Week 40: Creative Reflection

Key Term: Creative Reflection & Group Working

This week allowed the class to reflect on one of this terms modules 'Applied OT', in a creative way. It also gave us a chance to reflect in groups as we created our canal metaphor of our journey. I was surprised by how positive an experience this was - being able to bounce ideas and thoughts of other certainly helped my look at my journey this term.


Not sure if you can tell by the picture but it's a canal that we are metaphorically travelling down... It starts with us at the start of the module in February with the knowledge we had from out first placement and two modules from last term... the bridge represents linking theory to practice in the first part of the module and sometimes the difficulty we had in doing so, the tunnel represents being out on placement and almost in a darker place as we are on our own without our classmates but there is also a light guiding us through and that is the skills we have learnt in the classroom and from each other. there canal after that point repressed that the sun is starting to shine and we are starting to feel like it makes sense... Just the presentation to get through before going under the rainbow at the end of the module.


I'm at a point now where I know I have a massive hurdle to overcome before the end of term i.e. the dreaded 30 minute individual assessed presentation. I have actually been worrying about this since starting the course in September as I've always (since as far back as I can remember) had a fear of public speaking! But I know i do need to do this! I am purposely writing this in my blog post because if I don't I feel I'm just going to be in complete denial about having to do it! I can do this!!!


I have also found this week exhausting, and I'm thankful for a week away from uni this coming week.. there is still so much work to do on my presentation, not to mention my research proposal before meeting my supervisor on 7th July! But its a week without commuting which I'm so happy about!


I'm reminded this week of how thankful I am to have chosen a university that has such supportive staff and that try to encourage us as much as they can! Always a plus when a tutor brings chocolate and crafts to a reflective session! Made worrying about the presentation a little less awful!


Until next time!
I hope you all have a good week!

A day in the life of a commuting MSc OT Student

I really wanted to post about a day in my life at an OT Student that commutes... So I picked today as an example. It's the first day back after placement so as good an example as any. I commute down today and stay in a hotel tonight as I am in uni tomorrow morning too.

05:00 - Alarm goes off! - This wake up call never gets any easier, you'd think after 9 months I would be used to it but it really is possibly the worst part about commuting to uni.

05:15 - Get ready for the day - At least the shower wakes me up enough to make sure I have all the things I need for the day at university. 

05:45 - Breakfast - Only time to grab a cereal bar and a banana, pack some fruit and a packet of crisps for on the train.

05:55 - Leave house - Thankfully it's a dry morning today, its always harder to motivate myself to leave when its cold and dark.

06:05 - Catch bus to station - The bus is on time for once and I can sit staring out at the world for 15 mins, whilst I try to wake up some more. 

06:52 - Catch train to Carlisle - Sadly train was late in arriving into station so had to stand on platform for ten mins. Its normally there when I get there as I get on at first stop.  I manage to do a little reading on the train ahead of this mornings class. I make time to eat some more fruit and a packet of crisps before the train pulls into Carlisle.

08:05 - Arrive in Carlisle and meet a fellow student at train station before walking to uni. It's good to catch up with her about our week off last week and also placement. 

08:30 - I've got a meeting with my tutor to go over some feedback about my last assignment which we got back whilst we were on placement. 

09:05 - Grab a drink and head up to find classroom for today's class

09:30 - Class begins - Lots of chatting and catching up with each other and sharing placement stories whilst going through the theory in today's class. It's a good opportunity to link the theory to practice and work out how it all fits together. 

10:45 - Break time - Time to grab a drink and some chocolate to keep me going until lunch. 

11:15 - Back into class to finish the mornings session and discuss our formative assessment that is due next week. 

12:30 - Lunch time and I'm starving again; Early starts to the day make you hungry, it feels like tea time to my body. 

13:00 - Meet with my learning group to go over the afternoon task following this mornings class; A tad strange today as a few people were missing from our group so there was just two of us! We do as much as we can but realise some of the information is with one of the missing girls so will need to follow this up tomorrow. 

15:00 - Pop over to meet some other classmates for a proper catch up 

16:00 - Checked into hotel for the night - I'm sharing with one of the other girls from the course, which is a plus as it means we can chat and reflect on first day back. 

17:00 - Grabbed some dinner - Pizza Express is a local favourite when I'm in Carlisle and loving the NUS discount on a Monday!

18:30 - Trip to supermarket to get some supplies for breakfast and lunch tomorrow, before heading back to the hotel.

19:00 - Spend some time reading journal articles for my upcoming research proposal

20:30 - Time to relax as the early start is catching up with me, will zone out in front of the TV with a cup of tea for a while before heading to bed. 

For more insight into my journey to become an occupational therapist; follow me on twitter: @OTontheTracks

Week 23: The Positives of University

Key Term: learning from others...

It's been another busy week at university, with assignment deadlines and getting back into the swing of prep for classes. 

We have been learning more about research this week as we begin to think of our research proposals... It still feels quite scary to think we have to think up our own ideas for research when we are just begining to get our head around the  complexities of occupational therapy. Thankful to have a knowelegable lecturer who is head of research at the university to share with us on different forms of research.  

This week has given some of us time to reflect on the course so far and it's been good for me to think about the positives of studying the MSc at UoC. 

If you are a reader of my blog, you will know I havent found the transition to masters level plain sailing... But thinking back now, if i had the choice between the BSc and MSc. I think I would still choose to do the master course. 

Considering interviews have started for September 2015, I thought it would be worth listing the plus' of studying here:

Supportive Tutors

The campus in Carlisle is small, and so is the course. This means you get to see the tutors around the building most days and they are really helpful. I've found that my personal tutor (PAT), is fab for advice and support. Im sure the other tutors are too.

Self-directed Study Skills

The course teaches you to be independent and search for information to aid your and others in the class' learning. 

This is a skill we are still getting our heads around 5 months in, but I know these skills will be crucial as we become qualifed OTs in the work place.

Research Skills

The tutors also place a big focus on research skills which as OTs working with evidence based practice. It is important we can recognise where to look and how to critique what we are reading to guide our practice. 

It is also very apparent that they have a passion for researching and increasing the evidence base when they are sharingtheir  experiences with us. I'm hopefully this enthusiasm will rub of on me as I start my research proposal for my dissertation in the coming weeks...

Incredibly Knowlegeable Staff

The majority of the OT staff are involved in research of their own or are studying towards qualifications such as PHDs; they also have a great depth of knowledge about practice - just need to seek it out of them! 

Links with Practice

The course benefits from having guest OTs from practice, come in to teach the students. As a first year we have only had a few as first term is quite theory heavy, but i'm told you get a lot more in second year.

Support Services for Students

The university benefits from fab student support services - the library staff are so knowledgeably, and always willing to lend a hand when you are feeling lost with referencing, finding resources as well as most other things you might need support with.

Placements in a wide range of locations and settings

Currently i've only had 2 placements - an observation week and a 5 week one; but looking at the range of settings and locations we have had as a class; there seems to be a good range. 

Small Cohort of Students

I think the normal intake is around 27 a year which means you really get to know your class mates and have a chance to learn from each others experiences.  

Im sure there are many more positives I haven't thought about. But at least there is a few to get you thinking about why studying a MSc at Cumbria is worth it.

This post is very purposly one sided, as I feel that as student OTs it is important to focus on what people can do and not what they can't. With all courses there are things we might want to change and as human beings we can't all like everything... But I think the positives do out weigh the things that arent ideal for me and I wanted to share those!! 

For more insight into my journey to become an occupational therapist; follow me on twitter: @OTontheTracks