Nashville or Bust!

Got some good news today! I am going to be doing my second level 2 fieldwork rotation in the Nashville Public School system. They have 35 occupational and physical therapy staff people and serve over 1400 children. My professor seemed to think that was a lot, which means I will hopefully be seeing a wide variety of cases. Still waiting on my first assignment, but it's good to know at least one. And it's in a city I love! Yipeee!!!

Level 1 Fieldwork

Today was my first day of Level 1 Fieldwork at Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC). I am stationed in the Medical Surgery department, following the occupational and physical therapists at the facility. I saw 7 patients. Two threw up. Two nearly passed out. One thought the president of the US was Kennedy; one thought he had a white beard and wore a straw hat. Those 7 patients presented a wide range of diagnoses including total hip replacements, total knee replacements, ascites, distention, bipolar disorder, subacute stroke, dimentia, alcoholism, depression, neuropathy, and more. For class, I was required to journal about my experience. Rather than type it again, I will paste it here:

My first day at the SOMC Med Surg Unit was an amazing experience. First, I was able to experience a setting that was foreign to me. I have never shadowed OT in a hospital, so it was exciting to see something new. Second, I got to experience a variety of diagnoses first hand, rather than in a text book. Seeing the presenting symptoms first hand was extremely valuable to my education.

My impression of the setting – it is SOOOOO fast paced. I was overwhelmed at first, and struggled to keep up with the lingo, abbreviations, and patient chart information. Not only was the whole day fast paced, but the time frame between evaluation and discharge of each patient is also fast. Most patients only stay for 3-5 days. The OT typically only sees each patient for evaluation and discharge, and her assistant treats them daily until they leave. This seems to have both advantages and disadvantages. Because the patients turnover so quickly in this unit, the OT has to do several evaluations each day, leaving her no time to treat the patients. Her OTA is able to help with this, spreading the workload and putting less stress on both workers. However, this turnover also limits the therapist-patient relationship, allowing little to no time for rapport to develop.

I'm not sure this is a setting that I would want to work in everyday, due to the lack of therapist-patient relationship. That being said, I learned a lot today, thanks to my supervising OT. She challenged me from the beginning. She required me to review charts, come up with treatment plans, write sample goals, and I even performed an evaluation. I enjoyed the challenge, and I am looking forward to learning more each week. Everyone always said that everything you learn in the classroom pulls together and makes sense once you see it in the clinic. It seems as though, after one day, they were right.

LAST SEMESTER!!!

This week marks the beginning of my last semester of classes ever! Words can not explain how much excitement this brings me. I am beyond ready to be done with school. However, some of the things to look forward to in the nearer future are:

Grant Writing/Program Development Class - I'm thinking about trying to write a grant to create an art therapy room at a live in facility for children who are wards of the state of West Virginia. More to come on that...

Fieldwork Level I - I'm assigned to the Southern Ohio Medical Center's medical surgery, inpatient occupational therapy department. This will take place every Tuesday of the semester starting in February. Hopefully that will give me some interesting material to write about.

Research Defense - My research team successfully completed our 12-week aquatic therapy study, and will be writing up our results and defending our thesis by the end of the semester. That's approximately 6 months earlier than required!

Class Trip - We aren't sure where we are going yet, but several of us will be taking a trip to celebrate the end of our last semester. Woooooohooooo!!!!

Still no word on Fieldwork Level II. I requested to be assigned to The Institute of Rehabilitation and Research in Houston, TX and a school or residential adult home in Nashville, TN. As soon as my locations are confirmed, I will be posting to let everyone know where I'm headed in May.

Learning to be a Leader

This semester, I am taking a class about leadership in the field of occupational therapy. One of our assignments for this class was to create a web page that we can update throughout the semester. Lucky for me, I already have this one established! My previous post, about my strengths, was just a small piece of this course. We have learned a lot about ourselves so far this semester, and I am looking forward to sharing some things about myself and my leadership skills in this post.

