OT Field of View

Life as an OT Student

2012-02-02T10:45:00.001-06:00

Bridget & Sara (OT classmate) at KOTA Legislative Day

Hi! It is Bridgetagain. Today I am answering the question, what is it like being anoccupational therapy student (OTS)?

That is a good question...

...being an OTS is time consuming, there is a heavy course load and fast paced, but everythingI am learning is so applicable and interesting that I actually enjoy going to school, can youbelieve it?

There are a lot of excitingaspects of being an occupational therapy student. Every class is atremendous learning experience, and always has a hands on learningaspect, which is good when preparing for the career field. I especially enjoythe lab practicals, which are set up to resemble a real case we mightencounter in the field. Now, while these assessments are anxiety inducingand incredibly stressful, they provide me with a sense of competence andaccomplishment.

Fieldwork, which is part of the curriculum, iswhen we are assigned to a site and work and observe an OT in their natural worksetting. Fieldwork is a great learning experience, it is even more handson than the classes we take during each semester. We are given theopportunity to apply the knowledge we have learned in real life situations, andto get an OT’s perspective on our competency.

I have found maintainingbalance in my life has been the biggest challenge thus far in my journey asan OTS. However, with the help of family, friends and my new found organizationalskills, I have managed to find some sort of balance in my life, even withbeing a full time graduate student.

Why OT?

2012-01-30T13:31:00.003-06:00

Hello! My name is Bridget and I ama first year Occupational Therapy (OT) student at Rockhurst University. I am here today to tell you a little aboutwhy I chose this wonderful profession. I choseOT as my future profession because as I grew up I was constantly involved withsports and injuring myself while playing them. I never saw an Occupational Therapist personally, but because of all themedical care and therapies I received, I knew I wanted to go into the medicalfield. I have always had a strong desireto help others, whether it is by helping them carry their groceries or managingtheir kitchen so they can cook.As Igot closer to going to college, I realized I needed to start focusing on acareer path, so I set to work on researching different types of therapies andtalking with people I knew in the medical field.

I had honestly never heard of OT before I started my research, and let me tellyou, once I discovered OT, I knew it was the right choice for me. I had found a career that would allow me tohelp individuals with hindering challenges in their physical and/or mentalabilities get their lives back. Therewas nothing more appealing tome! I had found it, I could help rehabphysical and mental challenges and meet and learn more about really interesting and uniqueindividuals!

Ecuador 2011

2011-08-17T06:35:00.000-06:00

Hello from Guayaquil, Ecuador. Eight OT students and two OT faculty members have traveled with six PT students and one PT faculty member to South America to work in a free OT/PT clinic at the Damien House. The Damien House is an amazing facility run entirely on donations. They serve to bring compassion and care to individuals with Hansen's disease (leprosy).

Our team is busy each day running the clinic for both inpatients and outpatients with Hansen's disease. Most of our clients have significant pain and sensory loss in their hands and feet. We have been teaching them exercises to help maintain muscle strength and reduce pain. We have also been showing them alternate methods for accomplishing familiar tasks. These new methods often encourage better back support or hand grip so our clients can stay active longer. Here is a few pictures from our trip so far...

The OT Team on top of the Hill in Guayaquil

Rachel (PT), Brittany (OT), and Celie (OT) prepping to see a client

Word of the Week May 18, 2011

2011-05-18T09:31:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Word of the Week. In this feature for the OT Field of View Blog I’ll overview a word from the occupational therapy lexicon or a word which reflects life in the Rockhurst OT program. Our word of the week is...LEISURE by Cassie Laas, OTS.

Definition: Leisure, as defined by the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, is “a nonobligatory activity that is intrinsically motivated and engaged in during discretionary time, that is, time not committed to obligatory occupations such as work, self-care, or sleep.”

Leisure can be separated into two categories: leisure exploration and leisure participation. Most people do not think about leisure exploration, but one spends most of their life exploring and identifying particular interests, skills, and opportunities, eventually finding appropriate leisure activities for them. Leisure participation is the actual planning and participating of leisure activities, as well as, maintaining a balance of leisure activities and other areas of occupation.

Example: Engaging in activities outside of occupational therapy classes and studying. While my class feels they do not always have an adequate balance between education and leisure, we always find the time to get together and enjoy activities outside of school. Above are pictures of a wiffleball game we played in our leisure time. Ryan Lum organized it and it was a nice break from our busy school schedule. Afterwards we all enjoyed pizza together. It was an excellent, leisurely way to spend an afternoon.

Personally, my favorite leisure activity is dancing. To the right is a picture of me at a street dance in St. Lucia. I enjoy dancing because it makes me feel good. Dancing is a way to express myself and I can do it alone or with other people. It is a very holistic activity including physical, emotional, social, intellectual, occupational, and even spiritual aspects of life. As a future OT I feel dancing could be used to address various issues I might see in the clinic. It is a leisure activity that I will continue to engage in for as long as possible.

I hope that everyone remembers to maintain a balance between their obligatory activities and leisure activities. It is never too late to explore other areas of leisure; you never know when you might find one that surprises you. If all else fails, call me, and we will dance.

Another Favorite Occupation

2011-04-27T07:09:00.002-06:00

I enjoy reading the comics everyday in the newspaper. It is without a doubt one of my favorite occupations. I often find comics are capable of communicating truth and wisdom in a fun and colorful way. This past Sunday's Luann comic strip is a great example. It's message really resonated with me.

What a simple way to be reminded of how we don't have to look very far to find things for which to be thankful. So today I am going to have a look around and see what I come up with to be thankful for...

Flash Mob @ AOTA

2011-04-16T06:24:00.000-06:00

For most of the last week a large group of us from Rockhurst University have been attending the American Occupational Therapy Association's National Conference. This year it is being held in Philadelphia, PA. Several of our faculty and students were chosen to present at the conference on a variety of topics including older adult use of online social networking, health literacy and stroke survivors, pediatric grip strength, and a constraint-induced movement therapy camp experience with adolescents.

