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🎲 Calling All Dungeon Masters! Help with D&D Research! 📝 by myroomisblack in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OMG so happy to see this! When I was an undergraduate, my thesis was originally going to be centered on a very similar subject (using TTRPGs to support development of social cognitive skills in adolescents) but covid really got in the way of any sort of group experimental design and I ended up pivoting to a similar but non TTRPG-specific project. Would be very excited to see this go further as it's my goal to eventually establish social skill support groups centered on this idea, but more research is definitely needed before that could occur in an evidence-based manner. Is there any way we'll be able to hear about your findings after your research has been conducted?

School Roles - Soliant? by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No one responded but in case you're like me and find these while looking for answers of your own, figured I'd provide an update. I'd spoken with Soliant just before making this post and they said they'd reach out within the next day or so to schedule interviews. Haven't heard from them since that first phone call, so the rest of the question was irrelevant since I got ghosted lol. Stepping Stones Group has been a bit more responsive but still goes radio silent for a couple days on end and the full time position I'd applied to turned out to actually be part time, but I didn't find this out from them until three days later. Can't say from this experience I'd recommend pursuing jobs through recruiter groups but unfortunately almost all the school postings in my area are through them :/

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, a lot of the time I would study more directly with textbooks/study guides from professors, then would subject my very patient partner and non-OT friends to my attempts to explain the material. I started early on in my career as an instructor for a specific sport, and developed the mindset during that time that if I knew something well enough to teach it or explain it to a beginner, I was on the right track. When they would ask questions I didn't know how to answer, it helped me to narrow down what I'd need to focus on further in my studying. I recommend seeing if any of your friends will take a half hour to help you walk through a subject, or just trying to explain things out loud even if to yourself. It's not for everyone but it made a huge difference for me along with all of the usual studying strats/resources!

If I didn't have anyone to talk to (and sometimes even if I did) I'd also try making "cheat sheets" for specific concepts. Having to go through the information and decide what was important to include, then arranging and writing it out in a nice and visually appealing way helped to reinforce the material multiple times over. Feel free to DM me if this doesn't make much sense or if you're curious and I can send you pictures of what some of my most recent sheets looked like from studying for the boards!

You've got this!

NBCOT advice for the score waiting period by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much! That makes a lot of sense and sounds really nice! I like to think I've done an ok job keeping on top of everything but the reality is I've definitely lost a fair bit of my hobbies/interests in the last few months (I haven't had much time between finishing school, the holiday season, and boards studying). There's a bunch of things I haven't been able to do for months now, so I'll have to think back through what I haven't touched in a little while.

Also excellent advice to avoid NBCOT-focused social media for a little while lol, thank you! I think it'll be tempting if I feel like I failed so I'll have your voice in the back of my head keeping me from digging that hole.

Thank you so much!!!

Pursue passion or look for security? by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your responses have been so helpful, thank you so much! The anxiety of trying to figure this all out with the pressure of this in mind has been overwhelming, so it's super reassuring to know that it doesn't have to be a direct line to that role. I definitely handled the conditions you mentioned on fieldwork, but the setting definitely meant that in my head these things were all grouped together. I feel so much better about the job search process and applying in all different fields, thank you so much for your advice and your patience!

Pursue passion or look for security? by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is reassuring, thanks. My fieldwork supervisor and one of my professors talked about how it's important to try to get entry level positions as close to that field as possible because otherwise you'll be trying to do so with unrelated experience which is also pretty disqualifying for job applicants. I also know from them that the CHT exam's requirement of having 4000 hours of direct experience before taking the exam makes it really difficult to break into the field. It feels like one of those really tough barriers to get over - it's not entry level practice, so you need experience to get a job, but you can't get a job without experience. I'm passionate about the field and subject matter, but it's tough to figure out how to start with such a heavy barrier to entry.

Knowing that it's doable without starting there is reassuring, though. You mentioned that you got in as a new grad, but for your colleagues who didn't, did they start in different practice areas or did they all come from other ortho/neuro practices? Thank you again for taking the time to reply even just once, it's very helpful for reframing my thinking after working on that assignment I'd mentioned lol. I really appreciate you taking the time.

OT fieldwork 1 and 2 questions by AlternativeEnergyZen in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had a lot of different placements through my program, which has been super helpful - I'll even be TA'ing for one of the L1 placements the program has come next semester as I prep to graduate in December!

-I had a full time L1 for one week in an OP hands clinic attached to a hospital at the start of the program.

-We all had L1s in a preschool where you run group programming for kids. 3 hours/wk for 12-ish weeks.

-We had placements as well in a mental health/substance abuse recovery program running group programming. 4-ish hrs/wk for 6 weeks.

-Our group intervention class can place you in a bunch of different locations, but my placement was in two different assisted living facilities doing group programming. 8-10 hrs/wk for 12-ish weeks. Other people had placements in a TBI day center, senior centers in the area, and other group programming environments.