Who am I as a leader? I have always been praised in the past for leading by example. I was a pretty quiet person and I took pride in doing the right thing, even if others weren't. In high school, this leadership style won me the captain's award and a $1,000 scholarship for swim team my senior year. Once I got to college at Ohio State, the lead by example style got lost in a crowd of 50,000 people. If I wanted people to notice me at all, I had to step up and make myself known. I joined a sorority, and held two positions over my three years as a member. This was barely notable at the huge university, but the experience did a lot for me. It was there that I finally learned more outward leadership skills. I was able to get experience standing in front of a group of people, organizing events, and carrying through with real responsibilities.

My leadership roles as an OT student. Although Shawnee is a much smaller environment than Ohio State, I have been able to step into several leadership roles. I am currently the treasurer of the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA). I have helped to organize fund-raising efforts and design t-shirts for the group. I have also taken on a major leadership role in the organization of my group research project. I truly believe that my sorority positions helped me achieve the confidence and initiative necessary to take on these roles.

My leadership roles outside my professional live. Since I moved to Portsmouth, I have found little opportunity to get involved outside of school/the occupational therapy profession. While I do not currently hold any official leadership positions, I do feel as though I lead by example with my friends and classmates. I give advice when I can, I make sure to make schoolwork a priority, and I do my best to keep people around me relaxed and stress-free. I hope that I can serve as a role model or mentor for a friend or classmate in some way or another.

Leadership Resources. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) - www.aota.org. This is the profession's national organization. It keeps me updated on major events in the community and current research in the profession. The Ohio Occupational Therapy Association (OOTA) - www.oota.org. A more local professional network. Local chapter events and state conferences are posted on this website. The Strengths Finder 2.0 - A book written by Tom Rath, paired with a website (www.strengthsfinder.com). The system looks for an individuals strengths, and teaches him or her appropriate ways to use them in their professional development (See previous post for my list of strengths). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey - The book has taught me a lot about taking charge of my life and getting exactly what I need to be happy. A great resource! The Ohio State University Alumni Magazine - Keeps me updated on what is going on with the university and how students and alumni alike are making a difference for themselves and their communities. Extremely inspiring!

Leadership Roles in the Future. As you can see from my Strengths Finder results, I am very "futuristic." I spend a lot of time thinking about what my future will hold. The wheels are always turning. My previous posts about "Where OT is calling me" prove this. How many times have I changed my mind? I wish I could do it all! In my minds eye, I will do it all. Maybe I won't work at a place like Passion Works (see previous post on 9-7-10), but I might volunteer over the summer if I work in the school setting. I could also spend my summers running a small hippatherapy business at my home. Or, if I end up working at an inpatient rehab facility, or an adult MRDD day program, I might be able to implement a passion-works-esque program for the clients or residents. I am not sure where I will end up, but I do know that I want to start something new. I want to be innovative and creative, and I want to make my career - or at least part of it - my own.

Another think I know for certain is that I will continue to lead by example in the professional world. I am going to end this post with my Professional Mission Statement. This will reflect how I plan to live my professional life, once my career is established.

"I, Brittany Wolf, as a Registered Occupational Therapist in the State of Ohio, will strive to provide the best treatment possible for all of my clients. Each treatment plan will be client-centered, evidence based, and well prepared. I will remain ethical in all decision-making, follow AOTA's professional rules and standards, and treat my coworkers with respect at all times. I believe strongly in the importance of passion in the workplace, and I will hold myself to that standard when considering job options."

Strengths Finder 2.0

My Top 5 Strengths, according to Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath.

Strategic

“The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, ‘What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?’ This reoccurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path – your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic theme at work: ‘What if?’ Select. Strike.”

Futuristic

“’Wouldn’t it be great if...’ You are the kind of person who loves to peer over the horizon. The future fascinates you. As if it were projected on the wall, you see the detail what the future might hold, and this detailed picture keeps pulling you forward, into tomorrow. While the exact content of the picture will depend on your other strenghts and interests – a better product, a better team, a better life, or a better world – it will always be inspirational to you. You are a dreamer who sees visions of what could be and who cherishes those visions. When the present proves too frustrating and the people around you too pragmatic, you conjure up your visions of the future. They want a picture that can raise their sights and thereby their spirits. You can paint it for them. Practice. Choose your words carefully. Make the picture as vivid as possible. People will want to latch on to the hope you bring.”

