Fieldwork Level 1: Peds

This past week I did my Level 1 fieldwork. In the MOT course curriculum you are required to have a 'rounded' experience to give you the most exposure in different OT settings.


Here is a story from the week: A boy was doing an evaluation and he would randomly fart but stayed somewhat focused on his work. The evaluation was testing his executive functioning as well as several other areas in one evaluation. After completing most of the paperwork he had to do a gross motor evaluation which included balancing, dribbling, and jumping. He continued farting and then said "I guess I just have some of them broccoli farts again." Definitely the funniest moment of the week.

When I started the program I wasn't sure what area I really wanted to work in so I chose to have a peds (kids) and a geriatric (older adults) fieldwork for a week a piece. I have completed my geriatric fieldwork after my second semester and this past week I completed my week with peds. Children's therapy group is a sensory integration nonprofit organization located in Overland Park, KS. There are some OT's, PT's and SLP's that work here. All of the staff was very knowledgeable and helped me learn more about sensory integration, home health, iLs with headphones, and OT with pediatrics. This site was interesting because it was a non-profit and worked with the clients to get them coverage. Since some insurances are particular about different treatments- it is good to know that this nonprofit is focusing more on the therapy and the kids getting therapy instead of neglecting clients due to financial problems.


For Rockhurst students- you will need a rounded rotation and I enjoyed my time here at CTG. The staff was all helpful, willing to teach, and approachable.

For more information on sensory integration or on children's therapy group check out their website http://www.childrenstherapygroup.org/. They are working on vamping up the website but it is packed with information.

OTS thoughts: Sensory integration is interesting because most kids have a 'normal' functioning Central Nervous System and for some kids the sensory input can be too much or too little. This imbalance in sensory can make the children act out, shut down, or manifest itself in different behaviors. In the lab they talked about some of the kids 'internal motor' to acknowledge what the child is feeling and educate them on how to react when this is happening. Also at this site you saw OT at work because they took the therapy session and made it pertinent to the children (ie baseball sports teams, or sports they played daily). The kids helped pick out what to do in the therapy session by picking out puzzles versus light bright or what tasks should be in the obstacle course. I enjoyed my time with peds and think that working with kids would be an interesting route to pursue.

Wrapping up the semester

As the semester starts drawing to an end I appreciate the fact that mother nature has sprung with new life and I have made it through another semester. The OT class is getting ready to go on our next Level I fieldwork after finishing up some final projects and I am excited for summer to start appearing more and more. It has been an interesting semester and like the seasons - my attitude has changed over the semester.





When the stress was high and it was cold outside the end of the semester looked out of sight. Now that we are in finals week with our Fieldwork next week, I can see new life and we have some nice weather (every couple of days). The pictures (left) are of the St. Ignatius statue outside of the library. Since I spent much of my time on campus stopping into the library to study- I walk by this new statue daily. It has stayed the same while everything around it has changed.

As this semester wraps up I will continue to put thoughts on the blog. If you had ideas on how to improve it or subjects that an OTS should cover I welcome the opportunity. Enjoy the rest of spring and get excited for summer as it quickly approaches.

Winter 2011












Spring 2011

Arbor Day- early and Happy Easter

Every Easter I find myself going back to visit my parents 13 acres and planting something new or rearranging the acreage in a different way. Several years back my parents had bought some small evergreens that were not so 'ever green' anymore since they were not put into the ground.  Since their future looked so bleak, on Easter Sunday I said "Lord, if these are supposed to live and grow- I will put them into your hands." I put them in the ground and 8 of the 9 are still thriving pretty well today. 

 This year my brother and I, or as my mother referred to us on this day, Ding and Wing- took to the yard with a 4 foot Silver Maple tree, a sledge hammer and some stakes to help brace the young tree.  Since Arbor Day is coming up on the 29th I have deemed this our ARBOR DAY TREE.  My brother usually doesn't participate in my shenanigans of the outdoors, but today he helped me by holding the stakes etc.  Since he did come out of his element to help, I let him use the sledge hammer to hammer in the stakes while I held them.  This image of my brother and I hitting the stakes into the ground with the other one holding the stake wave predestined for injury (hence the name Ding and Wing.)  My mom and sister had the cameras rolling for a rare chance that he would miss and we could win thousands on America's Funniest Home Video, but fortunately (or unfortunately) no accidents occurred.  The picture to the left is me punching in the last stake. I hope everyone had a good Easter and on the 29th- good luck on planting a tree to celebrate Arbor Day.