Thursday, right before the opening ceremony, the students attending conference pulled of a fun flash mob. It was recorded (what good flash mob isn't) and posted on you tube. 5 of our second year student are featured in the video starting around the 1:35 minute mark. If you look in the bottom left of the video you can see Leslie (tan pant, blue shirt), Michele (gray pant, blue shirt), Shawna (tan pants, green sweater), Laura (black pants, black sweater), and Kate (jean, blue sweater) getting down. It is awesome! AOTA Flash Mob Starring some 2nd Years Students

Our first year students are in the mob as well. You can see some of them, Krista (black pants, yellow top) dancing away in the bottom right corner of a video featured on the AOTA website. AOTA Flash Mob Starring a First Year Student

St. Lucia 2011 Overview of our time in Soufriere Part III

2011-03-17T17:43:00.000-06:00

Our last day...March 11th

Prior to leaving the island we visited the coast one final time and then said farewell to our new friends at the Special Education School.

The teachers and students of the Special Education school with the Rockhurst team


Ms. Gonzag who made our work possible and was so generous to us

Soufriere, St. Lucia

St. Lucia 2011 Overview of our time in Soufriere Part II

2011-03-17T17:28:00.000-06:00

Michael and Cassie

Sara cleaning mud off the windows

Erin and Kayla completing sewing projects

Erin and Lisa

Megan with some of the awesome teachers

Emilie and the most amazing Martha

Coloring Rocks!

Wednesday March 9 & Thursday March 10

On Wednesday and Thursday we spent time with the children in their classrooms, made home visits to various children in and around Soufriere, and joined the teachers in working to restore the damaged Soufriere Special Education School. The teachers were also able to give us some valuable feedback on our Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills project enabling us to give it a test run. There were many lessons, memories, and friendships built over these three days.

On Wednesday evening we visited the very beautiful Jerusalem Mineral Springs and on Thursday we drove through the "drive through" volcano and took a soothing dip in the healing but smelly waters of the volcano fed Sulphur Springs.

Volcano on the right

St. Lucia 2011 Overview of our time in Soufriere

2011-03-17T16:10:00.000-06:00

Tuesday March 8 We started the day with morning assembly at the Special Education School in Soufriere. Morning assembly included songs, prayers, and interactive activities with the students and teachers. What a special way to start the morning.

After assembly we split into pairs and went with separate classroom groups to observe and work with the children. This was a great way to get to know the students, teachers, and program better.

Our afternoon was spent at the Soufriere Comprehensive School to help them with a library book project. We cleaned books, moved shelves, and prepped previously owned books for library circulation. Students were assigned to assist us in our efforts so in addition to serving the school we had a great time building relationships with the students.

In the evening we visited the Soufriere coast, worked on our KELS project, and enjoyed a homemade pasta meal.

Rockhurst gang with Pitons in the backdrop

Sunset off the coast

Kayla demonstrating her "well-honed" cooking skills

St. Lucia 2011 Overview of our time in Castries

2011-03-11T18:38:00.001-06:00

I am writing to you again from 35,000 feet above sea level thanks to Delta airline's Go-Go-Inflight wireless service. We are on our way back to Kansas City after an AMAZING week in St. Lucia. Here is an overview of our time abroad...

Friday March 4th

Church in Dennery - seen from our vantage point

We arrived in St. Lucia mid-afternoon after leaving Kansas City very early in the morning. Our rental van was waiting for us and we headed up the east coast of the island to Dennery. In Dennery we stopped for a brief rest and a chance to see the view of the Atlantic side of the island. We then crossed the island and checked into our guest house in Castries. After we got settled in went to Gros Islet for their Friday night neighborhood "shindig" or "jump up". We got some local food and enjoyed getting to know the islanders. Before heading to bed we stopped at the grocery store and stocked up on food for our days in Castries.

Saturday March 5th

At the Market buying spices

Christine and Kayla

Lunch on the Square

In the morning we split into two groups. Group one organized all the treatment supplies and donations we brought with us while group two worked on their Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills research project. Around mid-day we went into Castries to their local market. We purchased some delicious veggies, fruits, spices, and juices. So good! We also had a great time chatting with the local vendors and made some fun friends. One of the vendors Christine was very helpful and even taught us various ways to use the outer layers of nutmeg. After the market we ate our sack lunch on the square near one of the largest churches in the Caribbean. The church is beautiful and has amazing murals on all the inside walls. After this we went to the National Wellness Center to get acclimated for our visit the next day. In the evening we took a sunset cruise with the family who runs our guest house. Very fun.

Sunday March 6th

This morning we went to the northern part of the island. We visited the beach and Pigeon Island. Pigeon Island is the site of a former British fort with many of the stone buildings still surviving. We were able to climb all way to the top of the remaining fort for a great view of St. Lucia and Martinique (a nearby island). In the late afternoon we went to the National Wellness Center and spent time with the clients and staff. We had a great time visiting and felt very welcome. Some of the clients taught us how to play dominos St. Lucian style which including slamming the dominos down once the game really got going! We also met up with two other teammates - Megan Nicolas and Brenda Lee who had arrived on the island late Saturday. Both are occupational therapists - Megan has helped arrange and organize this trip each year and Brenda is a former Rockhurst OT student who went on our very first St. Lucia trip. After our visit we went home and the gals cooked fajitas. The KELS group then did some late night final preparations for their research project the next day.

Monday March 7th

National Wellness Center

We checked out of our guest house and headed back to the National Wellness Center. There we met with Ms. Moise who works in the occupational therapy department. She is a wonderful woman who has a tremendous heart for the men and women at the Wellness Center. At 10:00 am all the clients came to the Occupational Therapy room for a group session. We watched a video and followed this with an exercise class for all participants.

Then the clients could choose to go to a cognition group, fine motor group, or self-care group. The clients seemed to really enjoy these groups. We had such a good time laughing with them and learning about their lives.

