One Last Flight

It’s getting harder and harder to drag myself to that airport, but off I go again.

Belmont Fun

We’re in the midst of the last semester of classes with just 2 more live weekends to go!  These are my classmates and good friends:  (L to R)  Stephanie, me, Beth, Stacy, & Stacey

We are Bruins!

Dr. McPhee and Me

Our dear Dr. McPhee is not known as the most approachable guy. He is, however, our research advisor and must, on occasion, be approached. Yesterday we had some questions for him. When we were done, the following conversation ensued:

(you’ll probably want to click on the comic to enlarge it.)

Fancy Fall Fun

This weekend, instead of staying at a hotel, Beth invited us to stay at her house.  We had such a nice time!  We talked about school and we talked about life.  We made pizza and we relaxed in the hot tub.  Ohhh, how nice.

My Last Semester Starts!

School starts back up this weekend. It's hard to believe it's the last semester!!! This semester we are going to be studying the aging process and a lot of neuro rehab (strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries). Neuro is my favorite!

Here’s my live weekend schedule.  I am a Year 2 student!

Sammy Massage

Our sweet little Sammy. When I’m so tired, he likes to tell me to lie down on my stomach so that he can give me a massage.  Then he walks up and down and all around trying to work out all those school stress knots. 

Actually, Jack tells me to lie down and then thinks it’s great fun to trick Sammy into giving me a “massage” by making him reach to be pet.  Sammy doesn’t like to not be touched, so if he sees a hand, he’ll go to great lengths to be touched by it.

Summer Semester Complete!

Yay!!! Another semester closer to graduation! Summer has been good. We had a shorter term and fewer credits. We studied orthopedic treatment and mental health/psychosocial intervention.

Semester # 2 Down!

The semester is officially over and we're half way done with the coursework! Woohoo!

I'm even still in good academic standing (of course):
Research Methods 3 credits B+
Occupational Therapy Performance I 3 credits A-
Occupational Therapy Performance I Lab 1 credit A
Clinical Studies I 1 credit A
Level I Fieldwork 1 credit Pass
Occupational Therapy Seminar 1 credit Pass
Occupational Analysis 3 credits A
Assistive Technology for Human Performance I 2 credits A

This semester's focus was on pediatric therapy. So much to learn!!! I'm hoping to do one of my Level II Fieldwork Experiences in a pediatric setting.

April is OT Month!

Ever wonder what is Occupational Therapy?

"The person who needs occupational therapy could be your father or mother facing changes because of aging. It could be your child, frustrated with being unable to do the seemingly simple things the other children at school can do. It could be you or your spouse coping with illness or the results of an accident. It could be anyone who, for whatever reason, can't do the things in life they want or need to do."

"Occupational therapy is therapy based on performing the meaningful activities of daily life (self-care skills, education, work, or social interaction), especially to enable or enhance participation in such activities despite impairments or limitations in physical or mental functioning.* Occupational therapy is for individuals of all ages-to improve skills that help them perform daily tasks at home and at school, at work and at play."

See AOTA.org for more info on what it is that I do and that I'm learning about.

Five Things about School

1. I love the friends I've made.
2. My teacher's are so inspiring. These are amazing women!
3. I don't love that I have to spend so many weekends away from Jack.
4. The homework and readings wipe me out.
5. I am learning sooooo much! It's great.

It's a new semester!

School has started up again! I guess I still have more to learn. ; )

This semester I am taking:
Research Methods
Occupational Analysis
Occupational Performance in pediatrics
Assistive Techonolgy in pediatrics
Clinical Studies
Fieldwork (pediatric observation)

If you don't hear from me often, you'll know why! Study, study, study.

One Semester Down

Well, I made it through the semester! I took 13 credits and got one A- and 5 A's!
I'm so glad for the help and insight from my co-workers and my friends at school. It's so great to be able to pull from so many resources. We all have such individual backgrounds!

These are the classes I took:

Physiology & Clinical Pathophysiology (3)

Neuroscience in OT + Lab (3+1)

Kinesiology in OT + Lab (3 + 1)

Developmental Influences on Living (2)

Semester 1 Update

This semester is going well so far. I feel like I am learning a lot. It is definitely a different experience learning while working and having so much experience already in the field. In OTA school we learned so much, but didn't really have any opportunity to apply it until our level II fieldwork at the end of the program. I feel like every time I come home from school, I'm already a better therapist from the things I've learned.
OT school is challenging my skills as a therapist and helping me learn the whys of what we do.