Surfers for Autism

Before I rant and rave about how amazing my Saturday was, I will start with this clip from CNN Money:

That's right. Occupational Therapy is ranked #10 on the 100 Best Jobs of 2012. Although, I don't like this description of OT, I am proud to be an OT and thrilled about the media attention the profession is getting.



So, on Saturday I volunteered with an organization called Surfers for Autism. I signed up to volunteer last year but something came up and I couldn't go :( This is a group of surfers that travel all over Florida's beaches (and even to Puerto Rico and North Carolina) teaching children with all sorts of developmental disabilities how to surf. How cool is that? It is all FREE for the parents! They provide water, bunches and bunches of food donated from local restaurants, and sunblock all day long. It's a day of fun for these kids in a non-judgmental environment with other kids who are like them. So cool.

Since I am truly a pediatric OT at heart (but working in geriatrics for the first few years), any opportunity I have to work with kids, I take it. I met up with some of my old classmates there and we had so much fun! We split into teams of 3 partnered with one surfer at a time. We volunteered to take on a few of the more "challenging" kids who are considered more severe. We had some kids who were non-verbal, so I got to put my sign language skills to use by telling them to stand/sit on the board. Every child was at a completely different level of severity and if you have never worked with someone with autism, it can be pretty overwhelming.  It was such an amazing feeling to see the kids smiling and to see their parents standing on shore taking pictures of them, so happy. Knowing that I had a part in that is one of the best feelings ever.

The last surfer we worked with was a little girl named Jessie who was about 5-6 years old, not speaking yet, and has Rett's Syndrome. I stayed on the shore for a few minutes and spoke with her mother who had just moved here from Kuwait. She was telling me of all the struggles she has had trying to get her daughter into therapies since nobody takes her insurance. She finally found a speech therapist who will take her. The only OT that will accept her insurance can't get her in for an evaluation until February 2013! So sad. It's people like this and moments like this that make me want to just offer free or discounted services to this family. It's heartbreaking because this little girl needs therapy bad. The mother told me she moved to the USA to get services for her daughter.. And with our healthcare system you have to be poor-poor for Medicaid, but if you are just regular poor, you are screwed.

I PASSED MY BOARDS.. and stuff.

It has been forever and a day since I last blogged (well, 30 days to be exact) but I have a good excuse. I was studying for my National Board exam..and if you couldn't tell by the title, I PASSED! YAY!
I now get to sign my name with MS, OTR/L at the end. As if my name wasn't long enough. For you non-OT people, thats Master of Science, Occupational Therapist-Registered/Licensed. Thaaaaats right I am a board-certified OT licensed in the state of FL :) Round of applause please?

Ok anyway, I know a few people asked me to share my tips on how to conquer this beast of an exam. I don't really have any guaranteed study tricks as everyone learns differently but I am willing to hand out some advice on what worked and did not work for me. I am going to keep these short and sweet but if you want more elaboration on these feel free to contact me: samanthaot12@gmail.com

Happy studying! :)

1. Don't start studying while you are on fieldwork. If you want to skim through a few practice questions, fine. I firmly believe that 80% of all of your knowledge comes from fieldwork and you should channel your focus into that instead of worrying about the exam.. yet. So, put down the study guide and make the most out of your 6 months of internships. The entire exam is composed of 'scenario' questions that challenge your clinical judgement and reasoning skills not just recall and memorization. For example, a question might say "The inability to recognize familiar faces is.." A: prosopagnosia. However, I honestly had maybe 2-3 questions like that. The other 200 something question your decision-making as a competent therapist. Which you will not be able to rely on these skills without a solid FW experience beforehand. Of course, you will not be exposed to every single diagnosis during FW but ..just trust me on this.

2. Use your textbooks. You know those big, heavy, expensive door stoppers. I read my Physical Dysfunction and Pediatrics textbooks from cover to cover before I started going through the study guide I purchased from TherapyEd. Once I felt I had sufficient background information, I went through the study guide chapter by chapter, making index cards, and writing out my own notes. Highlighting doesn't work for me because I end up highlighting the entire page. Whatever I didn't know in the study guide or felt I needed to review, I made a list. and then made sure to look up the information later. 

3. Make a study schedule and stick to it. I made a calendar. (see right) of what topics I was going to cover each day. Schedule days off. Your sanity will thank you. Take breaks often. Go for a walk. Eat junk food. Whatever. Just get through it. If you miss study time, make it up the next day. Write down something motivating. I know people who wrote their favorite mantra. I wrote my credentials at the top to remind myself what I was working for.

4. By this point in your educational rollercoaster ride, you should have probably figured what type of learner you are. For me, I HAVE to have music or TV on in the background. For whatever reason, the extra auditory input helps me focus. Other people like quiet. Just do what works for you. I studied in my bedroom with the door closed. I tried to study in public places such as Panera and Starbucks but just got distracted. I found this to work best for me. Others may not. I deactivated my facebook account for almost 2 weeks to limit some distractions. How did I ever survive, right?

