First Day of School

Today was our first day of class! It was a pretty simple day, we really just did introductions, and went over our syllabus for each class.

Our first class, Theories in Occupation, taught by the program director, Debora Scurlock, will discuss all of the theory behind what we do as occupational therapists. We learned that an "occupation" is defined as anything that a person incorporates into their every day living, and that occupations differ from person to person. Occupation is also different from "activity," which is something that anyone can do, but may choose not to. As our professor described it: "My daughter wakes up every morning at 4:30AM to run. To her that is an occupation. That is an activity, I will stay far away from."

Our second class is our clinical practicum. We are volunteering at Hempstead Manor, which is a nursing home located in Portsmouth. Pictured below are several of the girls in the program, including myself, dressed in uniform before we left for clinicals. Once we got to Hempstead, We were each assigned a different resident to work one-on-one with. For confidentiality reasons, I will refer to my resident as "E." Today we just spent some time getting to know each other over some chips and dip, but I'm sure I will have much more to talk about as I get to know her more. The main part of the class is focused on planning activities for large groups. We were split into teams and we will have to plan 3 different events for the residents at Hempstead. I'm really excited that we are already working in the field!

After seeing all of our assignments written out on paper, I have come to realize that it may be difficult for me to keep up with this blog. I am going to try my best, but I will definitely post some of my assignments up for everyone to read as well!