In the afternoon the KELS group met with the OT staff and the rest of us worked with any clients who wanted to come to the OT room. We had several feisty games of Jenga and dominos. We also got to spend quite a bit of time with some of the clients individually or in pairs. Prior to leaving we made a donation of two big bag of shoes and then it was over the mountains and through the jungle to Soufriere!

The OT Students with Ms. Moise

St. Lucia March 10, 2011

2011-03-10T12:15:00.000-06:00

We continue to have an amazing trip in St. Lucia. Sunday and Monday we were at the National Wellness Center in Castries. We have been working at the Soufriere Special Education school since Tuesday. We have cleared mud out of rooms, visited children in their homes and at school to provide occupational therapy services. We have been working on developing a St. Lucian version of the Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills. We have cleaned walls, scrubbed furniture, and organized school supplies. We learned to play dominos with the men at the National Wellness Center. We have lead groups, painted, helped stiff joints move again, and had the very best time doing all of it.

The weather has been perfect and the scenery is beautiful but the devastation from the hurricane is never really out of site. We have made many new friends, shared lots of laughs, enjoyed one another's company, and I believe represented Rockhurst University's Occupational Therapy program very well.

The internet has been non-existent for us in Soufriere so we apologize for the long gap since you last heard about our adventures. I promise to post lots of great pictures and more details once we return.

St. Lucia 2011 - Day 2 March 5, 2011

2011-03-05T20:57:00.000-06:00

Our flight into St. Lucia yesterday went very well. We were able to rent a car and drive our rental apartment in Castries, the capitol city. In addition to our rental car a wonderful man, Remy met us at the airport thinking we wouldn't have a way to Castries as we had been told our car wasn't available. Our car did show up but Remy was so gracious he ended up driving our luggage in his vehicle so we wouldn't have to cram it all in our car. Then he guided us all the way to our guest home in Castries. Thanks Remy!

Our guest house apartment is lovely. We have a view of the Castries harbor and can hear the waves hitting the shore as there is a small cove directly below our apartment (we are on a hill). It is nothing short of awesome.

This morning we did preparation work for our service - getting supplies organized and preparing for research and client interaction. Then we drove into town and visited the local market. It was a glorious time of shopping with the locals - purchasing spices and lots of fresh veggies for dinner. After shopping we ate a picnic lunch outside the largest church in the Caribbean before heading to the National Wellness Center.

After our visit to the center we took a wonderful sunset cruise with the owner of our guest house and his family. I think he was having a great time with all of us so he ended up taking us much farther down the island than a cruise would normally go. His family was an absolute delight. Some of the students went swimming with them and of course there was dancing on the deck of the boat.

After we returned home we cooked some of our fresh treats from the market and did some more preparation for our work on Monday. Tomorrow we are spending the morning visiting Pigeon Island, a St. Lucian national park, and then visiting the National Wellness Center in the afternoon.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow - the internet isn't strong enough tonight to let me upload any photos.

St. Lucia 2011 - Day 1 March 4, 2011

2011-03-04T10:26:00.000-06:00

Me on the road to Soufriere, St. Lucia last year...heading back!!

Good morning - I am writing to you from about 35,000 feet on Delta flight #421 from Atlanta to St. Lucia. Five students and I left early (REALLY, REALLY early) this morning out of Kansas City International Airport for the start of our St. Lucian adventure. We will be in St. Lucia 8 days and 7 nights - spending 3 days in Castries at the National Wellness Center and 4 days in Soufriere at the Special Education School. The students I am traveling with are quite fun and enthusiastic to serve in another country. Over the course of the week I'll try to get each of them to blog a little bit for us.

I think it is so cool that our program offers international experiences. We are very intentional with finding the right international opportunities --those which allow the students to serve within a neglected population and those which allow the student to use their developing occupational therapy skills to practice Cura Personalis (care of the person). I have been so blessed to be able to travel on this trips and watch the students be transformed by them. I have lots of favorite things about the Rockhurst OT program and this is definitely one of them.

2011-02-25T12:05:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Word of the Week for February 25, 2011. In this weekly feature for the OT Field of View Blog we overview a word from the occupational therapy lexicon or a word which reflects life in the Rockhurst OT program. Our second word of the week is...OVERWHELMING by Cassie Laas, Rockhurst OT Student.

Definition: Overwhelm is to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything: a student overwhelmed with school work; to overwhelm someone with questions. To be overwhelmed is to overcome completely in mind or feeling: overwhelmed by stress. (adapted from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/overwhelming).

Referenced from http://sarahealy.com/index.php/

2009/04/09/what-you-can-do-when-overwhelmed/

Example: This past week my class had multiple assignments, tests, and lab checkouts and it was just one of the many overwhelming weeks I have experienced since being in occupational therapy school. However, this week seemed to be particularly stressful because it felt like the beginning of several busy weeks. It feels like there is an immense about of coursework in addition to exam and practical preparation for next week followed by a service trip over spring break the to St. Lucia. With all of these tasks it is understandable that I would become a little overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed with school interferes with multiple area of my life, and has caused an imbalance in my occupations. My ROLE as a student has taken over all other roles, which has led to a disruption in my routine, now heavily influenced by school.

The Occupational Therapy Reference Framework (OTPF) defines a role as sets of behaviors expected by society, shaped by culture, and may be further defined by the individual. Roles provide guidance in selecting occupations or can lead to stereotyping and restricted engagement patterns. For example, I neglect house work, maintaining a healthy diet, working out, sleeping, and engaging “me” time when I focus on my student role. Luckily, I have accepted my role as a student is one that demands a lot of my time. While there are weeks that are filled with an overwhelming amount of school work I have learned to adapt my other roles to accommodate the demands placed on me by my occupation of a student.