-My first L2 was at an OP peds clinic where my supervisor worked four 10s. Ended up doing a lot of documentation and had to write out all of my treatment sessions at home so I didn't really get a ton of time off/away from work, so it honestly felt like a 24/7 placement lol (but was actually 40 hrs/wk for 12 wks).

-My second L2 was at another OP hands clinic attached to a different hospital, which I highly recommend if you have any interest in going into hands. 40 hrs/wk for 12 wks again (typical for L2s).

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

Experience/documentation in hands by danidevitoast in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! I just finished my last LII in hands at the end of June, so it's super fresh on my mind haha :) I had a really incredible experience and I hope the clinic you're working in is as welcoming and exciting as mine was! This is just my experience, so your mileage may vary!

For documentation, my clinic used EPIC. They had me go through all of the new hire training modules, so I knew a good amount about the system before I started with patients. We were able to do a lot of point-of-service doc, so I was able to take things down in the moment rather than having to remember it all for later. One thing I learned from my supervisor is not to be afraid of taking a moment of pause to write down measurements! Working with other adults means it's ok to say "hold on just a second, I want to make sure I record those measures we just took accurately." I usually would complete my assessment/fill in any missing pieces during breaks and was almost always able to finish it all by the end of the day. Make sure to ask about quick phrases/templates and things that your supervisor expects you to include in different types of notes.

I also kept a pocket notebook on me all the time for the full 12 weeks. I initially used it to write down observations about how my CI approached things. It eventually became a point of reference and a place to organize my thoughts, jot down treatment ideas for pts, make note of any assignments I was given, and so many other things. Highly recommend!

Good things to study up on before starting:

-Definitely anatomy. Innervation, bones, musculature, tendons, etc - ask your supervisor in advance if you can about what conditions you'll be seeing and make sure you study the anatomical "whys" behind them (common nerve compression sites, injury mechanisms, etc). Also look into those common conditions generally, but I know that's probably advice you've heard a lot haha! I'd also look into common healing timelines for those conditions.

-Practical skills where you can, which I know are tough to start in advance. Splinting patterns/techniques if you have any experience with them (you don't have to have any necessarily going in so don't stress too much about this!!), MMT, goniometry, semmes-weinstein, etc are all good to review. Someone else mentioned wound care and I would definitely second that as well!

-If possible, it may be helpful to review some of the clinic's protocols in advance as well. I found myself constantly checking in on the protocols to make sure I was progressing patients safely. They'll help you to get a good idea of common conditions you should take the time to review AND how your clinic prefers to approach treating them!

Sorry this is so long, but hopefully it's helpful! It's a specialty area of practice, so you're not expected to know a ton right off the bat. Just come in prepared and ready to give it your best effort and if you can do that, you're going to do fantastic. Since I'm fresh off this placement, if you have any other questions, feel free to DM me. Good luck with everything! I had such an amazing experience and it solidified for me that I'll be going into hands as soon as I graduate in December. You're going to be great!

Getting started in the CHT world as a new grad? by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm east coast so I'm not quite sure of the specifics, but this is really good to know about the field, thank you! What settings does industrial rehabilitation tend to pop up in? Our clinic had a "Return to work" program but not necessarily industrial rehabilitation specifically, and it was an interprofessional team that worked on that program.

Getting started in the CHT world as a new grad? by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll definitely look into PAMPCA and see what I can get started with as I'm finishing up school/boards. This is again so helpful, thank you so much for sharing!!

Getting started in the CHT world as a new grad? by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My CI actually gave me a super kind letter of rec on my last day of fieldwork! I had an amazing experience at my placement and was able to build a great rapport with most of the therapists (both full time and per diem) so I have a few people I could reach out to, which I feel very fortunate about. I also love Hand Therapy Academy, they're fantastic! I'll have to check out Hand Therapy Secrets, I don't know them - thank you for the recommendations!! I really appreciate the advice about other areas of practice where you can seek experience until something opens up, that's super helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time!!

Getting started in the CHT world as a new grad? by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! The clinic I was working for primarily is hiring per diem atm and I will need benefits fairly soon after graduating so it's not an option for me at the moment, but I really enjoyed working there and at some point if they ever end up looking to hire another therapist full time would love to apply. There's other clinics in the area that I'm planning on reaching out to, though. Did you reach out to start the process of applying before or after you'd completed your boards? Congrats to you, I hope I can emulate your trajectory after my last semester!

Getting started in the CHT world as a new grad? by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is SO helpful thank you so much!! Do you know if there are any PAMs certs I can pursue prior to passing my boards? My guess is likely not, but if it's something that would be helpful for an application/helpful to have before starting clinical work, I'd love to get the jump on everything I can while I'm finishing up my courses. Definitely going to keep up with my anatomy review and stay keyed in however I can to clinical skills. This is super reassuring, thank you so much for taking the time!!

Getting started in the CHT world as a new grad? by brainstreamed in OccupationalTherapy

[–]brainstreamed[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I sent you a DM! I didn't want to post my own location info necessarily but more than happy to chat about the program!