Year 2: Week 49 - The week I finished university...

The week of VIVA and last lecture...

Now the tutors said right as the beginning of the course that it would fly by, and I'm not sure any of us believed them, and at points, it felt like id never get there but I did! and on reflection it did fly by!

This week included the last placement evaluation lecture and the VIVA for Developing OT practice, Thankfully the placement evaluation lecture focused on the information we may find helpful for the third section of our viva which focused on the transition from student to newly qualified OTs, which if I'm honest i was still struggling to get my head around a day before the viva so Im glad of the discussion in the class.


The viva felt as traumatic as always, I don't know if i'll ever learn to believe in myself because it was fine, and although I know it wasn't my best in the moment of the viva it was the best I could do through the nerves and with a mind blank.

For anyone else about to do a viva... less is more on the prompt sheet. A skill I didn't master during the course but in turn meant I probably didn't flow as well as I would have liked when talking abut my service.

The viva was also not in anyway as traumatic as the one I did last time so thats progress which I don't want to forget about.


'So wake me up when it's all over, When I'm wiser and I'm older, All this time I was finding myself, And I didn't know I was lost'


We thankfully didn't have too wait to long on the results and everyone in the class actually passed the viva which is amazing! Still a while to wait on the feedback but it's a pass! and that means one thing:


 I've passed my masters!!! 

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

Year 2: Week 47 & 48 - One Assessment to Go!

Week 47 & 48: So very nearly there!!!

When mind mapping goes wrong....

Straight out of placement and straight into manic preparations for my last viva! Who needs sleep anyways! It was easy to establish that I can't study at home, its far to distracting! Everyone talks about having the right study area, a desk good lighting, and all your resources available to you! But for some reason this didn't put it for the last assignment and I needed to explore other options.

I am going to blog about the Occupational Role with Refugee and Asylum Seekers (which was my service area) when I get a moment so won't talk about it in this post!

Study venues considered & trailed over the process:

1. Debenhams Cafe Ocean Terminal - Free wifi, generally pleasant and mostly occupied by elderly couples enjoying lunch. This created a positive space to study as there was limited distractions. I could plug my headphones in and focus.

Taking over a bench in Ocean Terminal

2. Costa Coffee Ocean Terminal - Free wifi, good cake. Alternative to the Debehams cafe, wifi was much more usable however, coffee shop always busy and tables quite small, meaning harder to type and write at same time.

3. Costa Coffee George Street - Free Wifi, comfy seating and larger tables, worked well for a change of scenery.

4. Starbucks Ocean Terminal - Free wifi - lots of plug sockets so I often used this towards end of the day with laptop battery was low, only problem was the smell of coffee was often a distraction.

5. Gym - Primarily used when listening to recordings of information whilst doing a gentle 'wander' on the treadmill.

6. Ocean Terminal general seating - Last resort when everywhere was busy, and laptop battery had died, used seating to read over and highlight journals and notes.

Im thankful that although I did most of my prep in these two weeks, I had already started reading journals and articles on topic area whilst on placement to enable me to really focus on what my service idea was going to look like. It still help chaotic and on reflection I wish I had done more of the prep before finishing placement, but it just wasn't doable whilst on placement as I was so exhausted and focused on working on that.

I must mention the massive support my friends were in these two weeks, listening and asking questions about my service so that I could work out what I was actually 'selling' during the viva.

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

Year 2: Week 19 - Another year older

Key Term: Occupational Balance

You know you are a masters student when you get up at 5am on your birthday to get to uni for a research supervision...

Research Research Research

If you read last weeks post you will know I was focusing on my dissertation, and for much of this week that was the same as I had a supervision on Thursday so needed to get myself organised for that. It was handy to have a supervision at this point as it allowed my check in where I was at, and check I wasn't missing anything major at this stage.

I was glad to have a chance to work out how to actually look at my data, The impact of being a complete novice with research is uncertainty at ever stage of this process so the input from my supervisor to share her knowledge was a plus in helping deal with this uncertainty.

Developing OT Practice

This week was also the start of our last uni module, and I was right in thinking it will be an interesting module, looking at emerging areas of practice and how we could pitch services which will all be helpful skills after graduation.

Occupational Balance

Since I was in class on my birthday, my lovely friends organised a surprise birthday afternoon tea which was a lovely end to the day. Doing the masters course can be really stressful at times, so having these little social occasions to look forward to helps keep the spirits up, and keep the balance in our activities.

Now, time to get on with the list of actions on my to do list....

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

Year 2 Week 2 & 3: Life in the fast lane

Key Term: Assignments!

I feel like I have writers block this week, either that or my brain has turned to mush from all the reading I have done over the past week or so. It has surprised my just how quickly 2nd year has launched into assignment mode which I should have been expecting but it has still surprised me! 

