30
Aug
2009
I looooove Warm Springs :)
Spent the weekend in Chattanooga with former classmate Becca. We walked ALL over the place….did fun stuff…ended the night with a really neat conversation with her and her husband about how Warm Springs, GA changed the WORLD, really. Her husband used to visit her while she was doing a 3 month fieldwork down in Warm Springs (Becca is the one who introduced me to the idea of working there) and he toured the museum and loves the history of the place. He pointed out some good points to me!
Roosevelt is well known for his amazing leadership during the war and great depression…
what people don't think about is how his polio and subsequent stays at Warm Spring changed his attitude and thoughts a LOT…
he went from elite rich president to a humbled man willing to surround himself with people with disabilities (especially polio), the SHUNNED….saw first-hand how people lived in rural GA and their poverty….really impressed upon him the need – on a personal level – to make sure the “little people” were taken care of and given work…
Imagine how his presidency was changed by these major life events…he may have never even BECOME president had Warm Springs not existed as a way to motivate him to move past his polio.
Very inspiring. Warm Springs is a truly magical place that changed the world!!
My Georgia licensure came through….Monday I tie up loose ends, Tuesday and Wednesday I have general orientation, and starting Thursday I have my first day as a real OTR/L. I'm excited.
I think sometime next week I'll have to make a final decision as to how I want to take on the future….maybe officially closing down this blog (still up to read, just not adding to it)….not sure yet. Since my name/work and all that are posted, I'd be exceptionally limited in what I could post. As in, basically just random things not related to work. Dunno. I'll figure it out. My main goal is to stay an employee so that means being VERY VERY VERY careful!
I have received word of a new blog to link for y'all, from an OT student starting this upcoming week…plus a big ol' horror story about the importance of keeping up with continuing education hours/licensure lapses! Coming soon! Maybe tomorrow night.
I am always thrilled to receive e-mails and comments from y'all. Thanks so much for the support and/or for using me as a vessel of OTosity. Haha. Anyway…good night.
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 2
28
Aug
2009
woot Pendretti
Last night I lay down with Pendretti's OT for Physical Dysfunction and skimmed through the first 200 pages….need to start tabbing. I need reminders of being occupation-based and client-centered. 🙂 Today I get to go observe at outpatient satellite clinic, I'm excited about that. 🙂
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1
28
Aug
2009
OTs….angels?!! sometimes at least ;)
I just searched my blog for “angel” and while I found some interesting stuff, I didn’t find what I was looking for. I might have not written about it when it happened? I dunno.
Way back on my acute care hospital rotation ie over a year ago, I spent a day observing at a nearby rehab hospital. I was observing this older black lady get rehab and I believe she was being co-treated by an OT and PT. I’m sad I apparently didn’t write this up as I forget the details, but it was somewhat eerie. She referred to me as her angel and I don’t mean that in the casual sense. She didn’t have much capacity for speech but when she did it was wanting to know where I was (if I had left her line of sight slightly).. It was a little spine-tingling/intriguing.
I was thinking about that the other day…what an odd experience. Then today I was observing an OT, almost one of the first things the patient does is call me an angel. It startled me because of the story I had been thinking about.
I think OTs are often called angels…some of it may be that most of them tend to be young women, and some of it may be that they (usually) tend to be very caring (waiting here for my friend “Cookie Gimp” to pipe up with some interesting remarks)……lots of reasons…..I guess a lot of caring people get called angels!! Now, PTs just get called sadists…..because they are!!!!!!!!
KIDDING, KIDDING, KIDDING, I SWEAR……kinda…no SERIOUSLY I AM KIDDING (noimnot)…JUST KIDDING. Physical therapists are amazing and awesome. 🙂 But so are OTs!!!!!
I’m excited to be an occupational therapist!! More observation tomorrow and Monday in various areas, then Tuesday and Wednesday are generic orientation, then DUM DUM….we see what happens?!!!
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 3
27
Aug
2009
hmmm wiping away the OT rust….
Someone left this comment: I've recently graduated from my Bachelor's degree…& is going to start work soon..around the same time as you! I'm rusty as well after a looooong time of not doing clinical placement…how r u gng to prepare for work? I'm having butterflies…
I'm having butterflies too! And massive lunar moths! Giant large wings flapping around!! Augh! It's been a long time since i've done any OT!
I'm going to prepare by doing some observation, studying some old study material, maybe forcing a PT or two to work with me on transfers…hmm what else…oh yeah trying not to panic 😉
Good luck!!!
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
27
Aug
2009
OT connections
I think I've posted this but not positive. I'm in the “therapeutic recreation” center on their semi-more consistent wireless. Warm Springs has a big ol' mountain blocking signals….so my cell phone (Verizon which supposedly does the best around here) drops off regularly, and my wireless Internet is a joke! ANYWAY…that makes it hard to work on all my internet stuff like blogging etc!