Cassie (far right) and some of her classmates

My experiences, as well as my occupational therapy education have taught me the importance of balance and coping with stressors in life. Even though this week is leading into more weeks of overwhelming responsibilities I have learned to take it one day at time. I have also learned to prioritize, to take breaks, and to remember the rewards of all this work!

OT Students on Campus Today

2011-02-18T13:22:00.000-06:00

Liz and Brittany

Typically on a Friday afternoon the first floor of the Van Ackeren building, where I have my office, is pretty quiet. As I was sitting in my office a few minutes ago I could hear the sounds of students floating down the hallway. I went to investigate and I found 20+ students from our first year class attending a study session for their movement class -- on their day off! Pretty impressive if you ask me. I took some pictures of them in the midst of their learning. I really like how invested they all are to master the correct position of the client, the measurement tool (goniometer), and themselves. Way to go!

Emilie and Sara

Caley and Meaghan

Jess, Celie, and Erin

Natalie, Samantha, and Ali


Natalie, Christine, Ryan, Robyn, and Amy

2011-02-14T08:51:00.001-06:00

Storming the Capitol

Last Thursday 40 of our OT students and 2 faculty members traveled to Topeka, the state capitol of Kansas. There they met up with OT students and faculty from the University of Kansas and Penn Valley Community College to participate in the Kansas Occupational Therapy Association's Legislative Day. Our primary mission was a united effort to storm the capitol.

Some of our wonderful Rockhurst OT students right before we headed out to storm the capitol!

"Storming the Capitol"

All the students were divided into small groups and sent into the capitol building to deliver goody bags to all the state representatives and senators. Each bag had information about occupational therapy and a few small treats (gum & candy). Quite a few students did have a chance to meet state senators and discuss occupational therapy and it role in the healthcare system.

Our students with one of the representative's office assistant. The assistants usually know everything that is going on so they are a good person to get to know!

In addition we began and ended the day hearing from speakers intimately involved in the legislative process. One speaker, Senator Schmidt, happened to also be a pharmacist so she had a unique perspective on healthcare and the laws which affect it's delivery. She encouraged all of us to communicate our views and needs to our representatives. She also noted that forming relationships with those in office is helpful when we want our voices to be heard, because just like everyone else, those in office are more likely to vote based on the opinions of the people they know.

We all had a great day in Topeka. We learned a lot and left motivated to be more involved in how government affects our profession.

One of our faculty members, Mary Jane Youngstrom, and two of our students. Notice the cute goody bags in the student's hands.

More storming the capitol

Heading in to to leave the goody bag for one of the representatives

Four of our amazing Rockhurst students at the Kansas Capitol

St. Lucia Service Trip

2011-02-09T09:20:00.001-06:00

Soufriere, St. Lucia (before Hurricane Tomas)

St. Lucia, here we come!

This week we began finalizing plans for our program's third service trip to the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia March 4-11, 2011.

Outside Soufriere Hospital after Hurricane Tomas

This year's trip has a very special purpose as St. Lucia was devastated by Hurricane Tomas last October. All areas of the island were affected especially Soufriere. Soufriere is a town on the west side of the island where the Rockhurst team has worked previously in the local hospital and community. Whole houses and roadways systems were destroyed and 14 people were killed including friends we had met during our earlier visits to the island. St. Lucia is still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Tomas and continuing aid is needed.


Classroom inside Special Education and Rehabilitation Centre

Soufriere Special Education and Rehabilitation Centre

One of our primary tasks while in St. Lucia will be assisting the Soufriere Special Education School and Rehabilitation Center with recovery efforts. We anticipate spending our time cleaning, painting, and trying to restore equipment. In addition we plan to provide occupational therapy services to the children displaced from their school. Since the hurricane the students at the Special Education Center have not been able to return to their classrooms. We hope our efforts will hasten their return.

The school lost all their supplies in the hurricane. If any of you would like to donate supplies or money for paint your gift would be well used and needed. School supplies (pencils, crayons, soap, glue sticks, scissors, etc.) can be sent to:

Soufriere Parents for Recovery - Special Ed. Center

C/O Jacqueline Alain

St. Lucia Social Development Fund

12/13 Colony House

Vigie, Castries

St. Lucia, West Indies

The Word of the Week

2011-01-31T23:51:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Word of the Week. In this new weekly feature for the OT Field of View Blog I’ll overview a word from the occupational therapy lexicon or a word which reflects life in the Rockhurst OT program. Our first word of the week is a good one...ADAPTATION.

Definition: Adaptation is a change in response approach that the client makes when encountering an occupational challenge. “This change is implemented when the [client’s] customary response approaches are found inadequate for producing some degree of mastery over the challenge” (adapted from Schultz & Schkade, 1997, p. 474).

Not my Dad...just an Oxygen Model

Example: This past weekend my father was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and put on supplemental oxygen 24/7. Dad was understandably nervous and concerned with how heart failure and the O2 requirements would alter his ability to engage in the occupations he loves - cooking and tinkering in his workshop. However after doing some problem-solving Dad was able to make a few adaptations to allow him to stay engaged in these favorite tasks. For cooking he decided to focus on prep work. This is a new approach as usually my mom preps the food and dad cooks the food. While he can no longer safely cook with the gas stove (oxygen is flammable) he can still do all the prep work and supervise mom while she cooks in his stead. His adaptation for tinkering in the workshop came in the form of a Camelback backpack. As his workshop is some distance from his oxygen machine he adjusted by putting his portable O2 canister into the backpack so he can go into his workshop and tinker to his hearts content. These adaptations helped alleviate my dad's stress and made my mom pretty happy that she wouldn't have to do all the kitchen work!

First Day of Fieldwork Class

2011-01-25T14:40:00.000-06:00

Today I meet with my OT 5550 Fieldwork Seminar II: Transitions to the Community class for the first time of the spring semester. At the start of class I asked the students to share and reflect on the fieldwork experiences they completed at the end of last semester. In response to the question "identify three words to describe your chosen profession based on your fieldwork experiences" the students had so many great words to describe occupational therapy. Words such as creative, empathetic, exciting, awesome, challenging, adventurous, caring, busy, motivating, encouraging, patient, and respectful.