One of our module this term is being delivered in a short fat time frame rather than long and thin so has made the assignment arrive sooner in the year. Our assignment method is also new to me and working out how to prepare for a viva has its challenges! Anyone with any advice or tips please do share!!

I've also been focusing on my ethics for my dissertation which has actually been an alright process so far, I had a really good supervision session on Tuesday which has helped focus what I need to do over next wee while. It feels achievable which is always a plus. 

Just a short update this time but with lots going on hopefully the next few weeks blogs will be fuller. 

Year 2 Week 1: And we are back....

Key Term: This feels like its going to fast...


It really is hard to believe how fast this course is actually going... It's the start of second and (hopefully) my final year of studying to become an OT!  It feels strange not being a newbie, I remember this time last year feeling terrified of what i had signed up for. In fact my key term this time last year was 'Overwhelmed!', so I can totally understand how the first years were feeling when I had a chance to meet them at coffee time yesterday. full of all the same questions I had about the unknown of workload, placements, and PRESENTATIONS! 

It has given me time to reflect on the difference a year makes... If you had told me this time  last year that I would have, not just survived first year but passed it, I'm not sure I would have believed you! 

Last year I didn't know what to expect and that scared me! This year I do know whats coming and I can't decide if that scares me less or more! I know the hard work that's coming with 2  assessed VIVAs (one in less than 6 weeks), a group presentation, a dissertation and 2 placements at level 6 which feels like a mountain in such a short space of time. But I know I can do it, I can pass assessments at masters level! It's not impossible!!  

So what is terrifying me the most? It is this time next year It will be over and I'll be job hunting, I'll be an OT (Thanks to the lovely tutor that reminded us of that on day one of second year!). I'll need to be able to utilise the skills I'm learning every day to help people and make a difference to them, to keep them safe and also mange to do so within the constraints of service provision and at times with limited resources. 

BUT:

I'm excited to be back in university, to increase my knowledge, to make the most of opportunities to grow and develop so that this time next year, I might be terrified to be starting out as a qualified OT, but I will know I have the gained as much of the skills I can to be starting in the role! 

To any first years starting out: Make the most of it! It will feel exciting and new but may also feel scary and overwhelming - remember others have been there and survived those moments; support your class mates they will most probably be feeling the same, if not at that very moment at some other point. Speak to the second years, we want to help and support you! And most of all don't be scared to ask questions! 

At the end of welcome week last year I talked about meeting a great bunch of people who I felt would make the next two stressful years a lot of fun and one year in I can share that they have done much more than that! They have made me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry, made the hardest assignments bearable and giving me chances to just be me and share the unique skills I have in the stuff that we have been doing. I'm in a class of enablers and if you are on an OT course, I bet you are in a class full of them too.  

Keep up with my OT journey on twitter:

@OTontheTrack

Week 47: And relax...

Key Term: It's submitted!! 

I think this Instagram picture sums up how I feel now the last essay of first year is submitted. I am ready to rest! I know they tell you the MSc is going to be all consuming and tiring but I'm not sure I knew really how exhausting it would be. But with first year done and 5 weeks to relax before we go back (well apart from work), I'm confident I will be refreshed before second year begins in September!

Week 45 & 46: Research, Research, Research everywhere!

Key Term: One more week of 1st year... One more week until research proposal is due...

This last fortnight has been a mix of research and some OTA shifts at work.

Week 45: In the mix of assignment stress, I remember why I want to be an OT

I'm thankful for the chance to do some shifts at work because even when everything feels so stressful with uni work I am reminded why I want to be an OT. I love to spend time with people and help them be as independent as they can when it comes to the things they want and need to do.

This week also involved me continuing to tackle my lit review as part of my proposal, I feel I'm still covering literature broadly instead of having depth, so it's a learning curve to try and do my best.

Week 46: Research and #OTalk support. 

And another week of research proposal, and OTA shifts... It must nearly be time for summer holidays surely...

On the plus side I have remembered to reference as I go with this assignment... this helps ALOT!

This week also see my support my first #OTalk as part of the #OTalk team, which was a great chance to get involved and help someone lead a chat. I'm going to blog separately about this experience after I have submitted my assignment, so keep your eyes peeled for that post.

Week 39: Focus on Interventions

Week 39

Key Term: Intervention

It feels strange having Applied OT twice a week just now, It is making me realise how much I rely on my routines for preparation, and currently feeling a little out of place with my days.  Our groups have changed condition groups for this second half of the module so my learning set now have 'Long term Conditions'.  

It has been really good to start focusing on interventions for different groups of clients and the type of things we might be doing in practice; it is now becoming really good to hear about each others placement experience and learn from each other.  