I highly recommend people with questions or thoughts on OT, go to OT Connections (by AOTA).
Here is a comment Sam, guru of OT Connections, left recently:
“looking forward to reading your practitioner blog…just wanted to clarify that OTConnections is open to non AOTA members too and they can blog and participate in all parts of the website except for the SIS forums which are a member only area.
so even if you are not an AOTA member you can join for FREE and participate! “
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
26
Aug
2009
there's no going back now!
I have a Georgia drivers license (the DMV in LaGrange only had like one person in line ahead of me) and had to surrender my TN one!
Also got fingerprinted at the court in Greenville!
Tomorrow I go back to Greenville for car tags/title!
And my TB skin thing read tomorrow too.
And I just had gym orientation so now I can go work out! They have a huge swimming pool, a bowling alley area open a few times a week, and a relatively big weight room but only a few cardio machines. Still, better than nothing and it's next door to my cottage. 🙂 I'm excited. Plus I found out they have wireless there that actually WORKS ::ahem:: so maybe I can go chill in the lobby there to get important email stuff done.
September 1st is coming up!!
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
26
Aug
2009
hmmm
frustrating that both cell phone service and internet are poor where i live! warm springs is a black hole for reception!
spent a lot of time with human resources today – going over healthcare benefits (hope im licensed by sept 1st as my insurance won't kick in until at least november otherwise!!) also had to get a TB screen and also had to have a drug test! That was traumatic! I had to drink 4 sodas before I could go! The iTouch app “Shy Bladder” would have come in handy, lol
tomorrow i get my drivers license, car tags, id badge picture, and hopefully orientation to gym so I can work out! Thursday I get TB shot read and tie up other loose ends of human resources stuff I guess!
September 1st is first day of orientation! I'll be a part-time “graduate tech' at first until licensure goes through, but I think licensure will come through quickly as all it's waiting for now is NBCOT certification.
My room is ALMOST organized…maybe in 2 more days it will be enough to get it all the way organized. I plan to live in this shared housing for 3 months at hopefully both/min max – ie minimum in that even if I decide to move, I'll stay here 3 months so that I can be used to commuting, relocation, familarity, and have packing amnesia kick in. But also max because it's hard living in one room and also I REALLY REALLY WANT MY LESTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ::sobs::: Anyway. Okay time to tackle some more papers I guess…
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
24
Aug
2009
moving
Tonight is my first night in GA in my own room in the shared housing. I spent many hours today getting it all put together although it still has many hours to go. It's tempting to say that I should just leave it bare as I need to move soon (so I can have my cat!!) etc. But I think it's worth a day or two of hard work t have several months of higher quality of life…
Tomorrow I start interacting with human resources & GA government in general to get driver's license, paperwork, all that, started. I have this week to get settled in – I of course want to get all the paperwork done, get my room settled into, catch up on things I'm behind on even from Memphis, and also do a bunch of shadowing of various therapists.
I am glad to have Internet access right now, it's pretty weak, inconsistent/spotty here….slow too. For an internet addict like me, that is a HUGE shock to the system!! I am grateful to my friends who helped me move and grateful to all in general for the support. More later…it's only 10pm but I'm tempted to go to sleep. One of most exhausting weekends ever. Better see what time I meet up with human resources first though!!!
I can't tell you all how many “firsts” I've had recently, especially even in the last few days, but a LOT….let's hope things continue to go smoothly.
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1
23
Aug
2009
I'm in GA….
most exhausting 48 hours ever. but it all went without any major hitches…very nice. looking forward to settling in and it still has not sunk in that I live here now, not Memphis. more tomorrow or soon when im more coherent. very tired! but glad.
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none
20
Aug
2009
Count down – two days left
Thursday & Friday are my two last days in Memphis. Still have a LOT to get done but got a lot done today. Have said goodbye to most of my friends in town. Have errands to run and then a LOT more packing to do..the kitchen, all my clothes, etc etc. Not to mention finish filing, ack! But I think it will all get done in time. Guess we'll see, huh?
I'm very much NOT in OT mode right now (besides to find out the dress code…gotta go buy some more khakis…bane of my existence!) – just trying to get through relocation. Once I get there, I'll start being in OT mode and will hopefully have more to say that is OT related. 🙂 My first day of orientation is Monday, September 1st. I'm there a week early to do all the employee health, human resources, settling in, stuff. I hope to shadow some as well. I haven't done any OT since my last day of fieldwork in late March – so 5 months! I'm rusty! Had no idea things would go down the way they did – so many odd twists and turns I never would have guessed – so it was a long drawn out process.
It's 120am…time for bed.
Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1