Empathy

“You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though theif feelings are your own. Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective. You do not necessarily agree with each person’s perspective. You do not necessarily feel pitty for each person’s predicament – this would be sympathy, not Empathy. You do not necessarily condone the choices each person makes, but you do understand. This instinctive ability to understand is powerful. You hear the unvoiced questions. You anticipate the need. Where others grapple for words, you seem to find the right words and the right tone. You help people find the right phrases to express their feelings – to themselves as well as to others. You help them give voice to their emotional life. For all these reasons other people are drawn to you.”

Maximizer

“Excellence, not average, is your measure. Taking something from below average to slightly above average takes a great deal of effort and in your opinion is not very rewarding. Transforming something strong into something superb takes just as much effort but is much more thrilling. Strengths, whether yours or someone else’s, fascinate you. Like a diver after pearls, you search them out, watching for the telltale signs of a strength. A glimpse of untutored excellence, rapid learning, a skill mastered without recourse to steps – all these are clues that a strength may be in play. And having found a strength, you feel compelled to nurture it, refine it, and stretch it toward excellence. You polish the pearl until it shines. This natural sorting of strengths means that others see you as discriminating. You choose to spend time with people who appreciate your particular strengths. Likewise, you are attracted to others who seem to have found and cultivated their own strengths. You tend to avoid those who want to fix you and make you well rounded. You don’t want to spend your life bemoaning what you lack. Rather, you want to capitalize on the gifts with which you are blessed. It’s more fun. It’s more productive. And, counterintuitively, it is more demanding.”

Communication

“You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. This is your Communication theme at work. Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them. You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. You believe that most people have a very short attention span. They are bombarded by information, but very little of it survives. You want your information – whether an idea, an event, a product’s features and benefits, a discovery, or a lesson – to survive. You want to divert their attention toward you and then capture it, lock it in. This is what drives your hunt for the perfect phrase. This is what draws you toward dramatic words and powerful word combinations. This is why people like to listen to you. Your word pictures pique their interest, sharpen their world, and inspire them to act.”

Passion Works

Passion Works Studio, located in Athens, Ohio, is an art studio which provides an atmosphere of collaboration between artists with and without developmental disabilities. Founded in 1998, their website features a variety of artwork, including jewelry, ornaments, flowers, and greeting cards. The studio provides means for gainful employment for approximately 40 artists with disabilities. Among the items for sale on the studio's website, my favorite is the "Passion Flower" (pictured left).

In my opinion, the studio represents the basic essence of OT. I can't believe an OT isn't behind the whole operation. I mean, their vision statement alone SCREAMS OT.

"To create and live out a best practice model for collaborative art making between artists with and without developmental disabilities. This new mind set demonstrates that creativity is innately a part of all people and recognized that art enhances the quality of life and strengthens communities."

Next semester, we are required to take a grant-writing class. Last year, students in this course wrote a grant for a local business, won the grant, and made a job for herself with the funds. How amazing would it be if I could pull that off for Passion Works! Art + OT = my dream job! I need to do more research on what types of grants are available, and maybe take a trip to passion works to see if there is a need for OT services. The wheels are turning... and it's all because of this book we are reading for our leadership class, The Element by Ken Robinson. I'll post my writings on the book at a later date, but I'll give you the nutshell version real quick: A person's "element," is the place where "natural aptitude" meets "personal passion." Basically, you will be the happiest doing what you are good at and what you love to do. Not one or the other, but both.

Check out the Passion Works website by clicking on the title of my blog above. Pretty amazing stuff.

Multiple Sclerosis Research

In a desperate attempt to find people to participate in our aquatic therapy study, my research group called the local newspaper to find out about advertising prices. To our surprise, they wanted to do a story on us! We were featured in last Sunday's issue of the Portsmouth Daily Times. I am typing the article here because it is not yet available online.

Students Seek People with MS for Aquatic Study

Five graduate students at Shawnee State University are looking for participants to help them complete a 12-week study of multiple sclerosis patients and aquatic exercises.