Our Research module focused on questionnaires this week which is the the method I'm hoping to use for my research so that was a good class, which helped my focus me on the wording of possible questions and the importance of piloting my questionnaire when the time comes. 

This week has felt really busy as we all being to get our heads down to prepare assignments and it certainly does feel like the end of 1st year is in sight...

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

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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 35: PP2.7

Key Term: Blue Badge and Amputee rehab

[PP2 Week 7]

Just a short update this week... as it's the bank holiday weekend and I'm trying to carve out some rest/relaxation time for at least part of the weekend... it's actually quite a challenge when I know there is so much work I should be doing.

This week included a chance to have a go at assessing people for blue badges which did give me more of a chance to think 'anatomy' when assessing walking abilities which was a positive one. I'm thankful to be around a great bunch of OTs on placement that give me opportunities to experience new assessments and add to my knowledge whilst I'm there.

I also have been focusing on my case stud this week and comparing the OT process for this individual against the linear OT process in theory - Gave me a chance to be colourful as a way to help me understand the loops that appear in practice during the process!

I also had a chance this week to spend some time with the physiotherapists and prosthetist (specialist in prosthetic limbs), that focus on amputee rehab at the hospital which was a really interesting morning, if anything I wish I could have spent more time there as I left which a million more questions. It's such an interesting area. 

One more week of PP2 left!! 

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

Week 26: The week of the Solar Eclipse

Photo by Andrew Dickie
https://instagram.com/mybagispacked

Key Term: De-Escalate before you need to Breakaway...

I spent the first part of the week trying to shake the odd feeling that I have missed some prep somewhere.... This week's classes didn't have any prep which felt really strange after months of trying to squeeze all the reading in before getting to class. 

Placement Launch: 

We had our placement module launch on Thursday which was exciting, if not a little unnerving to think in a couple of weeks we are back out for 8 weeks. The placement profile has jumped up a few more places on the grid, which seems a BIG jump but in hindsight a lot of us where doing those things on PP1 anyways so I'm hoping that will lead us in good stead to get stuck in on PP2. 

I'm looking forward to another community placement in adult social care; I think it will lead on nicely from my community paediatrics placement but will also be quite different as it is council based rather than NHS. I imagine i will be seeing a lot of equipment and adaptions (Hopefully all the equipment I used as an assistant will give me a good starting knowledge). 

De-escalation and Breakaway Techniques:

Friday gave us the opportunity to discuss deescalation and practice breakaway techniques; It made me reflect on the challenges we may have when dealing with other humans in our day to day roles. We are privileged to work in such a diverse profession where we can work with people in such a range of settings but this could also lead us to work in challenging situations where we need to use deescalation and breakaway techniques; It strikes me that our abilities to read situations is crucial when working with clients and families. 

The Solar Eclipse:

This week also included the solar eclipse... Thankful to our tutor for letting us stand outside and watch it before starting Fridays session; Carlisle was quite cloudy but we still got the chance to see experience it, which was fab. I was quite young when the last solar eclipse happened, so remember the excitement but at age 11 don't remember much of the actual event! 

It's strange to think how much has changed in my life since the last eclipse - high school, college, university, work and now back in education! Life is full of surprises and experiences that change us and mould our future opportunities.

Reflections on Hoisting and Wheelchair Sessions

As previously discussed in "Week 25: Too many ideas...so little time", over the last few weeks we have been taking part in practical sessions at university to give us the basic knowledge to use when on placement. This week's sessions were based on hoisting and wheelchairs, which gave us as students the chance to experience how it would feel to relinquish control and the power balance when we are hoisting/moving an individual.

http://www.arjohuntleigh.co.uk/products/patient-transfer-solutions/passive-floor-lifters/maxi-move/

Being Hoisted...

How does it feel to be hosted? For me I completely tensed up in the sling; it made me think considering I know how the equipment works, this should have relieved some of the fear but it didn't... so for patients who won't have this advantage of knowledge it must be so much more scary.

The power is with the person doing the hoisting and working the equipment. The patient needs to place their trust in an health care professional that they may have just met when they are feel at there most vulnerable, not to mention most probably in those shapeless hospital gowns.

It is of great importance that as health care professionals we are able to reassure the patient and protect their dignity whilst helping them to transfer.

Learning Points:

• Let the person know what you are doing as you go through the process.
• If you can stand beside them when hoisting - Do so! 
• Give the person dignity when hoisting them! 

Wheelchairs

We also got the chance to experience using a wheelchair around campus, which was a lot harder than I had imaged it to be; heavy doors, high handles and doors that open outwards were among a few of the issues faced just getting around, not including the added obstacle of communicating when you aren't at the same level as others.

