Five Reasons Why Spring Semester is the Best, and the Worst

***I wrote this at the end of spring semester, then forgot to  post it. I still consider the material/review of the semester valuable. So, here ya go!***

Nothing feels more satisfying than finishing a semester. As the huge school nerd that I am, I love crossing big projects, papers, and finals off of my tumultuous list. There is remarkable feeling of accomplishment while finishing up this semester. As hard as the past few months have been, it feel so good knowing that I did my best. As you can probably tell from what I have written, or perhaps my lack of writing, last semester was hard. I would argue that this past spring semester was one of the most challenging in my academic history. The semester was nonstop. I felt like the energizer bunny that had to keep going, and going, and going. But as exhausting as it was, it’s empowering to know I can do hard things. While I put in the work to make this semester a success, I believe in OT school you never truly work alone.

I owe this semester to my classmates, parents, friends, professors, study groups, tutors, and TAs. The degree of collaboration I have seen within my class, and the physical therapy class gives me immense faith in humanity. My classmates have been my foundation this semester. Whether it’s studying with me on the weekends, sharing study guides, giving pep-talks, or just letting me vent about how stressed out I am, I simply cannot express how grateful I am. My classmates have saved my sanity, and have taught me so much.

I’m trying to find an eloquent way of summarizing this semester, but frankly, I’m coming up short. So, here is a countdown of highlights from the past four months.

5) Losing my sanity in lab. Anatomy labs are always interesting experiences. I find them equal parts fascinating, and gross. There was typically a tipping point in studying in lab when there was no more capacity for information to enter my brain. So, typically, we just started saying neuro terms with funny accents. Weird neuro terms include, but are not limited to: infundibulum, uncus, hippocampus, and vermis. Yes people, some neuroanatomist named the midline of the cerebellum the vermis.

4) Fieldwork, an opportunity to discover how little I actually know. As I’ve discussed in previous posts, fieldwork is an incredibly opportunity to practice OT skills. However, the majority of the first fieldwork was primarily based on discovering how little I truly know. Upside of this discovery, knowing that within the next few years I will have a better understanding of what is going on. Thank heavens!!

3) Running our first mock group therapy. For our group therapy class (groups) we team up in pairs and prepare a therapy session for our classmate. Each setting and situation is different. My session was teaching anger management techniques to adolescents. My personal favorite part of groups, seeing which classmates of mine have secret acting talents. Also, there was always one classmate who had to play the flirt, it became the running joke of the semester.

2) OT’s heart PTs. For Valentine’s Day our classmates made anatomy and neuroanatomy valentines for the physical therapy students. We all took neuro together, so it was an excellent opportunity to get to know their class better. Between pinterest and my creative classmates, we had some amazing cards, such as “you make my heart go tachy”, “ PT= pretty terrific!”, and “You can manipulate me any time!”. I think it’s safe to say, it was a good icebreaker.

1) Finishing neuroanatomy! Neuro is a challenging class. I know for some science buffs it may not have been too tough, but for this humanities gal I initially struggled. Fortunately, I was able to figure out the class and learned so much. It’s bittersweet to be done. I’m not sad to see the Saturday morning study groups disappear, or late night lab reviews end, but it’s another phase of OT school that is over. It’s another check in a box that feels like it went by so quickly. I honestly am still in denial that it’s over. I’m STILL dreaming about the spinothalamic tract (WTF, right??)

Either way, OT school is awesome. Stay tuned to hear about summer classes.

Liza

How to Choose an OT Program

It’s about that time of year when grad school shopping is at its peak. Finals are coming to a close, and summer is just around the corner. If you are interested in OT, it’s time to bust open your OTCAS apps and begin the treacherous task of applying!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it until I graduate, I do NOT miss the application process. But, it’s essential in order to get to the next steps of your future (and awesome) career. I have some personal tips/words of wisdom when selecting a graduate school. I have the tendency to get overly excited about future plans-- meaning I started looking at graduate schools freshman year. However, I did not know exactly what I was looking for in a school until I had graduated. So ya, lots of learning, and lots of growing happened. But here is my list of what I found very important in an OT program. Keep in mind, this is a subjective process. I had to find my right fit, and in return, my program also had to pick me. In all, I am SO happy with my decision to stay at the University of Utah. It’s been my home for the past six years, and I’m proud to be getting my degree here.