5. Allow yourself some free time. I struggled with this a lot. If I did anything "fun" I felt guilty the whole time and just thought about what I should be doing. You do not have to study 24/7. A few hours a day with breaks in between is plenty. You WILL burn yourself out and probably have a nervous breakdown or two. I had several, one the night before my exam. I feel I should also mention that I had my first ever panic attack while studying for this. I am usually a very good test taker and never stress before tests but this one made me crazy. Again, this is different for everyone so do yourself a favor and allow yourself to have a life outside of OT world so you don't end up like this<<-----------

6. My final tip (because I am getting lazy and don't want to continue typing) is just to believe in yourself. You know more than you give yourself credit for. Be confident. I know, easier said than done. Walk into that testing center, knowing that you prepared your hardest for this test and go kick the test in the balls. And have a cocktail with some fried food after. Then just relax and wait for your results to be posted online. The waiting part is worse than the actual test BTW.


Oh and one more tidbit: It does not matter what your score is. It is like the SATs..once you pass, nobody will EVER ask you your score. Nobody cares. It's not a competition. You need a 450/600 to pass. Get a 451. Be happy. Go to work, get your (big) paycheck and enjoy life! I start my job on 11/12 and can NOT be anymore excited!!

memorable patients

I was debating on what my next post should be about and a friend suggested blogging about my most memorable clients that have stood out to me on fieldwork. The first one that came to mind was an amazing little person I had the pleasure of working with during my pediatric rotation. 

For privacy reasons, names have been changed. 

The first is a young 8 y/o girl, we will call B. Her diagnoses include: cortical visual impairment, autism, cerebral palsy, stroke, and deafness. Imagine how challenging it would be to communicate with someone who is both visually and auditory impaired. Now imagine you are doing an intense program of 6 hours a day of therapy called Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT). For those who might not know, the general description of CIMT is to restrain the "good" arm in order to re-train the brain to use the "bad" arm following a neurological impairment, such as stroke. Anyway, we did this treatment for 5 weeks, changing her cast each week for hygiene. 

I was extremely intimidated by her at first because I just didnt know how I was going to be able to work with her, especially without one of my supervisors there. But, I dived in head first and made an effort. We split up the 6 hours/day schedule between my 2 supervisors and myself. I got put on dinner duty: met her every night at the cafeteria to work with her using her "good" arm to feed herself. Not going to lie, it was hard at first, as she threw tantrums, throwing herself on the ground, throwing her plate and utensils on the floor out of frustration from not being able to use the "good" arm and having a hard time with the "bad". It did get easier and my last few weeks there we developed a somewhat special relationship. Although it was difficult to communicate with her (she did understand some simple signs), I grew to love working with her and looking forward to it everyday. Saying goodbye was the hardest, since she cognitively could not understand the meaning of goodbye or realize that I was leaving. 

Finally, here is a video of us that makes me smile every time I watch it. 

WATCH ME.  

blah ze blah.

Ok so since my life really isn't all that interesting.. I have decided that today I will leave you with a few random things that have me laughing today. Happy Thursday :)

AND here is my favorite:

Bloopers from Friends!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWDwKKSydOc&feature=related

Tips for surviving Level 2 Fieldwork

Level 2 fieldwork is one of the most exciting, challenging, overwhelming, and rewarding experiences. You finally get to put all your skills to the ultimate test and more importantly.. you finally aren't sitting in a classroom for hours upon hours being bored and listening to your professors ramble on. I guarantee
you will learn more in ONE week of full time fieldwork than you did your entire 2 years in school. It's exciting.. yet oh so stressful!

I did my peds rotation at the Alabama Institute for Deaf & Blind and my adult rotation was at Life Care Center of Punta Gorda, FL. It was nothing but a 6 month rollercoaster of ups and downs. I actually had emotional breakdowns at least once at both locations and I'm lucky to have had CIs that were so supportive!

Anyway, here are my tips for making the most of your fieldwork experience:

1. Use your research skills. If something doesn't make sense that day or you have no idea what your CI is talking about-- ASK. Then, go home and look it up and make sure you are prepared for the next day. There are so many more diagnoses than we learned about in school and I spent so many nights researching the less common ones so that I could understand my patients better.

2. ASK QUESTIONS! Your CI wants to know that you are interested and that you are making an effort to learn and become a good therapist. They don't expect you to know everything.. TRUST ME. I am one of those people that doesn't particularly love asking questions but sometimes there are just things that you won't know and you have to ASK! Your CI agreed to take on the role of instructor and that is their job- to teach.

3. Don't be too hard on yourself. Like I said, you aren't supposed to know everything. I know therapists that have been practicing for years and they still don't always know everything. You will constantly be learning and researching even after 10 years of practice.