Even to push someone in a wheelchair there is so much you need to know to do so safely, such as coming of he curb backwards - you need to be so much more aware of the environment when driving the chair, and it again there is the balance of power that the user gives over to the person pushing them.

Learning Points:

• Remember the person in the chair does not want to face the wall in the lift... they want to be able to join in the conversation!!
• Doors are challenging in a wheelchair.

Week 25: Too many ideas... so little time

Key Term: Development of thinking....


Research and Scholarship & Dissertation

This week saw the launch of our dissertation module to run along side our research and scholarship one. It is actually a really positive thing as it means our supervisor for dissertation module will be there to support us with the proposal for research and scholarship which is due at the end of first year.

As always I seem to have too many ideas and not really sure how to make the best decision about which one to take forward, so I'm thankful that we are allocated a supervisor over the next week and hopefully they might help me reign it in onto a particular topic.

Slightly daunting (and also really exciting) to think i'm going to have to write a 1000 word assignment at masters level... but that is a worry for next year at this stage... 4000 word proposal is my focus for now.


Applied OT

This week helped us review what we had learnt over the last 5 weeks, which surprisingly does feel a lot more than I originally thought. It is a module that we will continue to develop out on placement and when we are back in university in June and July.  We have been focusing on information gathering and assessment as part of the OT process which is helpful to develop before we go out onto placement in a few weeks time.


Practical Sessions (Intro to OT)

This week sessions focused on hoisting and wheelchairs, which are both things I have experience in using in my role as OT assistant, so I had some knowledge which was a bonus. I am writing a separate post on these sessions so please check that out for more on the experiences.

Deaf Awareness Session

I can now sign “Hello, my name is Kelly and I’m an occupational therapist” in British Sign Language (BSL)…

This morning involved an optional deaf awareness session at uni, and I'm really am glad I decided to travel down to Carlisle for the morning to take part.  I have an interest in learning BSL as a way of communication and I’m annoyed at myself that when I previously had the chance to learn that I didn’t stick it out.  

The session also taught me of the variants in sign language – SSE (Exact English Signing), Cued speech, Makaton as well as BSL (And the variants of this in other countries). Not to mention the fact that a lot of people with hearing difficulties will lip-read.

Here's a little more information on the various forms of signing:

British Sign Language (BSL) - A visual way of communicating using hand gestures, body language and facial expressions. (1)

Sign Supported English (SSE) – Basically using BSL in the order they would be used in spoken English language. (2)

Cued Speech – “Cued Speech uses eight hand-shapes in four different positions near the mouth to clarify the lip patterns of normal speech.” (3)

Makaton – Uses signs and symbols to aid communication. It is there to support spoken English. Using makaton can help people with no speech or limited speech to communicate, and also used by people who prefer not or haven’t learnt to sign. (4)

“Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people.” – Helen Keller

The session let us experience (as much was possible with ear plugs), what it would be like to not be able to hear. Also we could experience how difficult it is to follow a conversation when you can’t hear, and how even if you miss the first few words you are lost for the whole conversation.  It was also apparent how difficult it is to lip-read especially if you don’t have any idea on the topic.

Whilst undertaking my studies towards becoming an OT, I am continually having my eyes opened to the growing list of difficulties people with disabilities face day to day, whilst doing tasks people without disabilities take for granted. 

I hope that during my career I am able to assist people with disabilities live as independently as possible in a way that allows them to continue to do the things that are meaningful to them. This brings me to my next point…

How great are hearing dogs?!?! 

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People (6)

I have only known one person who had one when I worked on reception, and it surprised me then how well trained the dogs can be - alerting the owner when their name was called by the doctor. But they are becoming increasingly common for people with deafness; and even children with deafness are increasingly being supported by them, as long as they are able to look after the dog. Similarly to guide dogs for the blind, they help their owners live as independently as possible by highlighting dangers to them such as the smoke alarm going off. They can be trained to alert their owner of the phone ringing/text message being received, the doorbell ringing and even to wake them up when their alarm clock goes off.

I hope to continue to develop my skills in sign language, so that I am able to effectively communicate with clients I encounter with hearing difficulties as an OT, and generally to develop a better understanding of the difficulties they might face.

References 

(1) British Sign. (2014) Available at: http://www.british-sign.co.uk (Accessed: 16th February 2015).

(2) Sign Supported English. (2015) Available at: http://www.signedlanguage.co.uk/signsupportedenglish.html (Accessed: 16th February 2015).

(3) Cued Speech. (2015) Available at: http://www.cuedspeech.co.uk (Accessed: 16th February 2015).

(4) The Makaton Charity. (2015) About Makaton. Available at: https://www.makaton.org/aboutMakaton/ (Accessed: 16th February 2015).

(6) Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. (2015) Available at: http://www.hearingdogs.org.uk (Accessed: 16th February 2015).