Graduation Day

...1 Course, 2 years, 24 month, 2 countries, 5 placements, Lots of learning and reflections... 

I survived and somehow managed to pass my masters in Occupational Therapy

Today is Graduation Day!

When I decided to consider Occupational Therapy as a career, I don't think I truly understood how vast and dynamic a profession it really was. Even now as a newly qualified practitioner, I am still often surprised at all the huge array possibilities there are for Occupational Therapists to use our unique skills. Really though, I shouldn't be surprised because as my knowledge and understanding of occupation has developed, I know that the inherent role it plays not only in the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities but on the identity and everyday landscape of how we all function.  The surprise has more of an air of excitement of possibilities now rather than simple lack of knowledge and I am particularly grateful for the experiences during my MSc that have accumulated the development of my understanding of this fundamental concept that is so crucial in how I evidence and argue my professional worth in my everyday roles.



One of the great things about I found whilst on this journey  to become an Occupational Therapist is just that 'surprise', the joy of finding those areas that you never considered working in before, and realising they allow you to use the skills and experiences you have had to enable others to engage more fully in their everyday life. 


So 2 years on from the start of this journey (3 years if you include when I decided to bite the bullet and apply for the course), if I could go back, would I change my decision to study? Absolutely not. It has been incredibly tough two years, tougher than I ever thought it would be and it has pushed me more than I thought I was capable of being pushed, yes there were points during the course that I felt like I would never manage to get to this point; but there has also been some great experiences along the way too that have moulded and continue to shape who I am as an Occupational therapist. So here I am 2 years on, on graduation day with a masters degree.

Master of Science in
Occupational Therapy

Reflecting on the experience as a whole, I realise how thankful I am for the support I had from friends and family along the way, and I have no doubt in my mind the importance of that support in helping me successfully complete my degree.  


I chose the University of Cumbria as a place to study, mainly for financial reasons along side the ability to commute from home to study, but looking back now, those became minor pluses during my masters journey. The fact that the MSc was a small cohort and the university population in Carlisle as a whole was smaller became a huge asset. The  ability to build relationships with the tutors and staff as well as other students in my class actually aided my learning and development as a practitioner and I'm incredibly thankful for that. 

Has my masters prepared me well to enter the world of work? I really hope so. It has given me the skills to critique the evidence base for my assessments and interventions, the knowledge and sills to question and explore issues at length with the depth that enables me to see past the initial presentation of an issue, it has enhanced my communication skills, and in turn built my confidence in sharing my professional opinions and knowledge but most of all it has prepared me to be a life long learner, that is willing to embrace opportunities to develop personally as practitioner, the profession as a whole and as a team member within the places I work. 

Year 2 Week 14 & 15: Christmas Holidays

Key Term: Rest!

As often happens the moment I stopped, my body decided I had been pushing it too hard and got ill. I started the Christmas break with a massive cold which was a complete pain as I had a list of things to be doing over the two week break. 

One of the hardest things I am finding as a student is getting the balance right; I love to be busy and give 100% to everything but this means when I'm on placement I tend to stay up later than I would normally doing background reading and trying to understand the theory behind the practical aspects; this means that come the end of placement weeks I am more run down. 

Doing a health course is intense and when you have those blocks of practice placements, especially away from home, it is hard to rest as much as you should. This placement had the added aspect of being in a city affected by the recent floods, which meant there was more uncertainty and worry with regards to commuting to and from placement at weekends which for me meant I rested and relaxed less at weekends that I would have wanted. This topped with surviving on meals I could cook with a kettle in my hotel room and salads meant I was probably more run down than I had imagined. 

You are probably wondering why I have rambled on about this somewhat, but the result was that it forced me to rest this Christmas break rather than working straight through trying to progress with assignments and prep.   

A final thought...

How important are the structures in our life and day day living? I came across this picture on social media when during the week between Christmas and new year (It isn't the most politically correct picture and really just a bit of fun). 

