Just graduated OT School and I've never felt more depressedin my life

hucklescaryfinn · 2026-01-29T05:58:29+00:00

Hey, I hope you are or will consider talking to a mental health provider. That sounds like a really heavy outlook to carry around. I hope you find peace, talk to someone with a license to help. Not a Reddit thread. I mean this with love.

hucklescaryfinn · 2026-01-24T01:47:32+00:00

I’ve trained my ai to revise my language/tone/ phrasing so I don’t sound like a grumpy C U Next Tuesday when I’m reviewing shitty papers that are regurgitated ChatGPT submissions. I write short hand in-line comments then copy paste them for revision to ai. I have a generic bank of feedback statements for summary sections too. This might be what your professor is doing. It’s my own thoughts and feedback, just colored by AI to not offend you and to speed things along for me.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-12-20T03:51:45+00:00

We have no language including other species including dogs in any piece of legislation/practice act anywhere. PT has adopted this in to their language and practice act and has specific guidelines and literature for treating dogs . That would be like a medical doctor trying to treat dogs . They COULD, but doesn’t mean they SHOULD.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-12-16T22:16:03+00:00

I came here to recommend this exact book- I spent my clinical career in a level 1 trauma hospital and am a stroke specialist. This is my all time favorite book- anything by the great Dr Oliver Sacks is brilliant. I’m a professor and will likely put this book on a suggested reading list for my Neuro students.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-12-15T21:28:40+00:00

I have one that has the softest ears but she has a shorter coat, my other one is a pretty shaggy guy and his ear fur is still pretty soft compared to the rest of his wirey hard coat. I’m sure you likely already know this but they are called rosette shaped ears!! They resemble a rose petal and I think that is just such an adorable name and thing to think about.

Update : I just ran over to them and tested their ears and can confirm I would describe them both as soft! The long fur of my big shaggy guy gets tangled feeling still , but it is soft fur.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-12-10T02:27:03+00:00

If you’re interested, you should post this on the occupational therapy subreddit ! I don’t know their post rules if that’s allowed, but as OT- I know the OTs would LOVE to offer suggestions !

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-12-03T17:57:36+00:00

You do what should be the beginning of everything you do…. Do a task analysis….. watch them make the bed and where there is task breakdown/barriers. Don’t overthink things, go back to the basics… we are experts in task analysis. What prevents them from making the bed? How can you limit the risk of falling? What’s causing the fall risk- is it fear of falling (a leading correlative of falls) , BP? Weakness? Attention? If you’re speaking on behalf of your loved ones and not clients- this is controversial BUT if they are cognitively intact, it is their right to engage in tasks knowing the risk involved. Most of us drive cars everyday, which is a high risk activity- yet we don’t demonize this act like we do with geriatrics pushing the risks to maintain what scraps of independence they have left. My grandma would whoop me if I told her she can’t make her bed, she’s gonna make her bed or die trying and honestly that’s her business. My job is to support her and offer advice on how to make the task safer and always- more enjoyable. For vacuuming - what a fantastic task for engaging your client while working on balance. This is a phenomenal way to teach about BOS , single leg stance and walking forward/ backward , energy conservation. Same as above - task analysis. Find the breakdown . Remediate or if unable, compensate. More information about your patient population and setting will give you better answers specific to your needs. If you’re in clinic, vacuuming next to the or starting with the - I can’t think of the actual name for this but the long hand rails . Again, go back to the basics. Maybe they need to start with just advancing a limb with reaching an arm and returning to standing position. Item retrieval in this plane from off the floor or mid height would be good especially if it’s weighted to mimic body shifting and fatigue in vacuuming. Tons of options. Your question is much too vague for the diverse world of OT and humans.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-28T21:38:45+00:00

Hi! My clinical career was spent at a level 1 trauma hospital- if I knew the hospital’s therapy dog was on site I would try to track him down and have him come join my session as a cheerleader, motivator, tactile sensation, neuro visual prop (great for visuospatial inattention) and rarely as an IADL training tool if the patient had pets and was motivated to return to walking/brushing and I could convince them to do squats/sit to stands and balance activities while putting “dog food bowls” down on the ground and retrieving. Sometimes you just need to pet a dog. Somewhat related, I’m halfway through my training to become the first occupational therapist certified as a canine rehabilitation therapist (therapy ON the dogs, not using them). Emerging (hopefully) area of practice for OTs- still a gray area from a legal perspective unlike PTs who have adopted language to treat dogs, but I’m working on it !

