25 Nov 2008

OTCONNECTIONS.ORG

www.OTconnections.org

It's the new social networking site put together by AOTA! It's open to the public, although if you are an AOTA member, you can use your existing login! It took me a few days to explore but I'm very impressed, and it already has quite a few people signed up! It has message boards, blogs, galleries, groups, and more, all for OT-related things. I just finished reading a post by Molly, one of the editors of OT Practice, entitled “Houston, We Have No Problem”, which made me laugh, regarding the upcoming AOTA conference. Seems like it will be a great site to keep on top of OT life, and I highly recommend anybody that is interested in OT, go join and check it out! 🙂

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

25 Nov 2008

La la la la

ok…I'm down to fourteen OT-related mails and I've only got a few left from October. That leaves a bunch of blogging + a ton of Facebooking left to do plus of course the last fourteen, but still…doing way better.

Today was a quiet day at work which is good since I didn't get a lot of sleep. I have quite a few “poo” stories to share from colostomy bags to fecal tubes, plus dealing with mental illness, stuff like that. But most importantly I want to talk about OTCONNECTIONS!!!!!!!!!!! Dum dum DUMMMMMMMMmm

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

25 Nov 2008

"OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY NAMED ONE OF NATION’S 150 BEST RECESSION-PROOF JOBS"

http://www.aota.org/News/Media/PR/2008Releases/OT_RecessionProof.aspx

AWESOME reasons to go into OT, beyond all the cool “helping people” part of it….recession-proof, best-paying, fastest-growing jobs….

This news release went out a while ago, I'm a little slow, but hey, the information is TIMELESS! OT is not hurting the way many other fields are right now in this economic downturn!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

25 Nov 2008

funeral home

During an evaluation with an older lady who had a hip fracture:

Me: So ma'am, when you leave the hospital, where do you want to go next?

Her:Well a funeral home I imagine ::laughs::

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

25 Nov 2008

Neuro-IFRAH

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=7enq0BnmCKHDchW_2fqJxrVQ_3d_3d

This is a very very brief/easy survey just asking about use of Neuro-IFRAH in your setting. My OT classmate Allison will be doing an in-service on it. Please take a minute to fill it out!

Thank you!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

21 Nov 2008

End of week 8

OTCONNECTIONS……….post coming soon

Post also coming on day at rehab hospital.

For now, sleep.

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

19 Nov 2008

Stick a fork in this blog, it's done for the night

K…38 emails related to OT to deal with still, but am slowly catching up!! Of course I need to catch up on reading OT blogs too, and all my OT Practice and AJOTs too! I'm behind on LIFE, OT and otherwise!!! Right now I'm reading the book Suite Francaise and I watched two episodes of Desperate Housewives tonight so when I say I'm behind on life it's pretty self-inflicted, but come on, ya gotta have your leisure (which in my opinion means doing stuff that has absolutely no productive value) to have your balance of occupations….

It's almost 1am so I guess I'm going to go to sleep now. Tomorrow should be a relatively normal and slowish day – a few knee patients, a few deconditioned and stroke patients, a co-tx or two….let's see how it goes! I'm going to try and go to the gym afterwards too since I slacked off big time today.

Thursday I will be taking a fieldtrip to the next-door inpt rehab hospital and spending the entire day there 🙂 Should be cool to see how pts I remember from acute care, are doing, now that they are improving in a rehab hospital!

The grammar in this entire post is atrocious. I apologize. Well not really. Kinda.

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

19 Nov 2008

Questions, comments, etc…

So I'm finally finally going through my e-mail, and I have a lot of comments and/or emails from prospective students, current students, OTRs, COTAs, etc…I have taken away fully identifying information but am otherwise just copy/pasting some of them. For multiple reasons, including that I'm hoping some of y'all have advice for some of these people, and to show the diversity of people who e-mail/comment, and to encourage others to start their own blogs, because people really do seem to (usually) appreciate it and it's always fun to get “fan mail” so to speak lol. I haven't responded individually to any of the below comments/emails yet. To those that were comments and didn't leave identifying information – thanks for your kind words. Those of you who e-mailed, I'll be responding shortly.

Molly says:
Hi there. I'm a fellow MOT student at XX College in YY State. I stumbled upon your blog, which inspired me to create my own. I don't want to jump on your ideas…I just thought what you put up was so great. I gave you some recognition on my blog – http://otmama.blogspot.com/ – you can check out my homage to you! Anyway, thanks for the inspiration. I really enjoy your site!
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MTWBULGARIA says: It's been a long time since I was a student. It is good to see the freshness of your perspective. I've been practicing for 12 years and I'm learning to use the internet to enhance my practice and build a network. I'm and OT preparing to use my skills as a missionary. Some think it's great and some don't like the mix. Whatever your opinion, I invite you to checkout my blog: mtwbulgaria.blogspot.com

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Pam says:I am an OT student still finishing school here in “STATE”. I am in the process of learning how to do the initial evaluation including the scapular assessment (for neuro patients) as well as getting practice with transfers and facilitating anterior and posterior tilt of the pelvis. This stuff is kind of freaking me out because I don't think I am good at it at all. I am sure that in your situation you will be fine because you will have people to show you, as you are STILL a student and learning. Anyway, good luck and if u have any tips for me let me know. Thanks.