OTS thoughts:  My thoughts on this entry are how the spiritual, social, and daily activities help give balance to my life.  An OT takes all of these holistic factors into account when working with patients to make their interest inventory and help guide their treatment.  My family, my faith, and the opportunities to work outside are really a blessing to me.  I feel more fulfilled in meeting my purpose on this earth by being able to  get out of the house, play in the dirt,  and enjoy nature in the countryside.  These activities give meaning to my life and as an OT I will keep these in mind when working with clients, especially those that enjoy nature and hard work outdoors like I do.

Spring is in the air

There is something to be said about spring. New life is around you- flowers are starting to bloom, the sun sticks around for a bit longer and the weather (although windy lately) is more tolerable than a cold day. Rockhurst is buzzing with potential new students getting campus tours, OT is talking about finals and projects, and we are gearing up for fieldworks and a small break before summer Neuro. There are many tulips on the street to the west of Rockhurst's campus that help coin the term Tulips on Troost and Rockhurst has some sharp red tulips all across campus. They look nice and are a welcoming sign of nicer weather and a rejuventation in preparation for summer. Here is a recent picture that I took of Rockhurst's campus.

OTS thoughts:
Get out and enjoy the nice weather- If you are in a part of the country that has it today. Be thankful that spring is upon us and start working out- summer is right around the corner.

Bachelor Party- KC to Chicago, IL

In this edition of the blog I will be posting about a recent trip to Chicago, IL for opening weekend of the Cubs game as well as my bachelor party. I will discuss my thoughts on the train system (Amtrak) and public transit in Chicago. The picture (right) is the crew that was around after the ball game.

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Overall- the weekend was a lot of fun. The blackhawks won, the cubs won (the game we went to) and the bulls won.  We traveled via public transit and got a pretty nice deal on a hotel.   Thanks to my co-best man and brother Will Cuffe for hosting and getting it all together as well as all of the guys that came out.  Also a big thank you to my future brother's-in-law and father-in-law for being part of the day and getting to a cubs game with me.

TRAIN TRAVEL: 

KC to CHI

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AMTRAK- The train experience overall was DECENT.  

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PARKING: Union Station (KC,MO) is $10/day.  

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TRAVEL: On the train we didn't have any problems with other people on the train.  One suggestion that I would say is that if you are traveling for a long time bring something to do and some bedding to make your seat more comfortable.  

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Baggage: You can check your baggage or choose to keep it with you.  The nice part is that you can get up a

nd moving on the train- but the downside to that is the sometimes frequent stops which leave an opportunity for a traveler to grab your bag and walk off the train. (Picture to the right is after the game and singing 'GO CUBS GO')

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SECURITY:  As we chatted with some people on the train they commented how several people had been arrested since California at different stops, since AMTRAK is connected with the feds.  Security was pretty minimal which was nice- there were police and other checks points but mostly we walked right on without having to remove our shoes and belts and walk through a metal detector. 

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 TICKETS: Book at least 21 days out.  We fell right under the 21 days and the trip from KC to CHICAGO jumped from $61 each way to $96... this college kid was not too happy about that, but it was my mistake.

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 TRAVEL SAAVY: Always Google PROMOTION CODES for AMTRAK (or any other place of business) and see if others have posted any coupons or travel codes.

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STUDENT ADVANTAGE CARD- it helps if you are a student to purchase this depending on the length of your trip. I saved 15% on the trip each way.  The card cost twenty bucks but one trip evens your money and two trips saves you money.  If you are thinking of purchasing one- use me as a referral and it will help me with future travel. (Click here  http://sa.tellapal.com/a/clk/CRZYJ)

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Chicago Public transportation- I do not take much public transit and I am sure that most of the time it would be fine but I have heard those horror stories.  We talked with a homeless man on the train and he said that he was pistol whipped the day before and all he had on him was $3. Also, I got to talk to Sherron Collins on the phone via his friend that was on the train.  My buddy was wearing a JAYHAWKS t-shirt and Sherron's friend said "Rock Chalk" and told us what Sherron has been up to.  I got on the phone and talked with him and he said about how he is going to try-out in Vegas and has just been training to stay in shape.  Overall the experience on the train was good and we had a good sized group which helps.  The 3 day pass was worth it since we traveled everywhere by train.