One student offered the word "detective" explaining how a good occupational therapist often has to dig deep to find out all the important information about a client. They then use this information to create a full profile of the individual for effective treatment. I love it!! Now when I think of the occupational therapy profession I can add the idea of Sherlock Holmes to my mind...someone who perseveres, seeks justice, is immensely helpful in solving problems, and learns all there is to know about a person in order to make as positive a difference as possible.

A Favorite Winter Occupation

2011-01-21T11:56:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite winter occupations is sledding. Two critical elements for quality downhill sledding are a good amount of snow and hills. The countryside around my childhood home outside Cooperstown, New York has these two elements in abundance. I have many memories of climbing the hills around our home and flying back down them on my trusty sled. As an adult I somehow managed to live in a fairly hilly neighborhood (in Kansas no less) which has some great sledding spots. Here is picture of me sledding with some friends recently...I am the one in the ridiculously bright red coat.

The sledding experience got me thinking about activity analysis. Activity analysis is an important process used by occupational therapy practitioners to understand the demands a specific desired activity places on a client. For occupational therapists, helping people engage in specific desired activities such as sledding is paramount to our profession. We use activity analysis to help our clients meet the demands of the desired occupation. Activity analysis is one of the first major skills an occupational therapy student at Rockhurst University learns.

So in honor of the snowstorm which raged through Kansas City this week here is a short activity analysis on one of my favorite winter occupations - sledding.

ACTIVITY ANALYSIS: SLEDDING
Areas of Occupation: Leisure, Play, Social Participation
Client Factors: Values & Beliefs (great way to have fun, get exercise, and hang out with friends)
Body Functions - Mental: Keeping track of your sled (Attention), Recalling where the best sledding hills are in town (Memory), Judging how many people you can fit on your sled (Perception), Getting on the sled before it starts to go down the hill (Sequencing Complex Movement)
Body Functions - Sensory: Seeing the path ahead (Vision), Recognizing the screams of nearby sledders to move out of the way (Hearing), Feeling the cold wind, wet snow of your face of the impact of a crash (Pain & Temperature)
Body Functions - Movement: Lift your arms up, move legs forward, keep balance on the sled, go up the hill, chase after the sled, carry the sled, grip the hand holds or the person in front of you (Joint Mobility & Stability, Muscle Power, Tone, Endurance, Motor Reflexes)
Body Functions - Cardiovascular & Respiratory: Elevated heart rate and breath rate as you huff and puff back up the hill
Body Functions - Voice & Speech: So you can scream with joy as you plummet down the hill and crash into a significant snow bank
Activity Demands - Objects: Sled or sled like material such as a cafeteria tray, cookie sheet, or inflated inner tube
Activity Demand - Social: Ability to share, take turns, play nice
Activity Demand - Sequence & Timing: Knowing when is the right time to jump on the sled to get maximum propulsion down the hill
Role: Leader of the pack, one who brings the sled and gets the group organized, or a follower who just enjoys coming along and taking a ride
Ritual: First snowfall hit the hill
Routine: Bring the ski goggles, hot chocolate, AWD, and Kleenex
Context & Environment: Natural environment in the presences of others (physical & social)

= SO FUN!

Start of Fieldwork

2011-01-10T12:06:00.003-06:00

Today is the first day of Level II fieldwork for most of our second year students. A Level II fieldwork is a 12 week full-time internship in an occupational therapy practice supervised by a registered occupational therapist. This year our second year students are completing these field experiences all around the country including sites in Georgia, Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Arizona, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. A few of the students started last week and have reported they are learning a lot, feel prepared for what they are seeing, and are getting to work with a variety of clients. For this first experience half of our students are working with children in schools districts, home health visits, private clinics, and hospital outpatient clinics. The other half will be working with adults in outpatient settings, inpatient rehab hospitals, and acute care hospitals.

Of course the first day of fieldwork doesn't always start without a glitch. This morning we woke up to a bountiful snow in the Mid-west which has closed most area school districts. So a few of our students have to wait one more day to start this next step in their professional journey.

Two Semesters of Learning, Leading, and Serving

2010-12-21T14:28:00.001-06:00

It has been a busy two semesters in the Rockhurst OT program. Our students have had many opportunities to learn, lead, and serve.

One of the most popular features of our program is our national and international group service trips. Through their experiences in St. Lucia, Ecuador, and Colorado our students serve individuals with a variety of physical , mental, and emotional disorders. Learning and service in perfect partnership!

Back home our students have served the Rockhurst campus by serving on committees, helping with the recruitment of prospective students, and sponsoring an on campus spa hour complete with hand massage / paraffin heat treatment. In addition our students were leaders at the OT/PT Department's Pro-Bono Clinic, spending hours serving the Kansas City community; they also conducted vision and hearing screenings for school aged children; and participated in various walks and runs such as the local ALS walk.

In November our second year students demonstrated tremendous service to the occupational therapy profession when they presented the results of their research endeavors to a crowd of faculty, fellow students, friends, family, and occupational therapy practitioners. The research topics included health literacy; assessment development; upper extremity function in children and adults; and older adult use of social networking sites. The students did a great job and we all learned a lot.

This is a picture of our second year class right before their research presentations! They are tremendous group who I am excited to call colleagues soon.

St. Lucia 2010 Entry #2 from OT Student Allison Schmitz

2010-05-26T15:00:00.000-06:00

So I arrived in St. Lucia Saturday with Megan Nicolas, an occupational therapist from the States who was formerly a peace corp volunteer in St. Lucia. It has been amazing to see the island with her. Coming down early was so rewarding, she has shown me around practically the whole island and introduced me to so many new friends, plus she's just a great person and I love how she has just included me in into everything even though I hadn't met her before this experience.