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John says:
Im a first year OT student and have noticed a complete lack of marketing in OT as well as a lack of student understanding about OT in school.  So I am interested in starting a blog and making videos about OT for my school etc.  I just wanted to know how the blogs were working for you and if you had any helpful hints about where or how to set up a blog at a good site.  Also if you had any helpful info about getting out info on OT and things of that nature.

ps.  i read a good amount of your blog and i think it seems great.  Especially for new and future ot students!
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Amy says:
Hey! This is really weird since I don't know you, but I found your blog from a google search and since you put your email address on there, I thought I'd email you with my big question. I am trying to find out how much science/anatomy I will need to know to be an OT. I am taking the prerequisite Anatomy and Physiology II right now and I am kind of freaking out. I can do fine in the class, but I don't really learn anything. Science just isn't my thing. So I am worried that OT might be too much science for me. What do you think? To actually practice, do you need to know all this stuff?
Thanks so much!!!! And sorry for the random email from a random person!
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Jeffrey says:
I came across your blog a while back when researching OT programs. I am applying for admission for Fall 2009 and am completely overwhelmed by the massive amount of information available on the web. I was wondering if you have any advice about how to organize this information and find out what I truly need to know about the differences between various programs. I am also wondering if you could provide insight about how competitive programs actually are. I never really thought about competitiveness until an individual in one of my classes asked me. I told her that I would find out (because she is thinking about applying for OT), but nobody else that I have asked seems to know. I appreciate your help! Keep blogging!
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Annie says
Hey Karen! Annie (from STATE) here! Just want to say that I got my OT practice today and was so excited to see your article in there! I'm so proud of you! I am still reading your blog constantly, and thank you!

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kk says:
Well, I love your blog. I've been a COTA for five years, I just returned to school this fall to pursue my Masters in OT. I ran across the blog one day when I was trying to convince myself that this was the right thing to do. If (when) I make it to OT school, I may take a page from your book – er – blog – and keep an online memoir myself.

Thanks for making us smile! You'll be a great OT.
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Teresa says: I got my OT Practice and saw your article and thought to myself “Yaaay!”. I am a first semester OT grad student at the University of XXXXX. I check in with your blog from time to time. Helps me see the light at the end of the tunnel and also reminds me that I'm not going crazy with my own OT thoughts. Thanks much for sharing your experience!
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Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

19 Nov 2008

Random day….Week 8, Day 2….

Today was a low census day. In the morning I asked my supervisor…if I weren't here, would you call the PRN COTA? And she said yes. And I said, well please call her, because it's not fair for her to lose money because of a student. We can function as one – it would suck if she had to go work elsewhere because she couldn't get the hours she needed. She agreed – after all I'm only there another four weeks and this COTA is hopefully going to continue on much longer.

I have been co-treating with a particular PTA a lot the last day or so, especially today – she is very good and I like to follow her for low level clients because she helps me with the lowest-level skills like maneuvering out of bed.  Today we got an ICU patient sitting on the edge of the bed, and she had me kneeling on his bed with pillows, holding up his back (to keep him supported) with my thighs pressed against the pillows which were pressed against his back. We also did some weight-shifting and weight-bearing things with her giving me some nifty neuro tricks she had learned from a PRN OT. 

I also went with the COTA some for another low level client who needed two people to get her sitting on the edge of the bed, and I used the PTA's pillow trick I had just learned.

Trying to think of other interesting things – one of our patients passed away, sadly, and another two of our patients, I found in the charts, had been the cause of recent codes (where the hospital announces a code overhead). Both survived.

OOOOOOOOOH I know something weird – my fellow OT student Brooke's father is a PCP, and his name showed up in a chart today! I was like whoah!! Small world.

Hmm, what else. I don't even know. Oh, I helped a man with oral care the other day, he is a mouth breather in ICU so his mouth is dry and crusty with flaking mucous membranes, we did glycerin swabs in his mouth and skin was flaking out of his mouth, isn't that gross? But it felt good to him at least.

And I am told I should learn how to change a colostomy bag since it is an ADL for many.

And I have a good friend looking to give up her sweet young female cat, if anyone is interested….and apparently another friend with a cat and 4 kittens. Just sayin'

And….biggest news of all is that OTCONNECTIONS has launched today….I'll give that it's very own post tomorrow. Or maybe tonight.

Did I mention I still have way too many emails and Facebook msgs to respond to. I might try and get to that tonight. We shall see. For now I need to clean up a little and then take some ibuprofen because my head really hurts!!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

19 Nov 2008

Totally not related to OT but yayayayaya

Yay!

My mom had cancer a few years ago and had her yearly scan today and it came back clean! Yay!!!!!!!!!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none