It strikes me that those days between Christmas and new year could in turn help us understand what it's like for people in hospital whose routines have been interrupted. How often do we ask cognitive orientation questions to our patients and wonder if them not knowing what day it was is a sign of cognitive impairment; when actually between Christmas and new year when our normal routine is taking away by holidays and changes to what we do throughout the normal week, do we all have the same issue? 

Now back to the reality of coursework and assignments....


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

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

A

Week 38: Back to uni

Week 38

Key Term: Campus is a Ghost Town

... and we are back! 

This week is the start of our last section of first year with the start of 5 weeks of classes and 2 assignments due before the August. It felt strange to be back in uni especially since the campus was really empty as most students are finished for the summer holidays. It was great to meet up with classmates again and learn from each others experiences on placement.

We also had probably the sunniest day of the year so far this week which certainly had an impact on my motivation to do uni work. But I'm plodding through it this weekend with the weather being slightly more dull. 


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.

Week 21: Back to uni...

Key Term: Synthesise,  Synthesise, Synthesise 

First week back in classes after placement; and everyones minds are focused on one thing - the next assignment.  

I have felt exhausted all week; if I could recommend anything to the course leaders to change; it would be the need for a wee off before coming back into uni, as I'm not at all convinced it is healthy for students to start new modules and focus on assignments when they are so tired. Maybe I'm just being a lightweight and need to suck it up and get on with it though... It is an accelerated course after all!

I'm excited to be starting our new module in Applied OT, (well apart from the dreaded presentation that I am trying to not think about at the moment) hopefully its going to teach us things we will use as OTs once graduated. 

We have also continued to learn about evidence based practise and the need for OT as a profession, to continue to develop the evidence base to aid its position  amongst other health and social care professions. 

PP1 - Reflections on Pediatrics

The treatment room used for clinics and therapy sessions

It's hard to believe how fast the last 5 weeks have gone. I have experienced so much in that time and have had the chance to assist in assessments, plan lead and evaluate treatments sessions, review seating and posture systems and meet a great bunch of professionals that were a brilliant representation of the occupational therapy profession. 

At the start of this placement, I was apprehensive of how much I would have to learn and felt that I might never 'get it" when it came to complexity of posture and seating (anatomical terms are incredibly difficult for me to remember as a person with dyslexia), but over the latter half of my placement I was able to see how far I had come in such a short time, which was an incredibly rewarding experience. 

I had wanted a pediatric placement, having done a range of voluntary children and youth work roles in my spare time, but maybe not as my PP1 as I felt slightly out of my depth having no previous experience with working with children and families in a healthcare setting. This in itself wouldn’t have caused me immediate concern but as we were still getting to grips with the foundations of occupational therapy theory it felt slightly overwhelming.  Thankfully the team I was placed with were brilliant with me and my educators gave me ample opportunities to explore and learn what is involved in being an OT in community pediatrics. 

It was refreshing to see a focus on function and learning and developing fine motor skills, which I haven't really experienced in my adult acute physical background where sometimes it can feel like its all about plastering over cracks to get the patient home to free up a bed. This focus also allowed for me to understand how occupational frames of reference and research impact on the way occupational therapy staff plan and undertake their interventions with the children.  I am also reminded of how complex we are as human beings, and wonderful it is to get to know each person for who they are and what they have to offer. Children are amazing to work with and have such an incredible determination and drive to join in with activities and seek out things that are meaningful to them.

One thing I did not expect to learn that kept being highlighted as I went through my time on placement was the link between the skills I need to develop to critically write at masters level and how those are also used in daily occupational therapy practice whilst articulating your findings from assessments and interventions. I have spent the first term separating them in my mind... But actually I should have been gelling the two together. Now don't get me wrong I don’t mean the things I’ve learnt, because of course the theory needs to be linked. I mean the concept of academic writing and analysing information - to synthesize the information!     