4. Make friends with someone from each other discipline: physical therapy, speech therapy, social work, teachers, nurses, CNAs, wound care, etc. You will be surprised the things you can learn from these other professionals. Ask for advice, build a relationship, and take a page from their book. I had no idea how to put TED hose on a patient or how to operate a hoyer lift but the CNAs and rehab techs taught me little tricks to make my life easier! It's a team effort, people :)

5.This might sound bad.. and it kinda is. Forget about your textbooks. I mean, yes, keep them. They have valuable information in them for sure and you will NEED them. BUT. Forget what they tell you to do. In real life, its almost nothing like what the books say. Not every patient is a textbook diagnosis and more often than not, they have multiple diagnoses so its never exactly "by the book." Once you learn to accept that what you spent years studying may not be correct, you can move forward to thinking outside of the box. OT is all about being creative and flexible anyway, right?

6. Remember your role as the student. You are there to learn, not to be someone's slave to do all their "bitch work" BUT remember sometimes you might have to do extra tasks or projects because you are the student. Try not to think of it as being degraded but take it as an extra learning opportunity.

7. BE ON TIME. If that means not having enough time to put your mascara on before you leave. then so be it. Get your butt there on time and be ready to start right away with patients. If you have a small caseload, you might be able to spend a few minutes in the morning catching up on the TV show the night before, but usually you should be ready to go. Professional.

8. Don't complain about being a student. Everyone had to go through the same thing, everyone worked for free, everyone took the NBCOT exam. So suck it up and do it like everyone else did before you. Embrace the fact that you are a level 2 student and use the safety net of fieldwork before you are really on your own!

9. Be able to accept constructive criticism. I know, I know, its hard for me too. Just sit there and smile and nod. THEN go home and vent :) Take the criticism, accept it, learn from it and become a better therapist because of it.

10. aaaannnd finally 10 is: BE CONFIDENT. I'm actually laughing as I type this because I am/was totally NOT confident on fieldwork. On both of my final evaluations, my CIs both wrote a blurb about how I need to be more confident. It's easier said than done. I get it. It's hard to be confident when you're just a student, you don't have nearly as much experience as others, and you don't even have a license. All you can do is just PRETEND you know what you are doing. Your patients will trust you and your CI will be proud of you for making an effort. You just finished a very intense graduate program and you know more than you think you know--I PROMISE.

These 6 months will be exhausting yet so rewarding in the end. If you're lucky like me, you will have  2 AMAZING CIs that you still keep in touch with even after you finish your rotation.
GOOD LUCK BABY OTs :) 

about me

I never really know what to say about myself when people ask me about myself. So I have no idea what to write about myself either but figured I'd list out some random facts in hopes of getting to know my audience better :)

1. I've seen every single episode of Friends over 978858009048 times and still laugh. (I'm actually watching it now which is what prompted me to include this fact)
2. I cringe at unpainted toenails.
3. I completed a 3 month full time internship at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind in Talladega, Alabama earlier this year. It was the most scary/challenging/amazing experience of my life and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
4. I have one tattoo on my foot. I love them but I'm too chicken to get anymore anywhere else.
5. My parents divorced when I was like 4 years old. I haven't spoken a word to my dad, who lives in NY, in more than 8 years. I have a 21 year old sister who is a senior at Florida State University.
6. I bartend on the weekends for the time being.. which is probably more fun than it is work.
7. I recently graduated with my MS degree in Occupational Therapy. I have already signed a contract with a job at a sub-acute rehab facility in my hometown and will be starting next month. Excited!
8. It takes A LOT to make me mad.
9. I consider myself a GREAT friend and would do anything and everything for those close to me.
10. My zodiac sign is Leo. Enough said.
11. I have a 14 year old yorkie. He's deaf and... old.
12. I make a big deal out of my friends' birthdays but not for my own.
13. I'm anxiously waiting for the new seasons of Greys Anatomy & Private Practice to start. Anyone else?
14. I listen to a WIDE range of music from electronic dance (EDM) to *some* country.
15. I still have no idea what to say about myself.

welcome!

Hello out there to everyone in blog world! I have had a few blogs before but never kept up with them. Partly because I got busy/lazy and mostly because I was bored with it. I have been stalking and stealing ideas from several occupational therapy (&other) blogs out there so I figured why not start one of my own...and continue to stalk theirs in the meantime.

My long life partner in crime/best friend/blog designer extraordinaire, Kristen designed this blog for me and did an awesome job! Plus she's pretty much the coolest person on earth. You can check out her amazing blog and view her portfolio here: 

http://wtfarmywife.blogspot.com/

I plan to write about the random adventures in my life, starting my new "big girl job," friends, fun, health, style, and anything else to keep myself amused while connecting with new people!

Check back soon once I figure out what the heck I am doing and learn how to really use this thing! :)