Each year, students enrolled in the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program at Shawnee complete a study of MS patients under the guidance of Associate Professor Ed Kehres. This year's team is Jessica Holbrook, Amanda Hill, Aaron Brooks, Brittany Wolf, and Sarah Conetsco, and their study focuses on the use of aquatic therapy.

"According to the research, fatigue is probably one of the most commonly reported symptoms with MS. Research has shown that exercise, aerobic or strength training, has shown to help reduce fatigue a little bit. So we want to see if we do it in the pool, will it make it a little easier," Brooks said.

The participants are divided into two groups - one group that participates in the aquatic exercises and a controlled group who did not participate in the exercises.

"Being in the water helps a lot because you're pretty much weightless in the water. People who can't walk on land can walk in the water. Some people with severe MS are in wheelchairs, and it's just another way to get them to move around and do more exercise," Wolf said.

The first six weeks of the study will be used to establish a baseline of each participating patient. The second six weeks will monitor physical changes in patients participating in the exercise group. The findings of this study will be submitted for publication.

In the spring, the group was awarded $5,000 from the SSU Research and Study grant to assist their project. They were given an additional $1,000 from the Student Undergraduate Research grant.

"It's like start-up money for research projects," Kehres said.

THe MOT is one of the growing number of graduate programs now offered at Shawnee State University. Brooks, Wolf, and Conetsco each came to the program from other cities across the state.

"I'm from Mansfield. I went to Ohio State to do my undergrad. So coming from a big school down here, it's really nice finally getting one-on-one attention from faculty," Wolf said.

Kehres said the program offers a unique experience for students that allows them to closely interact with their faculty and other departments.

Anyone with MS - and living within 30 miles of Portsmouth - who is interested in participating in the study should contact Ed Kehres at (740) 351-3473 before Sept. 30. Participants will be supplied with free support group meeting, free "easy on/off" bathing suit, free aqua shoes, free exercise twice a week, and the possibility for lessened fatigue and improved quality of life.

After a loooong summer break...

It's back to school time! Yesterday was the first day of my last year of school. It's crazy to think that I have been in school non stop since I was 5 years old. Two short semesters and I will be out on fieldwork - half scared to death, half excited beyond belief. Pretty soon here, I have to turn in my letter requesting fieldwork locations. I have been doing a lot of thinking about what I am going to put in this letter, and I think I have finally narrowed it down.

I know I want one of my placements to be in an inpatient spinal rehab facility. After doing some web browsing, I found a site that ranked the spinal cord injury rehab facilities in the United states. According to that site, the Rehab Institute of Chicago was number one. It just so happens that I have two possible places to live in Chicago. Perfect.

For my second placement, I would like to work in the school system. Though I have become really interested in spinal rehab over the last year, my heart originates in pediatrics. One of my friends from undergrad is moving to Nashville, and offered me a room (FOR FREE). I love the city and part of me has always wanted to live there.

When again in my life could I move, risk free (better yet commitment free), to a big city? I know I will settle in Ohio. But I think I can handle six months away from this state. Part of me thinks I could use six months away. I'm starting to get really excited! It's only 8 months away!

Side note - The above photo is of myself and my roommates, attempting to cool off in the hot Portsmouth sun, in our $6.00 baby pool purchased from the local K-Mart. :)

Re: Where is OT calling me?

In one of my previous posts, I wrote about "Where OT is calling me." The post was originally an assignment for a class which touched on new practice areas emerging in the field. At the time I was wrote about transitioning high school students with developmental disabilities to jobs. Lately however, I have been leaning more toward working with individuals with SCIs. Because OT is such a broad field, even after my first year of grad school, I am not completely sure of specific treatments we might use with these patients. However, back in November, a boy who graduated from my high school a few years behind me was in a car accident and sustained a spinal cord injury. I think of him occasionally, and check out the Mansfield News Journal website for updates. Today I came across photos of him with his OT in Mansfield. Below is the link:

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=B7&Date=20100420&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=4200803&Ref=PH&Params=

As sad as I am for him, this kind of thing makes me excited to begin my career. I only have to wait a year and a half now!

Occupational Therapy Songs on Youtube!

Here are some pretty cool songs written by OT students that I found on You Tube. They actually do a pretty good job of explaining the profession! 2 more exams and I'm done for the year!!!