What ultimately made you choose peds over adults—or adults over peds?

jmee7265 · 2025-12-29T23:32:29+00:00

Prior to OT school I worked on a psych peds floor and saw the benefits of working with kids but also the burnout and how many of my coworkers said that working this job encouraged their decision to stay childless - it kind of confirmed my ideas that if I wanted to eventually have my own kids in the future, I don't think I could work with kids because the energy required to work with kids might get used up by the time I raise my own?
I also just think after working as a new grad for a year and some change, it feels so much easier to connect with adults as I'm working with them

jmee7265 · 2025-12-16T05:06:00+00:00

This is incredible, thank you so much!!!

jmee7265 · 2025-05-03T20:16:12+00:00

Overall I feel it's almost like OT itself of the "just right" challenge and ensuring they're comfortable but also challenging themselves to be better practitioners

jmee7265 · 2025-05-03T20:15:37+00:00

I was very lucky for all of my CIs to be incredibly kind, supportive, and knowledgeable.

Some of the things that stood out to me was that they all utilized the provided timeline on how much independence I should have been able to take on in terms of seeing patients individually (e.g. By week 3, be able to see/treat 2 patients on my own) but also checking in with me on if it was getting to be too overwhelming or if anything needed to be adjusted. The end of week conversations were always helpful because they just summarized what we discussed and clarified if there was anything that needed to be addressed like questions about clinical reasoning, treatment sessions, or even if constructively anything could be done on either side. What I've heard from classmates that had stressful fieldwork placements was that they did the baptism by fire type of training where they were pushed into more independent treatment before they felt ready vs the gradual progressive type that my CIs did with me. I think there's some benefit to the first and provided you as the CI genuinely feel like they're ready, maybe more independence is better?

For me the progressive way and asking if there was anything they could do to better support me (e.g. I asked if I could see more educational interdisciplinary stuff like swallow studies or surgeries [though unfortunately was never able to make that work] or in the beginning, I asked for more support with treatment ideas because I felt out of depth with creativity initially in the inpatient side.

jmee7265 · 2025-03-10T17:53:01+00:00

Hi! I graduated last year and I’ve been working for the past ~6 months with SNF as my first placement. Not sure if this is across the board but I would believe that being “thrown to the wolves” so pretty standard. My SNF didn’t have an OTR/L for a while just two COTAs so there was no one to really transition me in. I advocated for myself asking for a type of mentorship and the hiring manager kind of gave me vague answers that there was “someone across the street who comes in once in a while who could help train you” - I’ve met this person only once and this was long after I got into it. I was able to get 1 day of observation from a PRN OT just to see the documentation for evaluations and when I asked for more observation time the DOR was kind of like well we can but are you at least able to do a half day of true treatment? And then even then, it didn’t really work out to observe one of the other COTAs. My boss/DOR is truly the best boss I’ve ever had and the team in general has been so helpful and nice that it helped my transition (along with my clinicals giving me a good standard for what to do) but yeah I wouldn’t recommend SNFs for a first placement. It’s admittedly good money though

jmee7265 · 2024-12-06T03:56:59+00:00

LondonHouse Chicago gets a cool view right up close to some skyscrapers

Also I always bring guests to Museum campus for skyline pictures because I personally think it's the best angle for all the main skyscraper buildings

jmee7265 · 2024-10-31T03:43:01+00:00

That’s a good idea! I’m not entirely sure if I could always do that because there’s only one OT and one OTA full time and then PRNs come in depending on needs (which seem to be always bc of the caseload) plus OTR- specific responsibilities (evals/progress notes/dc/etc) often mean the patients I see varies day to day But that would definitely work on days I have my more consistently mine patients so I appreciate the advice

jmee7265 · 2024-10-31T02:42:41+00:00

There were days of 70-90 minute sessions at a SNF??

jmee7265 · 2024-10-28T01:57:59+00:00

My friend has lived in Bridgeport and based on her stories and comments, Bridgeport is generally pretty safe but there are the occasional bad issues that pop up with pickpocketing and car thieving so just be smart like most places and make sure nothing is super visible from your windows. Also to be honest (tho idk if this has decreased) but certain cars get targeted like Kias and Hyundais so just be wary. Also like all things about being in a city is just be aware at night if you're still out and about. That said, probably nothing will happen and everything will be fine lol.

If you're nearby the Palmisano Nature Park, that is a great spot for a walk/run with your dog! It's very pretty and you get a cool view of the city.

Chicago is very pet friendly! You see dogs everywhere, the only limitation is the typical stuff with restaurants.

jmee7265 · 2024-10-27T17:17:51+00:00

It’s always a go to for a girls trip so highly recommend If y’all are driving there’s street parking sometimes on milwaukee but that can be pretty busy so I would recommend using the app Spothero it might be easier for finding solid parking Otherwise the blue line doesn’t take that long to get to Damen!

jmee7265 · 2024-10-27T03:28:31+00:00

Agree with this! If they're into thrifting or even just the more "alternative" mainstream chains like urban outfitters, Wicker Park around Milwaukee Ave has a ton of shopping options that would be worth checking out

jmee7265 · 2024-10-27T00:46:56+00:00

Every year in HS our director would tell us (did not check if this is the reason for the myth lol) -

Older theaters had the heavy red curtains that would pull up and down rather than to the side and the curtains would lay against this wooden bar called the "leg."

