25 Sep 2009

Life as an OTR/L is fun here in Warm Springs…

Well I continue to learn new things every day about evaluations, discharges, treatment ideas…tons of treatment ideas I've been writing down. Need to share, perhaps this weekend. Learning more about manual muscle testing, PROM, AROM, adaptive equipment, durable medical equipment, and so forth. Tomorrow is my last day inpatient – next week I start outpatient training, then week after that different (final placement) outpatient, but I'm guessing I'll still be around in various areas as needed for a while, I dunno. I love being an occupational therapist but I still feel very much like a student. I hang out with the students too.

Tonight I went over two cottages to the student cottage where several OT students, PT students, rec students, and me the sole employee, lol, watched Grays Anatomy season premiere. We were all either texting or on laptops throughout – I've historically spent so much time hanging out with older people than I am always amused to spend time with my own age group and see how similar we are in some ways. There was some sugar-free fudgesicle eating + some light adult beverages…interesting combo right? Then Tana, PT student/pseudo mother, made chocolate chip banana bread which she let us all try….it was meant for work but the stupid student cottage oven doesn't do so well so maybe some (more) of it will end up in my tummy. my tummy cries for sweets and can you blame it?

I've been semi stressed out on and off – sometimes REALLY – and had one really bad day where I cried a lot after work – but overall it's usually pretty fun and interesting. I love spending time with my patients and I really enjoy it when I get to spend one on one time with them. I love seeing little miracles, love seeing progressions of people coming in max assist and leaving a few FIM scores higher….lol…I learn a lot from my patients. I think OT schools should include some BASIC courses on motivation and listening, hope, grief, etc – like when patients are having a hard day and feel bitter or depressed, how to best handle that…

It's neat signing OTR/L….neat getting to refer to myself as a therapist…and I'm definitely loving living on this rehab campus with a 2 minute walk to work and 2 minute walk to gym and a 1 second walk to many friends/coworkers in healthcare who live here as well.

I do miss Memphis though, I still don't feel like I live here….that will take time. I moved here August 23rd so my one month anniversary was yesterday.

Welcome to Georgia Karen….

PS: I'm sure you guys have noticed erratic blogging blizzards….basically my computer is super slow on campus so I rarely post much as I can't get on much or easily here compared to my previous Memphis internet levels…..but when I go to coffee shop that I started visiting this week, its normal-fast so I can try to whip out everything I'm behind on. Still a long way to go but did manage to deal with about 70 e-mails this week…only 100+ more to go….

This weekend will hopefully be nice. In prep for starting outpatient OT I am going to be reading up on orthopedic upper extremity injuries such as Colles fractures…things like transverse myelitis, medicare guidelines, etc etc…

Oh….and I've gotten some very neat treatment suggestions from a friend regarding “manly” treatments like stuff involving cars instead of, fluffy kittens. Hoping for more from people on treatment ideas in general…

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 2

22 Sep 2009

OT schools similar, regardless of price?

Wrote a post on this recently, too lazy to relink, but here is another comment on it that came from a cross-post I did on OT Connections

A Comment has been posted to Transitioning from student to practitioner…: Opinion: Are all OT schools pretty similar? Cheap or expensive?:

I currently go to a fairly large university that is “moderately expensive”. What I mean by that is I have heard stories from former students whose total tuition topped out at like $80,000 and others who said they paid $22,000. I am not finished with school yet but have came to the conclusion after all my calculations that my tuition total after I graduate is about $37,000. I believe that most schools, expensive or not are the same. I mean, they all teach you the basic entry-level skills needed to pass the NBCOT and gain employment out in the field. So why bother with the $80,000 school when you can gain a similiar education at another school for $40,000 less? Just some food for thought. :o)

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

22 Sep 2009

I'm not the only imposter syndrome poster child, haha

Jo says:
Hi
I still get that imposter feeling from time to time and I've been qualified 5 years. So does one of my nurse friends. We are waiting to be found out by our superiors that we don't know what we are doing. We do really know what we are doing but I think it's perfectly natural to doubt every now and then. It just means that you're developing and questioning how you do things.
Good luck with your new life in Warm Springs as an OT. I'm enjoying hearing all about it.

Jo (Community mental health OT, Northumberland, UK)

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1

22 Sep 2009

OT blog blizzard temporarily complete

I posted a bunch of posts today…the easiest ones I could….went to coffee shop with fast internet for first time since move….of course its 7 miles away and only open until 8pm..lol.better than nothing….went from 163 emails to deal with to about 115….hope to go back within next week and cross out another 30-40….didnt necessarily deal with them chronologically so much as how quickly i could deal with it/how much thinking was involved….so blog readers/commenters….have hope, I still have a bunch more to go. Most recent, a few much older ones 😡

Still have quite a few posts brewing ….am wishing I could post more about work but staying safe. I do start shadowing in long-term acute care tomorrow….I have enjoyed inpatient rehab but I think I'm more of an acute person when given the choice! Better than obtuse, right? Haha…

Anyway. yeah. More soon. Yay for all you recently-starting OT students….let me know how things are going…I'm guessing overwhelming…but I promise you can get through it! If you need a pep talk/morale booster really bad, e-mail me or comment…I can be a good cheerleader. IT WILL BE OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright I'm up way past bedtime. Gotta be up in six hours. Good night.