1. High pass rates for the NBCOT. The NBCOT is the National Boards for Certification in Occupational Therapy. All graduating OTs take this exam before they become a fully licensed practitioner. It’s the ultimate final before you are considered competent enough to practice. Personally, I felt like it was a waste of time and money to attend a program that had a low pass rate. Also, I wanted to attend a school that would set the foundation for me to be the best practitioner possible. Some exams truly do evaluate competency, the NBCOT is one of them. Fortunately, the U of U has consistently shown a stellar pass rate for the NBCOT.
2. In State vs Out of State Tuition. Initially, I was dying to go out of state. I’m a Utah girl, and as much as I love the Wasatch Front… I felt like I needed some space. I researched and visited many schools. I wanted to stay in the Western U.S. primarily because travel is expensive and I like being home for the holidays, however, money talks. I saw a lot of great schools, but got sticker-shock every time I researched the average student debt from these schools. Compared to any out of state school, going to the U is a deal. To pay half the price for the same degree of education, well, that’s a hard deal to pass up. Granted, I know many people who decided to go out of state. I’m kind of jealous of them, but ultimately, we all have to do what is right for ourselves.
3. School atmosphere. I have toured a lot of graduate schools. There are a many great OT programs out there, and it’s hard to decide what fit is best for you. I highly encourage students to tour the schools you are interested in, whether it’s during a summer road trip, or on interview day. You can never truly understand the environment and atmosphere until you are there. I toured a few schools that looked amazing on paper, to then find out that they were not what I was looking for. It’s like falling in love, when you know, you know. Also, you are going to be spending AT LEAST two years in the program, it’s important to know that you like it.

Finally, I would recommend getting in touch with the academic advisor sooner rather than later. They are the experts on applications, and most of them are straight shooters and will tell you what the program is looking for. The U’s advisor, Kelly Brown, is a rockstar and calmed some serious nerves when I was applying. She also helped me put together a solid application, she's an amazing cheerleader to have.

Ultimately, the best advice I have to you is to sit down and decide what is truly important to you. Is it opportunities to conduct research? Design an occupational community outreach program? Go abroad for fieldwork? There are infinite choices, decide what is going to help you become the best practitioner. Then, do that.

Level 1 Fieldwork

I’m one week away from finishing my first level-one fieldwork. I cannot believe how fast this semester has gone by. It’s been a blur between quizzes, assignments, tests, and projects-- I can barely keep track of the day. While I love being in class (if you haven’t caught on yet, I’m a huge nerd) getting to practice my OT skills is amazing.

I have been working at Palmer Courts since January. Palmer Courts provides long-term housing for people who are chronically homeless. Mental health disorders and substance misuse is very common in this demographic. The combination of these disorders is incredibly tricky to treat. There are many aspects of health and wellness that are disrupted because of these diagnoses. I honestly don’t know how therapists and case managers handle everything so well because it can be so overwhelming.

For my first fieldwork, I have really lucked out. My supervisor has given me and my partner, Abby, a lot of support, and also autonomy to do our thing. She and the other case managers have been so helpful and given us insight about effective strategies to connect with the residents. We have been able to practice a lot of the skills we’ve learned this semester. Abby and I have worked on a lot of different ideas for clients and for the facility to enhance occupational participation. Some of our projects include:

1. Performed an initial interview with two residents to establish occupational goals
2. Creating an exercise program for a client who wanted to improve mobility
3. Organize an apartment to increase apartment accessibility for a resident who had a stroke
4. Create a weekly chore chart to help the resident with a stroke maintain apartment organization
5. Designed healthy, and easy recipes that incorporated common items from the food pantry
6. Teach a class on health and wellness. We are actually doing this next week. We will be providing nutrition information and making smoothies!

As you can see, no day in fieldwork has been the same. We really aim to promote health and wellness through an occupational frame. As I continue in the program, my skills will become more refined, and technical. Right now, our focus has been to build strong relationships with clients, incorporating our therapeutic use of self, and improving my critical thinking skills.

