something creative. If you submit it I'll happily post it. My e-mail address is in the sidebar in the About Me section.

Okay I'll stop now. My friend Paloma is here reading Mommie Dearest (NOOO. WIRRREEE. HANGGGAAAARSSSS!) and I am playing online like a bad girl.

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

19 Oct 2011

CIREC – an amazing rehab center in Bogota, Colombia

I spent 2 months volunteering at the rehab center CIREC last fall in the OT department in Bogota, Colombia. They treat a lot of land mine victims there. There were tons of amputees wandering around and everyone was so friendly. I loved it. I am in the process of figuring out how to donate to them. I also want to write an OT Practice article about it eventually.

In the meantime, watch this 5 minute video. You'll get to see the gym where I was at and some of the staff and patients I got to see, as it's a pretty recent video. Most of it is in English. A lot of adorable kids!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=UbW9a9HVpJg

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

17 Oct 2011

oooh

I had a great time at the OTAC conference…California's OT Association. Looking forward to doing LOTS of blogging as I wrote down oh, 15 topics or so I need to write about!! I am definitely back into blogging mode. For right now though, I just need a little time to recuperate!!! Hopefully by tonight I will start writing!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

14 Oct 2011

Occupy AOTA?

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-09/news/ct-edit-occupy-20111009_1_protests-occupational-therapy-financial-crisis

I was seeing how to find my blog on Google.com (type in Karen Dobyns, or ot student, or occupational therapy blog), and I typed in just occupational therapy. This news article linked above came up but it had to do with anguish of the Occupy Wall Street peeps. I was thinking on the way home today that AOTA needs to take advantage of this “Occupy” stuff and do a membership drive called “Occupy AOTA” or something, to get people to join! Just a thought.

By the way AOTA sent out a great little 2 page pdf on sensory issues and kids during Halloween. I forwarded it to all the educational specialists at my 4 schools and asked them to send it on to teachers of kids with autism/sensory difficulties.

I love being an AOTA member and I highly recommend it. Rah rah rah. 🙂

So….my clothes are in the dryer, I showered, my cat is sleeping on my leg, the fan is going full blast (Santa Ana here), and it's almost 10pm. I'm going to go to bed now, but get up at 5:45am to do some printing of conference handouts, my flight ticket, etc…..tomorrow I see some kids plus work hard on some billing stuff. Then rush home to shower/finish packing before our flight leaves! I am NOT taking my computer. I'll be back Sunday night. And PS, robbers, I have two other people living here, so don't rob us. Thanks!!! 🙂

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

14 Oct 2011

Pumpkin vs OT. Pumpkin wins.

My mother had me go out to her car asking me if I felt strong. She opened the car door and I said “Holy Bleep”. Without the Bleep part. Then I carried it inside and it almost killed me. That is our ugly garage, don't judge. By the way, notice my roommate's blind cane glinting in the background?! 🙂 Or is it a white cane. I should know the proper terminology.

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

14 Oct 2011

OTAC Conference and random OT stuff

1. I was out in the sunshine with a kindergartener so the sun was really showing off my hair tinsel. He asked me “Why does your hair glow up?”

2. My cat IS LITERALLY TRYING TO BITE MY FINGER AND KEEP IT HOSTAGE INSTEAD OF WRITING THIS OW

3. I took back my finger and now he has SWITCHED SIDES TO MY OTHER HAND!!!!

4. You know how I start OW ed a campaign to get my kids to call me Miss Awesome? (obviously a joke). Today I walked into a room with a 2nd grader who likes me a lot and his eyes lit up. He was working with an aide and the aide said “oh Miss Karen is here”. He replied “No, it's Miss Awesome.”  AHAHAAHAHAHA

5. I should be doing laundry, showering, and packing for OTAC and yet I am sitting here blogging?!! I had an IEP meeting first thing, then an initial OT evaluation meeting, then training in billing, plus some observation of a few kids in between, then I went to Office Depot, Staples, TJ Maxx, Halloween Store, Target, Big Lots, Michaels, and Dollar Store to try and find this specific bulletin board I love, and the Target employee suggested I try wal-mart. and she is right, I think it's where I got it!! (I couldn't remember where I got it but I wanted more so I've been searching). I forgot about Wal-Mart since I only go there like once a year. Guess I have to go again. Heavy sigh. Barf. 🙂 Much prefer me some Target action. Especially those dollah bins.

6. I am excited about OTAC! Should be fun! If you are going to OTAC leave me a comment or email or say hi if you recognize me! If you see a girl with black glasses and glittery hair, that's me!!

7. I really should stop now.

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none