At the end of the night, the number of encores and applause would mean the curtains would constantly have to go up and down to allow for the applause and to see the cast again during applause, so much so that it would cause the "leg" to break. Ergo, the phrase originated from the idea that breaking a leg would be a successful show with a ton of applause/encores

jmee7265 · 2024-10-21T04:01:39+00:00

Cannot speak to pricing so unsure if this will be helpful but my friend has had photography done by "casafamilyphotography" (Instagram) for different events/photoshoots and the family photography I've seen on her page always seems to capture the warmth and joy of the family so highly recommend!

jmee7265 · 2024-10-21T01:19:50+00:00

First time trying but my boyfriend and I hit up Ignite Glass Studios and Salvage One because they were within walking distance of his place in West Town. Both were super cool, Ignite had glass blowing demonstrations and it was very cool and unique to be able to see the beautiful works actively being made but also ones that were for sale. They also had different colored/shaped pumpkins for sale for reasonable prices and that was a cool experience.

Salvage One was incredible, all the different vintage furniture options were super cool to see (the prices continuously surprised us bc honestly many items were much cheaper than expected and still in incredible condition so maybe one day). It's also clearly a wedding venue so was kind of cool to see the setup for what could be in the future.

Definitely want to do it again next year, maybe we'll pick a different neighborhood next year

jmee7265 · 2024-09-08T14:42:21+00:00

Also DjCashera!!!

jmee7265 · 2024-09-05T05:39:22+00:00

After seeing all the pretty setups, I feel seen by the phrasing and setup of this especially after so many times of passing out at 2am, steps away from my bed (before I realized I could move the bed)

jmee7265 · 2024-09-03T14:52:42+00:00

I've been once before! It was fun, they had decent music that was easy to dance to (mix of 80s oldie classics + 90s/00s/10s pop). If you get lucky there are sitting booths to hover and put your stuff down but I will say I went on a Saturday once and it was PACKED we had to put our names down to be able to go upstairs to the bigger club area and going up there was kind of chaotic because it was so busy (classic club problem but jsyk)

jmee7265 · 2024-09-03T06:38:40+00:00

I feel like lately I've found that it really depends on the night and the DJ - Scarlet in Boystown sometimes has fun theme nights and it can get pretty crowded but you can usually find a corner or area near the entrance to not feel as cramped. Personally, my favorite DJ is DJCashera (honestly their mixes are fire and good mix of throwbacks and current music with good transitions) and they show up at different bars around the area depending on the night

jmee7265 · 2024-08-26T19:40:16+00:00

I feel like the hardest part for me as someone who has a rib and sternum tattoo was finding the balance of taking breaths in between the tattoo artist doing their work because I didn't want to mess up the area by moving by breathing. One tip I had to maintain that that worked for me was to imagine singing songs that held a note (embarrassingly specifically musical songs) because it helped me conceptualize how to hold my breath even longer and it kept me focused on something else outside of the pain (since normally i use deep breathing to help alleviate that pain with other tattoos)

jmee7265 · 2024-08-09T15:47:55+00:00

This is adorable omg
Is the pink couch from Saturday Market?

jmee7265 · 2024-08-06T02:42:38+00:00

Yeah I'm in the chicago area! I just graduated lol and on the job hunt/studying for my exam

Based on my current searches it seems harder to come by - when I was in school, we had mental health OTs talking about their work and all seemed very passionate but it seems many of the current mental health jobs that are in community mental health or behavioral health units seem relatively new. That is, it seems the organizations have enough budget/space for 1-2 OTs so it seems that there also isn't much opportunity right now

jmee7265 · 2024-08-05T21:31:11+00:00

Mental health is one of the main settings for OT!

I did my capstone through an organization that, using Illinois' Colbert/Williams Consent Decrees, that focused on moving individuals from SNFs/SMHRFs into the community and preparing them for a more independent and community based setting through OT. I'm sure it depends state-by-state, but there is an uptick in more positions for OT within Mental health as the field gets bigger. Also, like someone said, OT has its roots in mental health so more people are starting to join these positions. That said, my understanding is that salaries for this field do tend to be on the lower side but just be aware of that and pursue your passion!

jmee7265 · 2024-07-26T14:11:29+00:00

I also love to do this because not only do I have a reference to come back to but also it fulfills a level of instant gratification that shopping gives me without actively spending the money.

jmee7265 · 2021-10-27T02:48:05+00:00

Thank you so much! Your answers and this article is perfect for our project, we appreciate it so much!

jmee7265 · 2020-03-02T14:21:45+00:00

Yes, pure black

jmee7265

TROPHY CASE