Abby and I have talked, and planned, and executed a lot of different ideas and strategies. It’s thrilling, and also exhausting. Fieldwork feels like I’m exercising a muscle that I have never used before. It’s critical thinking at its finest. We are constantly evaluating ourselves and refining ideas. It’s the best space to practice and play with ideas. If they are not successful then we can go back and re-evaluate.

Although it’s my first fieldwork, and I have nothing else to compare it to, it’s been incredible. We have two, level-one fieldworks that are community-based. This first one does not have an OT in the setting. Our program places students in a non-OT setting for two reasons. 

1) OT is community based, and is always striving to expand 

2) It introduces OT to settings that might not know about occupational therapy.

The beautiful thing about this profession is that it’s what you make of it. There is so much creativity that is based in the practice. Occupational therapy is about people. It’s about human nature, helping others thrive, and discovering ways to enhance our client’s quality of life.

The Relationship Between Occupational Therapy and English: Why I Chose to Study Both

I was chatting with a good friend this week when she asked me why I jumped from my background in English (my undergraduate degree) to OT. Personally, I always saw them as two similar topics. Analytical English is about understanding the author, piece, context, and diction in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of themes and ideas. People work in the same way. In order to truly understand a person, you need to know them-- personally, and understand their environment, and occupations. Understanding text and people always felt so similar. Whether it’s writing a final thesis, or developing an intervention plan, critical thinking skills are essential. People are grand puzzles, and you will likely never complete the full piece-- but it’s a joy to try.

Early on, I discovered the connection I felt between the two subjects. Since OT is not an undergraduate degree, I was able to choose a major that prepared me for graduate school, but not necessarily specific skills to help me land a job. This is a luxury! I got to read, and write, and explore ideas I would have never discovered before. I found out that I am fascinated with technology, and love reading sci-fi more than I previously thought. If you find yourself in a similar situation, I HIGHLY recommend exploring a subject you love just because you love it.

I had a lot of scrutiny from friends, family, and strangers about studying the humanities. People like to jump to assessments that the humanities lead down an aimless road with limited job opportunities. I’m going to be frank, these people are wrong. Like any degree, you get out what you put in. If you do the bare minimum, and let opportunities pass by then yes, you will likely be in a rough situation. But if you let academia consume you, share ideas with your professors, be open to criticism, want to learn and be better, connect with other nerds like you-- then you will never be aimless. You learn the best when you are uncomfortable. Growth never occurs when you are in the same place.

Even though I usually hate the process of being pushed, I can see progress I’ve made. Personally, I do not think I have grown more than within the past year. There have been moments of euphoria when I feel a concept or idea click. I have been dreaming and imagining what I want to do more than I have in years. There have also been moments when I have cried myself to sleep. Not because I am stressed, but because growth is challenging and sometime I just need a good cry.  

People are not meant to be complacent. We are designed to move, explore, and reach past the point of comfort. But we have to lay a good foundation. Our desires have to be authentic. Find your thing. I have said this many times in other posts, but find the thing that consumes you. Get a little obsessive. There is so much beauty in the unknown. If you are smart, and keep a big picture plan in front of you, you’ll get where you need to go.

The Will to Try

I’ve been staying with my grandparents the past few days. They live in sunny Southern California, right on the coast. While the beach is always welcoming, the best part of the trip is my grandparents. My grandparents are the best people I know. Both lived through the Depression, my grandpa is a WW2 hero, who later managed and owned a successful cattle ranch business. Granny Annie is a master chef. Everything she touches is beautiful and delicious. She is incredibly smart, and has a gift for solving any puzzle, riddle, or trivia question you throw her way. She is so capable and brilliant, but she is much too humble to admit that.

They raised my amazing mom, two wonderful aunts; and have eight grandkids that absolutely adore them. My grandparents are incredibly kind, honest, and hard working people. Grandpa Al is an expert scientist on cattle digestions-- yes you read that correctly. They both don’t stop moving. They always have a project or something they are working towards. They are an occupational therapist’s dream clients. Nothing slows them down.