This week has been a whirlwind of cultural experiences and meeting new people. I absolutely love it! Tuesday we had our pediatric workshop and it was amazing to see all the teachers, parents, and health care workers come from all over the island to learn from us. They were all so eager and though facilitation of these small groups I have gained so much professional knowledge. I think the workshops have been just as much of a learning experience as actually working with patients, because you really have to back up your knowledge; but the fun part is I've realized I do have the knowledge base and I can explain why interventions work. I have also become an incredible on-the-fly group leader, LOL. At the end of the workshop they were so appreciative of our work and they already want us to come back next year to work in their school systems.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was going to a farm owned by Rafael and Clara who were Megan's host family during the beginning of her stay in the Peace Corp. I have been joking with Megan about her St. Lucian driving since we got here, but I was riding with Mother Teresa compared to the ride we got into and back out of the mountains. Carol, our driver, picked us up and the way she dodged people, animals, and cars at those speeds is an art form. We were informed that in St. Lucia you honk to let people know to move out of your way, and to let cars from the other direction know you are taking the road. Whoever honks first gets the right of way on the narrow parts...let me tell you, Carol honked a whole lot! She literally made a 30 minute drive in 7 minutes. Everyone in the car was scared for their life, we called it the St. Lucian roller coaster (without the safety harness). The farm was so amazing and peaceful with one outlook at the end of the farm looking over the mountains and all the beautiful countryside.

The island is so amazingly beautiful. I already want to come back. This whole trip has just been so invigorating and educational in a way that is indescribable! This has just stirred up all those emotions I have experienced through my other abroad travels and has made me want to do more, as soon as possible!!

St. Lucia 2010 Entry #1

2010-05-18T22:02:00.001-06:00

Greetings from the beautiful island of St. Lucia. Our team of three Rockhurst OT students (Allison Schmitz, Amy Tompkins, and Brandi Gipson); one Rockhurst instructor (Liz Zayat), and a community occupational therapy practitioner (Megan Nicolas) arrived in the country over the weekend. We are here to provide occupational therapy services at the brand new National Mental Wellness Centre in Castries, St. Lucia. In addition our team is providing three days of workshops for health care workers and community members. The workshops provide training on occupational therapy interventions for older adults, individuals with mental health concerns, and children with special needs.

The team is here as guests of the National Mental Health Reform team. This reform team, under the direction of Ms. Jennifer Joseph, has been instrumental in the advancement of mental health services in St. Lucia. They have successfully created new community based programs and facilitated the transition to the new Wellness Center. The new Wellness center is amazing. A significant portion of the construction of the facility was contributed by the country of Taiwan. This picture was taken on the hospital's back terrace looking out toward the ocean. It is a beautiful place to come and heal.

Althea

2010-05-08T06:01:00.000-06:00

We are fortunate to be able to offer our students the opportunity to travel to various parts of the world for their fieldwork experiences. This year one of our students, Lindsey Herbert, traveled to Santiago, Chile to complete a portion of a twelve week fieldwork. Lindsey was placed at Althea, a wonderful pediatric outpatient clinic which provides occupational and speech therapy for children who have autism and other sensory processing issues. Lindsey was supervised by an amazing occupational therapist, Andrea Mira. Andrea went out of her way to make sure Lindsey had really good educational experience. The picture above is Lindsey (left), Andrea (center), and myself (Liz) at Althea. This picture below is of the therapy gym where the children get to do most of their therapy. They really enjoy this room. It even has a zip line! So cool...

OT Wordle

2010-04-13T07:46:00.001-06:00

Last December my students went on their first fieldwork experience. They spent one week observing and participating in various aspects of occupational therapy practice. When they returned to campus in January, I asked each of them to write down three words which describe the profession of occupational therapy based on their initial field experiences. Here are their responses ~ What do you think? Are there any words you would add to describe occupational therapy?

The View Ahead

2010-04-01T14:59:00.003-06:00

Over the past several weeks I have had the opportunity to travel to a number of the sites our students are assigned for fieldwork experiences. In addition to visiting locations in Kansas City I traveled north to Iowa and Nebraska as well as west to Colorado. While heading west on 1-70 just outside of Denver this amazing vista came into view. I pulled off the highway so I could snap a picture of the scene in front of me.

As I looked out toward the mountains I was eager to get back into the car and drive toward them. I was ready to see them up close and enjoy all they had to offer. However it wasn't that easy. In order to get into the mountains I had to travel along a crowded highway which featured multiples turns, steep grades, and even a tunnel or two. Once I got a bit closer to my destination I journeyed over a mountain pass slowly maneuvering sharp turnabouts while avoiding the steep drops offs to my right and the threatening rock slides to my left. Indeed, the road brought me so close to the mountains I could not actually see the peaks I had viewed earlier. Then, right at the end, the road turned and straight ahead I could see I had made it into the midst of the mountains. I was rewarded for my efforts with an up close, inspiring view.

The whole experience reminded me of the journey our students make. When they arrive on campus for their first semester of classes they are eager to begin. They can see the goal, their final destination - to become occupational therapists. The desire to reach this goal drives them and pushes them forward. The journey is challenging . There may be moments when the road is steep, takes a sudden turn, or becomes congested. Often as the students immerse themselves in the journey they find the destination may be a bit harder to see. They wonder if it is worth all the effort. And then, the road takes a turn and straight ahead is their goal - the opportunity to practice occupational therapy, to be a part of a rewarding profession, and to serve others.

Quite a beautiful view.

St. Lucia January 17, 2009 - Megan Hawks

2009-01-29T23:30:00.001-06:00

With the hard work of the week behind us our team could look forward to a day of relaxation and local Lucia fun! Of course one final "wrap up" meeting was scheduled - luckily at a coffee shop with beach attire not only accepted but encouraged. Our team analyzed the week, brainstormed suggestions about future fieldwork experiences in St. Lucia, and reviewed assignments.

