Doing. Being. Belonging.

Becoming OT

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I Help Students 𝙥𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙩 Towards Their Goals

I’m just like you.

I struggled in grad school - like A LOT. First semester I was working full time, juggling a long distance relationship and was about to fail my first semester of OT school (yay).
But I adapted. I took the time to reflect and make change so that I can better help my future clients. Was it easy? uh no. Was it worth it? Absolutely!!
My journey to becomingOT has been a fluid and dynamic process that helped me overcome insecurities, prioritize my health & wellness, and made me fall head over heals in love with this profession.

What is 'BecomingOT'?

I created this page because I want to be transparent and honest about what it was like as a student, what it’s like as a clinician, and what all we can do as occupational therapists. I needed that as a student and unfortunately I was hecka late to the game to find it so this is me showing up for YOU. I am by no means an expert on anything shared here, so please know that these are just my personal experiences in the field. Whether you’re here as a student, practitioner, or just browsing around for knowledge, I hope you find yourself at home. So grab a cup of coffee (or wine…or chocolate milk) and let’s go be OT!

Not that kind of therapist.

Becoming OT does not just refer to taking your boards and getting that OTR/OTA at the end of your name. It refers to the lifelong PROCESS of being an OT. A process of learning, failing, succeeding, changing and empowering. My hope is to spread some love and knowledge about my own OT journey and to give a transparent insight to the ups and downs of what occurs when becoming an OT.
NEURO 100%
WELLNESS 100%
LIFESTYLE 100%
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Navigating your grad school interview.
CONGRATULATIONS!! You survived the ever tedious OTCAS application portal and have earned the opportunity to interview at an OT program. Every program and person is going to have a different experience, so please take my thoughts below as a GUIDE to help prepare you for your interview. If someone hasn’t told you already, let me be the first to say… YOU GOT THIS!!!
sp(OT)light: Hand Therapy Residency
What does a typical day look like? I arrive at the facility at 6:50 A.M, 10 minutes before my first patient. If I have not already planned for my first scheduled patient the day before, I review the previous note to familiarize myself on their condition, precautions, goals, progress, and areas of concern (I also check to see if they are due for measurements so I can send a note to the MD on their progress). After I have reviewed the previous note, I invite the patient back and usually start their session with a physical agent modality or aerobic conditioning to prep the body for participation in therapy. I often use Fluidotherapy, Paraffin, moist heat pack, or the arm bike depending on the condition. After they are warmed up I usually take measurements if needed or begin manual therapy, therapeutic activities, neuromuscular re-education, or therapeutic exercise to promote functional use of the injured body part for improved performance with daily occupations or work related tasks. This setting uses the biomechanical approach. I usually see 1-2 patients an hour and my days can be 8-12 hours long (including lunch). I document throughout the day, and usually do not leave with any outstanding or incomplete documentation unless the day is super busy. Patients who require splints were often seen by my CI, however, I did get to construct several splints during down time, including a trigger finger splint for a patient during my last month at Select. If we do have cancellations, that down time is used for practice with manual techniques, splinting, studying, my capstone, or prepping for the following day or patient.
Aquatic Therapy
During my Level 2B Fieldwork we get to see some of my clients, both pedi and adults, in the pool! Did you know that you don’t need to be certified in aquatic therapy in order take your clients into the pool? The pool is used as a functional modality, much like the same way we would use NMES or Ultrasound with a client. Visit my blog and take a look at some of the principles of of pool itself!

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