RSCC Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

I hope I'm not the only one freaking out about job hunting in the future. I found this article that will help prepare us for job interviews with some sample questions. It is always good to be prepared.

This post comes from the same OT based blog from my last diigo posting, but with all of this resume/cover letter/job talk and coming up in the very near future, I wanted to share this post as well! It is very helpful. It goes into types of questions we may encounter in a job interview and how you should go about answering them! Very helpful info to add to our portfolio of info!

I don't know if anyone follows blogs, but I came across this and wanted to share! I have found blogs to be very helpful and this one especially because this particular post on this blog refers to other blogs that have all kinds of good info pertaining to OT. If you have time save it or check it out! Blogs are awesome! ;)

I don't know about the rest of you but I have trouble coming up with fun and purposeful activities for older adults. I came across this webpage that has ideas on activities for dressing, activities for cancer patients, arthritis patients, stroke victims, and more. Some of the "toolkit" you have to pay for but a lot of the handouts for home exercises are free and fairly simply to understand. I feel like there is something for almost every topic we have talked about his semester.

I am finding myself more interested in cardiopulmonary care as my grandma was in the hospital over 5 weeks and received NO occupational therapy. I think it would be beneficial to spread awareness that this is in fact within our scope of practice. This is a brief description of how OT can be involved as part of a treatment team within a hospital. It is just one example of how and who all is involved in care of cardiac/lung patients at a hospital.

I know this says it is or physical therapy, but a few of these activities could definitely work for OT. Especially "finger twister", it would help ROM so much. There are other activities for fine motor skills as well.

This shows you how to make a sensory book. Each page has a different texture. This could be used in so many ways, whether sensory seeking or sensory avoiding. If needed you could even add pictures that fit each page.

I'm not sure what population would benefit most from this, maybe children with fine motor problems? It is a faster way to tie your shoes, with less steps.

I admit I found this on Pintrest, but I love this idea. If the child is advanced, they could even help put the maze together. The raised edges are a better cue than just drawn lines as well.

I've heard a lot about the OT tool box, but this mom has made her own tool kit with over 50 items. They are all meant for children, but some can be used for adults. Bonus, a lot of this stuff can be made at home or bought for cheap at Walmart.

The title explains it pretty well, but it has been a while since we went over strokes. This article gives you a few tips to help stroke victims gain ROM.

Parents are known to ask a lot of questions about their children. This one I wouldn't be able to answer until I read this article. This wil tell ou when it is a problem and how parents or therapists can address it.

Nobody wants to focus on handwriting. hand strength is a common problem in OT pediatrics so here are some ways to make it fun. It can be done in therapy or shared with parents for fun at home. They are also organized into categories.

Lots of people have a workout schedule, but this article has a nice daily schedule for people with autism. With this schedule they will get to work on something different every day with breaks added in.

This is another video about the firefighter that I just posted. It is pretty similar but I like this one better because it is a little more detailed and you get to hear from the burn survivor. It also lets you know how he is recovering.

While browsing through Facebook, this video popped up on my newsfeed. We talked a lot about the emotional side effects of burns and the long process of skin transplants. This firefighter was given a new face with functional eyelids. How incredible that surgeons were able to do this for him. It makes me optimistic for future burn victims.

We all need balance - and we will really need it next semester! This has some good perspective.

This is from the AOTA website, about sleep. It says sleep deprivation is a public health crisis. Don't we know it! Maybe we should evaluate each other's sleep habits and make therapeutic recommendations for ourselves!

This is a study about how OT students stress and cope with it. Guess what the biggest stressor is? Exams :). But apparently we have good, constructive coping skills!

My friend's little girl was in Erlanger last week and got to visit with a therapy dog. She loved it! (She wasn't there because of cancer and is doing good now) This page talks about the pet program at Erlanger and gives information on how to join.

I know we don't get a lot of free time as students, but when I have free time I like to relax with a good movie. The AOTA made a list of 14 movies that have OT applications. Pretty cool way to relax, and incorporate what we are learning in class.