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OTS Thoughts:  Balance was not part of the weekend as one would expect with a train trip to chicago with a group of guys.  Sleep was hindered on the trip and diet was not a high priority either.  We participated in leisure activities of hitting up the baseball game and socialization with the group of guys and really just took a weekend to relax and have a good guys trip in chicago.  My tips- research well, bring something to do and eat, stay hydrated, and have fun.

Spring Service Learning

This blog I chose to talk about our 'service learning' for our fieldwork class. There were several sites selected for the class to choose from and I chose to volunteer with Hippotherapy at Midnight Farms (outside Baldwin KS). I have volunteered with another Hippotherapy group in the KC area named HORSE (Helping Others Rehabilitate from Service Equine)- I Google'd it again to see if they were still operating and did not come across their group. The trek out to Midnight farms is a bit of a drive from KC (especially with the gas price fluctuations) but the experience and volunteering is worth the drive.

What is Hippotherapy?
Hippotherapy is not therapy with Hippos as it you might believe after breaking the word down. The word "hippos" in Greek actually means 'Horse' so it naturally termed 'horse therapy'.

Why did I chose Hippotherapy for service learning?
There are a couple reasons for why I chose this service learning site. First off, I am in awe of the power of the Horse and of the therapy process between the rider and the horse. The effect of hippotherapy is powerful in treatment as well. There are physiology studies of the rhythm of the horse that help with the physical healing through using the horse and then there are the social skills and ADL*'s that kids learn through working with the horse that is not always possible in different setting. These two factors alone intrigue me to learn more about the how and why such therapy is so powerful for the participants.

*ADL- Activity of Daily Living

VIDEOS: Here are some youtube videos of hippotherapy
3 min video- double amputee little girl that was never supposed to walk again and is taking steps

2 min video on soldier that lost her left leg when her humvee ran over an IEP


OTS THOUGHTS:
Since I volunteered prior to entering the program and now am volunteering again within the same role (a sidewalker) I have made it a priority to grow professionally through this experience. OT's help with building adaptive equipment and working on ADL's that include your basic living skills ie brush your teeth, comb your hair, get dressed as well as IADL's that include things like housework, meal preparation, and caring for pets. Hippotherapy has challenged me to think of adaptive equipment that would help the rider as well as think of reasons why animal (including horse) therapy is beneficial to the patient. Whether the participant has a physical or mental disability, the interaction between the horse and the participant creates a bond that is different between two humans. The bond is also different between a dog (for instance) and a human since you are physically riding the horse and relying on him not to buck you off through the therapy process. The therapeutic effect of therapy helps increase the participants ADL's, IADL's and social skills by interacting with another human as well as an animal to seek an end result or to take care of the animal.

CLO seems to be short on volunteers (as many not-for-profits are). If you would like more information on Hippotherapy visit the American Equestrian Alliance at http://www.americanequestrian.com/hippotherapy.htm or youtube it. For more information on volunteering with CLO and Hippotherapy at the Farm check out their website at http://www.clokansas.org/

School

Well as you have seen from my lack of posts that school, capstone project planning, wedding planning, and life have all filled my planner pretty full. I have just received the 1-minute AOTA update which gives OT's (and OTA's) and students some insight into what is going on with AOTA, politics, and new/best practices. I will read through it and type up some thoughts/ ideas from what I received. The one minute update is for AOTA members and I would highly recommend signing up for it (especially if you are busy like myself but want to stay in the loop of what is going on with OT as a profession.)

We defended our proposal to continue research in St. Lucia over spring break (and some of the researchers are collecting data right now.) The process of doing research has been interesting and complex at times. My group is doing amazing work and it will be interesting to see what data comes back from St. Lucia.

Our research group successfully navigated through an IRB proposal which is part of the research project to get approved to do research. I feel as though we presented to information clearly and as a group, we handled the questions that the review board had to ask.

This week I am in Pascagoula, MS for a baptism and although I would enjoy some time on the beach I have been studying in the hotel room for our upcoming tests and quizzes.

More pictures to come. Thanks for reading. Sorry for the long time between posts.

OT thoughts: Research is one area of OT that has had mixed reviews in talking with my classmates, but going through the process makes you appreciate what our profession is working on to create best practices. I have grown quite a bit since entering the program and have grown through the process of doing research.

Earlier this week I attended a support group for TBI - traumatic brain injury, as part of an assignment. The set up was interesting and I took some notes from some of the individuals on what they hoped to receive from their doctor and other practitioners.

We have been talking about the Denver assessment that we will be performing over the next several weeks. It will be interesting to see a child assessment in action.

-John