I was talking with my grandpa this past week about his research. From a research and industry perspective, his findings changed the game of raising cattle. From a strict scientific perspective, how he tested his hypothesis and his results he received are incredibly atypical of most research. His findings lead to numerous published patents, and have been very successful in industry.

The more I have grown in my own, very small, understanding of science they more I am in awe of what my grandpa has done. We were talking this week and I asked him what made him so successful. His response, he was always wiling to try.

As an American who grew up in public education, I heard many variations of the same quote—always be willing to try. I think the concept is great, but after hearing the same thing for 23 years, it loses its luster. Although I completely agree with my grandpa, I want to add to his belief.

Yes, he was and is always willing to try, to experiment, and to tamper with his ideas. But his ability to try was deeply rooted in passion and curiosity. Cattle digestion and nutrition is my grandpa’s life work. It was his career for many years, and how it’s his favorite hobby. Grandpa Al could talk about cattle digestion all day, and believe me, we have done that. It’s exciting to be with someone who has such immense passion. Sometimes, it does not matter if you are interested in the subject. Sometimes, it’s enough to be around someone who is so engaged in something that lights your fire. My grandpa has an incredible legacy in his research. He pursued a subject that many people don’t even know exists and has made it his own. He excites me for my future.

Six years ago, I googled occupational therapy after a dinner discussion with my mom. I came across the AOTA website and have been hooked ever since. It’s my obsession. It’s what I fall asleep thinking about each night. It’s something that makes me feel electrified. This does not mean graduate school does not scare the shit out of me. I did not realize how vulnerable school would leave me at times. There are moments when I’ve questioned if I am capable of getting through. If I’m focused enough, if I’m a good enough student, if I’m smart enough. Amy Poehler refers to this voice as the demon. This voice of self-doubt creeps into my consciousness at the most inopportune time. This voice is frankly, a little bastard. I have never let this monster run me more than this semester. I hate to admit weakness, but the demon had me at my knees.

Fortunately, I’ve learned that extreme stress makes me incredibly focused. I’m getting through; I’m going to be fine; I’m succeeding. The demon is gradually fading out the more I realize how capable I am.  I’m stressed, I’m tired, I have sooo much stuff to do. I’ve got this.

I feel like self-doubt is one of the most basic human characteristics. But stepping back, taking a breath, and having the will to try makes you successful. Not letting insecurities derail you is a life changer. We are so often told “no” in our lives, we need to start telling ourselves “yes”. I’m trying to learn how to give myself a break, throw off my inner demon a little, and to keep going. I mean—I have to at least try.

I Have Not Forgotten You

I have been the most negligent blogger. It’s not that I have forgotten about this virtual space of mine, rather, this semester has taken me by storm. Finding time to sit and write has been dramatically reduced. However, I am here now dear reader. Prepared to fill you with my sweet nothings.

I want to talk about this semester. Not going to lie, first semester feels like a breeze compared to how the past four weeks have been. We jumped from three classes in first semester, to five. First years’ spring semester is all mental health. Our class load consists of occupational psychology, group therapy, neuroanatomy (plus lab), professional development, and research methods in OT. There is a lot of stuff going on, and a lot of our classes overlap. I have to take everything week-by-week or else it just gets insane. I feel like I actually get to do OT related things this semester, whereas first semester was all about setting a foundation. Also, I have my first fieldwork, which I will discuss in a future post.

The theme of it has been straight up busy. I have a bunch of reading, and just when I think I’ve completed everything assigned some new article pops up on my modules. I feel like i’m juggling a million different subjects in OT at one time, it’s chaotic and I love it. I feel like i’m incorporating a lot more OT-based practice in classes. It makes me think of that scene in Legally Blonde when Elle is studying for the LSAT. She is just bogged down studying all the time, and her life has become one large study group.

Everything in my life has become OT related, and I really love it. Yes, I feel a little obsessive, but whatever. Neuroanatomy has easily been the most challenging class this semester. The class is really well constructed and the professors are wonderful. But it’s a lot of work. There is a lot of new material and it feels like there is always something to be learning. But such is life.