As I get back to the realities of university life; assignments, endless reading lists and presentations round every corner… I’m reminded that you have got to start somewhere; The great thing about being an occupational therapy student is just that; you are a student, you are not expected to know everything (otherwise there would be no reason to be on a course); but you are expected to try and explore what practicing as an occupational therapist looks like in an ever-changing landscape of health and social care, with the support of experienced educators to do so in a safe manner.

Week 20: PP1.5

Key Term: PP1 Passed!

[PP1 Week 5]

... and placement is complete and passed. I've had another great week at placement, continuing with some of the work with a few children and also being involved in risk Ax and initial assessments. 

The longer I have spent with the team of OTs/Physios and critical care nurses in the more I am excited about eventually qualifying as an occupational therapist and the difference I could make to children and families lives if I chose to work in paediatrics. There was such a committed team of professionals that care deeply about the children and families that they work with; makes me proud to be studying towards working in such a caring profession.

I will post a full round up of PP1 of the next few days :) 

[Being a 'real' student]

My room in halls is pretty much packed up ready to head home in the morning and I'm excited to be at home for the next 6 weeks before my next placement. 

I'm thankful for not being on my own during this placement and having fellow MSc'ers to spend time with and share the experience with. 

Now to prep for next weeks classes! 

Week 18: PP1.3

Key Term: Expectations

[PP1 Week 3]

This week included the half way report and visit at placement; which I was a little concerned about as I didn't feel I had got involved enough in the OT process to meet the requirements; but by actually taking a step back and looking at it from another viewpoint I really hadn't had time to have the opportunities to get involved at this point in placement; mainly due to only having 9 days in placement when my report was written and it being the first placement. 

After talking to my visiting placement tutor and my educators, I did feel a lot better about it and was reassured this is a normal part of placement. It has led me to wonder what my expectations are for myself and if they are always realistic? I'll openly admit that I am a bit of perfectionist and do often feel that my best isn't good enough. It's a tough one, which I can't really find a balance for at the moment. All I do know is that for me I need to 'Be the best version of me that I can' I need to do the best I can as I go through life and hope that is good enough. 

This week did allow me to get more involved in the OT process, taking part in interventions and actually getting to see how occupational therapy is helping the children that my placement OTs come into contact with. I really enjoyed getting to be involved in the process and feel like I was helping the clients with their goals. I have also been able to help decide on SMART goals for some of the children, I have been getting to work with which is great but has allowed me to focus my own thoughts on the goals I set for my self and whether they are smart! 

• Specific – The goal needs to be specific as a pose to general!
• Measurable – The goal needs to be measurable so you can work out if it has been met
• Achievable – The goal needs to be able to be met... there no point in making wild goals if you can't achieve it
• Realistic – Is your goal realistic and able to be achieved?
• Time - what is your time frame to achieve this?

I'm looking forward to getting stuck into week 4 of placement when it starts on Monday, I have a few more treatment sessions planned with the OTTI/OTAs which will give me lots of opportunities for client skills to be developed. 


[Being a 'real' student]

Had a good evening mid week catching up with a few people from course which was nice to do. I didn't really think how much I'd miss seeing everyone from uni when we are all spread across the north of England/Isle of Man on placement. Seeing others from course does make me look forward to being back in uni in a few weeks even if that does mean more essays and presentations! 

Anyways I think I may have procrastinated enough for one day and I should go do some reading for my next uni assignment which the deadline for seems to be getting ever closer!



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

64 Days To Go

64 DAYS TO GO!!!!

Can't believe how soon I will be starting my course... Around nine weeks until I start and still have so much to do and buy.

So far im finding that studying Occupational Therapy is expensive... Anyone selling any books?!?!? My amazon wish list has a list of  all the books on our book list and some other stuff I need to get!!! So if you have any that you're selling then let me know.

Looking forward to getting started though...

This weeks tasks involve:
- Looking into student bank accounts
- Booking train tickets for first couple of weeks
- Start reading up on anatomy

Until next time!