Late morning to late afternoon was full of beach, sun, calm Caribbean Sea, tossed with some excitement of water sports and tourist watching. Liz and I went on a photo printing and frame finding mission which in itself was an adventure. We wanted to try to find a meaningful gift for our hosts. A group photo from earlier in the week fit the bill. We did a little grocery shopping at perhaps the nicest grocery store on the island in preparation for our much anticipated evening event. Our hosts and local mental health staff planned a BBQ to celebrate our inaugural OT service trip. Our small contribution was dessert, munchies, and a few drinks.

Liz and I then joined our sun bathers (students) on Reduit Beach which was in walking distance of our accommodation. After the beach, we headed back to our house to get ready for our BBQ. Our driver picked us up and we took a 25 minute drive to a house outside Castries. The US and Lucian mix was great. Definitely a learning experience on the Lucian laid back culture, a bit of creole language lessons, and even some lessons in food prep. We enjoyed BBQ, green fig salad, Shandy drinks, and salt fish in bakes. A classic home cooked Lucian meal. We stayed until 10 - our group's eyes were tired. On our way back to our accommodations we planned the next morning - trying to make the best use of our last morning on the island. The rainy night, the curvy roads, our unforgettable driver made our last night memorable.

It will take time to process this entire experience, but as I drifted off to sleep, I found myself so grateful for our Lucian hosts, the incredible teamwork displayed by our team, and the new partnership that has been formed.

St. Lucia Friday January 16, 2009 - Audrey Boyd-Ewing

2009-01-28T08:20:00.000-06:00

So it's Friday and the week is coming to an end. I can't believe it's almost time to go home. Today Monica, Brenda, and Liz traveled to Soufriere for the third day of the day program. Sarah, Erica, Megan and I began the day at Golden Hope. This is my first time back since the initial tour of the hospital. I have to admit I was a little nervous. We met Ms. Moise in the OT room where we waited for the clients. Yvonne and Christine were the two women we were able to work with. Sadly our time at Golden Hope was cut short because we had another place we needed to be.

Our next stop was at the children's day program/school for the disabled. We were taken by a wonderful woman, Kim. She is a pediatrician on the island. She told us about her education which she completed at various schools in the US. Kim seemed very realistic about the challenges that St. Lucia faces in dealing with mental health. Working with the children was great. One little boy in particular I hope to never forget. His smile showed so much potential.

After the school we went to lunch and then met Jennifer and many of the mental health staff we had worked with throughout the week to review what had happened over the past five days. The overall feeling was that the St. Lucians felt revitalized and believed they could make a difference in the lives of their clients. After the debriefing we walked around the local market and or course stopped for gelato. We then meet up with Tessa and Louie to drive to Ans-la Rae for a local fish fry. I really enjoyed the fish fry. They had several booths set up with a variety of different local foods. We stayed for a few hours to eat, walk around, and listen to a steel drum band. We finished the night with a picture of almost everyone that played a role in this trip. we then drove back to Rodney Bay to catch up on some much needed sleep since we had a big day at the beach on Saturday.

I will never forget this fieldwork experience. It will not only impact my occupational therapy career but me as well. I have a deeper respect for what occupational therapy can do and how it is sometimes taken for granted.

St. Lucia Thursday January 15, 2009 - Brenda Lee

2009-01-28T08:09:00.000-06:00

We woke up bright and early again refreshed after finishing the workshop and ready to get our hands dirty in the field. Our group split for the first time today and two of us along with Megan piled into the back of a pickup and made our way to Golden Hope Hospital. I had been so focused on the workshop to this point that I hadn't realized how nervous I was to actually interact, one on one, with the clients. Everything we had learned in school was racing through my head and I was hoping I'd be able to think quickly on my feet to put all that info into action and adapt to whatever the day might hold. Thankfully Megan was extremely encouraging and supportive!

We spent the first part of the morning in the women's ward, where we each lead a group activity and had a chance to interact personally with individual clients. Not all of our activities went over so well, but it was a great opportunity to learn to just keep moving forward and not be scared to try new ideas. The men's ward was a little more receptive to our group activities and the staff was so helpful in facilitating a positive group. The relationship between nursing and occupational therapy in St. Lucia is indivisible as the majority of the staff working in mental health in St. Lucia are actually nurses who have discovered the importance of meaningful occupation. I found this relationship to be exciting as so much of the highly-educated medical community in the US still does not have a solid understanding of what exactly occupational therapy is. It was nice to see occupational therapy valued on a global scale.

After the morning groups we were able to practice our assessment skills on a few clients. All in all it was a great day, full of priceless learning experiences.

In the evening we made the drive down to Soufriere where we reunited with the rest of the group and together we traveled on to the volcano where we had the amazing chance to soak in sulfur springs! It was the perfect end to the day, we all left feeling relaxed and revitalized.

St. Lucia Wednesday January 14, 2009 - Erica Hinson

2009-01-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today is Wednesday and while the other students are spending the day putting on the workshop again, I am on my way to the day program in Soufriere with Megan Hawks, our American "St. Lucian". She is great and I'm really excited to spend the day with her instead of once again trying to overcome my public speaking phobia. I handed my part of the presentation over to Brenda, being very confident that she would not embarrass me.

Before the trip Megan showed us a map of the island and pointed to the spots she saw a possibility for car sickness to occur. I think I hit every spot on the map! The roads are very small and turn over, and over, and over. The road to Soufriere became a battle many of us found difficult to overcome. The car sickness was definitely worth it in the end. The town of Soufriere was beautiful with the Pitons as a backdrop and the kick off of the new day program. The day program is great. It provides clients a place to come, relax, talk, shower, and most importantly feel safe. I had a great time at the day program getting to know several clients and becoming more familiar with different types of diagnoses.