My goal for this semester was to input more balance into my life. It’s really important for me to exercise and eat well, when I don’t I notice a huge difference in how I feel. I’ve been doing an early morning TRX class, with studying and that class my typical day is nonstop from 6:30 AM to 10 PM. I’ve become really good at getting in a 20 minute power nap to get through the day, but I’m exhausted. I’m hoping that I acclimate to this routine, but it’s been challenging. This past Friday I had a game plan for studying and reading-- I pretty much crashed on my couch all day.

I’m going to be honest, I feel tired almost all the time. I feel stretched thin and it feels like any moment everything could completely collapse. My brain literally hurts 80% of the time. But, I love this. It’s what I signed up for, and it’s what I want to do. I’ll adjust and find my groove, if not, I’ll just get use to being tired.

It’s only 2.5 more years of this, right?

XOXO

Liza

The Best Advice I Have About Graduate School Interviews

Interview season for grad school is almost here. Reflecting on where I was one year ago, I really don’t miss it. Deciding and applying to graduate school is such a stressful process. I think of it as a bizarre dating game when you want nothing else than to win the other person’s affection. It’s like, “the cute guy behind door number three wants me to do a flip? Okay, I’ll do two. Maybe three because the girl next to me just did a five minute handstand and I must outshine her.” The competition is ridiculous, and Self-doubt and Fear basically set-up camp in your heart until the grueling process is over.

It’s counterintuitive to self-esteem lessons we were all taught in elementary school. I remember my teachers telling us how we are already good enough, and to love yourself because that’s all that matters. That all goes immediately out the window when applying for graduate school. Throughout the application process the words, “Please like me. Please like me. Please like me.” was my prayer on repeat. You’ve done all the prerequisites, finished your shadowing hours, and survived the GRE. You’ve made it this far. You’re almost there. It’s one more check in a very, very important box and then, like magic, you may be accepted.

So here it is. My advice to you. I’ve been there, I know how hard it is. I can still feel some of the residual pain, but it’s all worth it.

1. You may not get in. This does not mean you won’t be an amazing OT. It just means that this year was not your year. I ended up applying twice for graduate school. The first time I did a rush job on my application because I decided to apply one month before the deadline (with that said, if you even have the desire to apply just do it. If you don’t get in you’ll still have the experience of going through the application process. But DON’T DO WHAT I DID, give yourself lots of time to finish your application). Next, If you don’t get in, feel free to go through the mourning process. It’s a huge bummer, but it’s not the end of the world. Having a consolation prize is also an excellent way to divert the pain--I ended up getting a dog (not joking). If you don’t get in, plan an awesome trip, or train for that marathon you’ve always wanted to do. Keep yourself busy, and keep going.

   

   Consolation dog for not getting into OT school
   (she graduated from obedience school)

2. If you get an interview invitation you should absolutely prepare. Don’t think that you can just wing it. You have a short amount of time to impress your interviewer(s), know what you want to say and how you want to say it. You cannot anticipate exactly what questions you’ll be asked, but be prepared to answer why you want to be an OT, and be able to define what an OT is. Be true to you, and be genuine. Don’t memorize OT’s responsibilities from the AOTA website, your interviewer will not be impressed. The best way I prepared was practicing in the mirror, everyday, multiple times a day-- granted, I can be a little obsessive.
3. Finally, don’t be weirdly competitive with the other students interviewing. No one really cares about your two week trip to Africa to help those kids, everyone’s nerves are on high alert and your boasting will not be warmly accepted. Remember, OT is about collaboration! Trying to put yourself above the other candidates isn’t going to impress anyone. The best thing you can do is be friendly, make small talk, and crack a really good joke to relieve the tension. I interviewed with a girl in my class who is so outgoing and witty. I was so thankful for her on interview day. She made great jokes, got everyone talking, and reduced a lot of stress. For that (Whitney) I’m very very thankful!

All in all, you’ll be fine. Everything will work out how it’s suppose to work out. Be smart, know your stuff. If you get in congrats, but also remember it’s only the beginning-- you still have to pass anatomy and neuro.

The journey never ends.

L