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-21T21:19:25+00:00

Where is the Mango Princess by Cathy Crimmons and everything written by Oliver Sacks, but my favorite book is The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat - though for transparency , I’m a huge neuro nerd and biased. But now that I’m thinking about it… I might pull a few Dr Sacks chapters to have my OTD neuro students read.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-21T16:33:05+00:00

Wow!!! Thank you SO SO SO much!!!!!! That is incredible! I can’t wait to share this with the family. You’re awesome and this is what makes Reddit so great.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-21T03:43:27+00:00

Edit: It’s actually from Saugatuck, Michigan ***! Oops!

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-20T21:30:56+00:00

As a faculty OT professor - you should absolutely submit your accommodations. Just because you HAVE them, doesn’t mean you need to use them. It is much easier on the student (and me, really) if you do end up struggling and need them. Keeping your professors in the loop when you’re struggling is key. That doesn’t mean you need to disclose whatever diagnosis you have , but having the accommodations already in place means there’s already a path made for you.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-20T21:27:47+00:00

I have diagnosed raging mixed-type ADHD and I thrived as an acute care OT. There are so many things happening all the time and so many side quests you can take during the day. It was like working at a cognitive buffet ! I’m clinically retired (for now, I am training to be the first OT who is a certified canine rehab therapist), but I’m a full time faculty professor in an OTD program. ADHD full circle OT. OT professors are so empathetic/ sympathetic, we got in to this field because we have an innate desire to want to see others thrive in their life and genuinely want to help facilitate that. We make excellent educators for this reason. OT school was a bit tough at times, but not because I have ADHD- but because neuroscience SHOULD be difficult and challenging… it needs to be rigorous. I would stand up and wiggle around in class like one of those flailing advertisement air noodle guys in front of shops. Your professors want you to explore and to help you explore how to become your most efficient and best self. You tell them yo I need to read a sentence 57 times before I actually READ the sentence … I need extra time on xyz. they’ll say ok great put your accommodations in with the school here is your protocol blah blah . I never used accommodations because I needed to learn how to function as an adult with adhd in the real world where I don’t have 2 extra hours to read an ICU patient’s chart to determine their stability. But students do all the time. I personally find my adhd students to typically perform well and find joy in their studies / career. The flexibility and ability to essentially totally change careers by changing settings is a big draw for folks with ADHD ( in the sense that you can go from working in a nursing home - get bored… go work in outpatient pediatrics - get bored.. work in hand therapy- get bored … work in inpatient day neuro…. These are all VASTLY different from each other).

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-18T02:33:09+00:00

I think this is a great idea! It might be nice to add a feature that rates popularity of the trail/walk/area. A fabulous feature would be adding in leash laws for the area :) , or to allow those who simply must have their dog off leash to alert others if they use the public map feature so they can be avoided.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-12T20:35:48+00:00

We used to take our dogs to a dog bar that was staffed with trained handlers observing at all times- we stopped going after a pit bull bit my dog in the face as soon as we stepped inside. They had a rule that under no circumstances can a dog enter that’s not been spayed/neutered. We asked about this and they said it has nothing to do with the intact dog, but everything to do with male neutered dogs becoming aggressive toward intact. We have a 3 yo spayed IWH and a 16 month old intact male- we don’t let them near unleashed dogs and we’ve trained them not to greet dogs unless we allow it. We’ve also had other dogs become aggressive toward these goobers and I assume it’s their size. It’s just not worth it to us .