St. Lucia Tuesday January 13, 2009 - Sarah Sanderman

2009-01-28T07:39:00.000-06:00

Our first morning started with a van ride into Castries about 3o minutes away from where we were staying. We went to Monroe College, a branch of a school in New York and began setting up and getting technical help for our presentation. We had no idea how many people would attend so it was exciting every time a new face entered the room. I can speak for all the students in saying we were nervous. I was secretly glad I was presenting first and would not have all day to tie my stomach in knots.

Jennifer Joseph, Director of Mental Health Reform welcomed the attendees and introduced Liz Zayat, our professor and fieldwork coordinator who started the presentation. I gave a very brief history of occupational therapy and spoke about where it is used today. Liz then went into details about OT and mental health.

We had a break for snacks which included local fruit juices, bananas, tiny apples, tiny pastries with beef (excellent!), and egg sandwiches. After break we discussed the needs of St. Lucia's mental health services as a group, learned about the Clubhouse model from Megan Hawks OTR/L, and then the remaining four students presented information on common mental health diagnoses.

After a traditional lunch of chicken or fish with rice, ground provisions (different root vegetables steamed and sliced), white potatoes with cheese, and more fruit juices, we broke into groups to teach different therapy activities. The workshop attendees learned games and activities relating to memory, values, sharing a personal story, exercise, movement, and coping strategies. These groups were very well received and we wished we had more room to spread out because Liz's group was so energetic.

We finished the workshop with several case studies, allowing the attendees a chance to put into practice some of the techniques they had learned. It was an amazing day and I was pleased to learn what that the participants felt they were leaving with very useful, practical information.

I found it very interesting to try and teach eager health care workers something to take back with them and use. With no registered occupational therapist on the island I tried to reinforce that you don't need an OT degree to follow OT principles. You need knowledge, some simple tools, and most of all the heart. There are very few resources available in most settings and none of our activities required anything that could not be easily found on the island.

I believe our participants were grateful for the fact everything we did could be replicated in their individual settings for little to no cost. For the most part our delivery of the workshop encountered no cultural barriers, although some phrases and concepts were explained until we found the local term. I think the most fun was explaining what it meant for a "problem to snowball". As Liz said this I saw puzzled looks on their faces. It reminded me to really think about what I was saying. They understood the concept but clearly were not going to refer to a problem as snowballing.

I came away from the first day of the workshop eager for the second day and even more ready to get out on the island and visit the clinics and hospitals where these incredibly patient, caring, and underappreciated individuals work.

St. Lucia Monday January 12, 2009 - Monica Walter

2009-01-28T00:27:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning a little nervous. It was our first full day in St. Lucia and I wasn't sure what to expect. Adding to my nervousness was the news that our first stop was a press conference at the Ministry of Health. Despite all of my worries it went very smoothly. Afterward we met the Minister of Health, a very impressive and friendly man who warmly welcomed us to St. Lucia.

The next stop of the morning was the mental health hospital, Golden Hope. We met the team of professionals, which included psychiatrists, nurses, and occupational therapy staff. It was inspiring to meet the team and see firsthand their enthusiasm for the mental health reform. After the meeting we were given a tour of the hospital and facilities. It was eye opening to witness and experience the health services offered in a foreign country.

We spent the rest of the afternoon prepping for our workshop the following day. We worked as a team assembling packets and organizing activities. Throughout the afternoon we gave each other pep talks as we were a little scared about presenting.

We took a break and decided to try a local restaurant for dinner. It was a fun experience as we sampled different seafood dishes and wished Erica a happy birthday.

St. Lucia Day 1 January 11, 2009

2009-01-27T16:04:00.000-06:00

We left this morning very early from Kansas City for our journey to St. Lucia. Our flights went very well and we were blessed to arrive without any trouble. Our group and all the honeymooners we shared the flight with breezed through passport control. Our Ministry of Health host was waiting eagerly for us with Megan Hawks, our Kansas City St. Lucian. The drive from the southern tip of the island to the northwest part of the island was a good introduction to the beauty of St. Lucia as well as its curvy, "drive on the left side" roads. The island looks a bit like the one used in the movie Jurassic Park. You can almost imagine a dinosaur head appearing over the jungle foliage at any moment.

The Ministry of Health arranged for us to stay in several apartments for the duration of our visit. The group split between a small apartment complex and an apartment inside a personal home. All the accommodations were very nice and extremely generous. We were close to each other and proximal to grocery stores, restaurants, and a very nice coffee shop. Our hosts had homemade chicken soup waiting for us when we arrived. It was nice to not have to forage for food after a long day traveling. We knew tomorrow would be a long day finalizing preparations for the workshop and meeting the Ministry of Health staff so we called it a night fairly early.

West Indies Bound

2009-01-27T15:54:00.001-06:00

An exciting new opportunity is being undertaken by the Rockhurst OT program. We are partnering with the Ministry of Health in St. Lucia to assist the Mental Health division advance occupational therapy services. St. Lucia is a small island nation in the Caribbean and is in the midst of mental health reform. Our initial visit will be January 11-18th. The Rockhurst group will include one OT faculty member, one OT from Kansas City, and five first year students. Leading the group is Megan Hawks, an occupational therapist from Kansas City who served in St. Lucia for two years with the peace corps. Megan has been instrumental in establishing the relationship between St. Lucia and Rockhurst.

Ecuador 2008

2009-01-27T15:33:00.000-06:00

In August of 2008 eight Rockhurst occupational therapy students, five Rockhurst physical therapy students, one physical therapy faculty member, and two occupational therapy faculty traveled to Guayaquil, Ecuador.

This was our second year partnering with the Damien House to provide services to individuals with leprosy. For the occupational therapy (OT) students this trip served as a Level I fieldwork experience. Together with the OT faculty, the students were able to provide occupational therapy assessment and intervention to the long-term residents of the Damien House as well as large number of their outpatient clients.

The trip was enormously successful especially in helping the OT students clarify their professional identities and personal abilities. For more information about the Damien House can be found at www.thedamienhouse.org They can use all our support!