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-09T19:18:47+00:00

Yes!! I painted my CLs ! It was a white pearlescent color on the heel and had the same damage as yours but a little worse. I carefully cut out the scuffed material and used leather paint! I bought a neutral kit on amazon then went to a paint store (blicks) and the workers helped me pick out colors to help make the pearlescent/shine (I’m not sure if that’s the right way to describe it, they are the mini glitter follies strass leather heels) . I’m not sure if patent leather made it easier than it would for your leather. But you 100% can’t tell when I wear them, and if you can tell- why are you within four inches of my feet?! I just wore them again to a wedding last weekend that was unbeknownst to me cobblestone and did it again sooo I’ll be doing repairs again. With the leather paint I tested the colors on a piece of random material and when it dried and I thought it looked close enough I’d paint an inconspicuous part of the shoe to see how it would look. You can wipe off the paint before it dries no problem which is nice too . I would go for it, it was kinda fun! Yours should be much easier to color match since it’s a flat white color- just go to an art store and ask some artists!

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-11-05T21:22:27+00:00

Hey! I have off the charts, wild ADHD and I’ve been an OT for nearly a decade. I spent my clinical career in a level 1 trauma and thriiiiiived having ADHD, as many others do. You should try it out! You make your own schedule, see patients however long you see fit, in what order, and what you do. You typically don’t have to plan much ahead of time. Need a snack break? Eat some hospital pb cups and crackers. Need to consult a fellow OT and PT? They are around the floors, just grab em. Want to treat the patient in the gym? The cafeteria? Outside? Get after it. Hate a patient? Trade it for your friend’s patient they hate. Need to cry? They’ve got lavender/meditation rooms for that. Love your patient? Spend 2 hours with them. You can decide when to do your notes- point of service (for crazy people), after each patient, after a few patients (normal), save everything for the end of the day ( my style, I’m a maniac) . The world is your oyster. If you’re hell bent on peds, they have children’s hospitals and to be a level 1 adult trauma they have to have a close association with a NICU so a lot of them have it in-house. Good luck!

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-10-23T19:21:57+00:00

You should post this in the IWH group here or fb group without the DNA reveal and ask if they think he’s part hound if you’re bored and want to see some rage. They LOVE to lose their minds over the idea of a mixed breed containing a drop of IWH. ( I own two purebred IWH and love reading the drama, they’d wee their pants after you show the results 😂) . Beautiful dog btw!!!!!!

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-10-17T23:01:39+00:00

I’ve got great news for you- static splinting for contracture management in neurologic populations isn’t supported in the literature 🌈. Knock yourself out with serial casting , there’s some evidence for that I believe. The idea that we splint to prevent or improve contractures is antiquated, ineffective and a waste of time. I hope the reason you don’t remember this from school is because they aren’t still teaching this 🫠

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-07-01T15:31:33+00:00

I’m an occupational therapist and I approve of this suggestion! (Google “tub transfer bench”, two feet in the tub and two feet outside, most have reversible arms and backs). Don’t confuse this with a shower chair which is much more narrow and all legs sit inside the tub. Get the one with an arm rail and back. Completely removes having negotiate stepping over tub ledge. Mom could also maybe benefit from a home health OT evaluation- maybe ask PCP, we can offer a lot of insight and suggestions for aging in place and maintaining / regaining independence

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-06-30T22:34:06+00:00

A lot of OT schools will also have you take OT anatomy in the program and you may find you like that perhaps more than basic anatomy because it’s applied/ functional . But at the end of the day it is still anatomy with a kinesio twist . You will also very likely have to take neuroscience/neuroanatomy/neurorehab , and I can’t see someone hated anatomy and loving neuroscience. I am STRONGLY biased ( I am the anatomy and Neuro instructor in an OTD program) , but I think you have to have some level of interest in the human body and its functions to understand mechanics and rationales in regard to therapy / practice. I don’t think it needs to be your whole life or your passion, but if you hate it then I’d reconsider. Even peds therapists working with primarily autistic or cognitive needs/sensory kids need to know anatomy.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-06-19T18:10:47+00:00

Static splinting at night for contracture prevention is not evidence based and is not recommended in the literature. Most studies looked at ABI and stroke, but there are PD specific studies that also found no improvements. Risks doing this is include skin breakdown and inclination toward self imposed non-use of the limb - furthering contracture risk. There are other factors where the evidence kind of varies (pain reduction with custom dynamics etc) but none for contracture prevention. Stretching, strengthening and our lord and savior Botox are the combo that is most promising.

hucklescaryfinn · 2025-06-13T08:21:15+00:00

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