'Be the change you wish to see in the world.'

We Want Everyone in the Gym!

2012-01-26T18:57:00.000-06:00

So last year at this time I was working for an LTACH (Long Term Acute Care Hospital) in Texas. We went from small town Idaho where some of the older client's goals were just to be able to go home and chop their wood for their heat to a megaplex of over 8 million people. Let's just say it was a bit of an adjustment. :)

An LTACH is where someone would go between a hospital stay and a rehab stay. They may need rehab and often transfer to a rehab facility after, but are too medically fragile to get that much therapy. They stay varies, but it can be up to weeks and months. More common diagnoses that I saw were bad infections, respiratory or cardiac failure, trauma, wounds that hadn't healed from surgeries or other issues, strokes, kidney failure and peripheral vascular disease. There were 2 floors, one which seemed to have a little more involved clients than others, and then a 12 bed ICU. I feel like 99% of the people I saw were attached to at least one tube if not ten.

When it's busy, we were running like crazy. I have never ran around that much at a job, ever. The part I didn't like about that was then we didn't get to know the clients as well. But when we were slow it was a whole different story, where you can bring people down a few times for therapy in a day if they'd like. But, it was most often pretty busy. Our saving grace were the Rehab Techs (aides). They helped us with getting clients ready for therapy, getting them to the gym, coordinating our schedules, etc. I couldn't have done my job without mine! We had heard of other LTACHs that only had 1-2 therapists for a 50 place. With pretty much all of them expected to therapy. They never were able to keep up. That is totally impossible and unethical in my opinion. But anyway, I'll get off my soap box.

Here's what you could expect on my caseload there.....Most everyone had IVs and catheters, a large majority had telemetry monitors. Many had wound vacs and/or oxygen, ports for dialysis or possibly chemo, some even had vent support or rectal tubes. It's a bit overwhelming at first, but you become used to it, as I'm sure they are as well. The one thing I would say that is most important is to have compassion for these patients. They have gone through so much and I feel like by this time, many people grow numb to the situation and either don't expect great care, or don't get it from staff. They've had dozens if not hundreds of medical professionals poke them, question them, cath them, check them, etc., and we need to remember to never forget that they are our number one priority and also that they are people. With stories, families, hobbies, hopes and dreams.

When in the gym we most often did exercise (97110 code to be exact) and also did things like the standing frame with PT and completed upper extremity exercises if able. One of the therapists was excellent at manual therapy, so he did a lot of that as well. When we did therapy in their rooms of people that were more stable, we did dressing or showering, toileting sometimes, transfers, bed mobility, or did exercises there. When they were more unstable, we'd do things like range of motion, sitting at the edge of the bed, and possibly simple tasks like grooming or following commands. Also here we would sometimes put them on the tilt table (if appropriate) and provide a lot of education for the client and their family. Many are very medically fragile, so we are constantly monitoring blood pressure and telemetry. Some of my patients could not even handle transferring to the edge of the bed without their blood pressure going crazy. At times co-treats were totally necessary in order for it to be safe and most effective for the patient. Our CEO/Administrator wanted everyone in the gym if they were able to which obviously isn't appropriate for all, but when they could, it was nice for the clients to see others that were going through similar situations and many formed friendships, shared stories, or had competitions.

Often our patients were put on hold due to their lab values. In the morning, the first thing I would do is check my list, then check those charts looking for that morning's labs. The most common ones I was looking for to be in normal limits were their Sodium, Potassium, INR, and Hemoglobin/Hematocrit. Depending on their diagnoses, I also looked at their White Blood Count, Ammonia, blood sugars, BUN, Creatine, Magnesium, their ABGs (Arterial Blood Gases), and others. We had a little cheat sheet that one of the OTs made that we all wore with our name tag so we knew what to look for which was SUPER helpful. Sometimes we had clients also receiving dialysis (which was in the building, so it was super nice---many have to leave their facility) and they were sometimes too weak or tired to do therapy. Some unfortunately, passed away during their time there as well, which could be a whole different post another time.

I really enjoyed working in this environment, but I think the best part of it was my co-workers. The therapists were all a ton of fun and didn't love everything about their jobs, but their patients were important to each and every one of them and they were always 'client-centered'. They worked as a team and helped each other out whenever needed. I often think back to work there and miss the day to day craziness. But I'm thankful at the same time that I was lucky enough to be with them for 13 weeks. :)

Spotlight on Stella

2012-01-24T21:29:00.000-06:00

So lately we've been looking through a lot of pictures that we've taken during the last 5-7 years and I've been having a great time thinking back to those moments and reliving the conversations, sights, smells, and feeling of that time. I thought it would be kind of fun to document some of them and sort of do a spotlight every once in a while on those people.

So the first person I chose is Stella.

I met Stella and a bunch of her peers in July 2008 on a trip to Cameroon, Africa. Stella started off being the shyest of the entire bunch. She was 13 and below is a pic of her and some other teenagers/tweens.

Lower Left Side

Stella was a at camp that we were volunteering at. She is the only girl in her family, with 3 or 4 brothers. Because boys/men are often thought of as more important in many countries, Stella had to wait to enter school until all of her brothers were able to get through it. School is not free in many parts of Africa so often children only go if their families can afford it. Many girls complete less school than boys, and most often go on to further job/specialty training such as being a seamstress or teaching in a school.

This is her and one of her best friends. Her friend had the privilege of attending school from the time she was very young. When I was talking to her friend, she said that she was entering Class 13 soon. This, I understood, was like later American High School, and she was only 13 years old! Stella was to be starting Class 1 the next year, which is 1st grade equivalent in the US. It's just crazy to me to think of how different their lives have been and will be. Best friends, both 13, in two different worlds educationally, and hopefully both with bright futures ahead of them.

I was drawn to Stella at the beginning of this day and she started out being super shy. At one point in the day, the girls changed from their dress clothes to play clothes, and I saw a transformation in her personality. She was laughing, being silly, and being a completely outgoing 13 year old girl. I couldn't stop taking pictures. :)

Goofs

The last two pictures they are waiting for water balloons that were being launched. :) Totally new experiences for these unexpected campers!

I'll never know what Stella's future has in store for her. I hope and pray that she is surrounded by positive support and love and is given the encouragement she needs. She is just one of the MANY faces I met on this trip, and one that had a large impact on me.

I think it's crazy to think of where we are born. There are hundreds of thousands of children less fortunate than her, and I think we can play a part in their lives. I was born into a country that has freedom, a family that was supportive, an education system that was free, and had a fair opportunity to attend many colleges. I had access to food, clean water, medical care, etc. I feel that I personally have a role to play in children's lives around the world. Whether that be providing them mosquito nets or vaccines, medical care, money for education, clean water, food, safety from slavery and injustice, love and support. For people here in the US and around the world.

Check into some non-profits and you'll see they're doing these things! :) You can choose a program that does many of these things like World Vision or Compassion International or others out there that are more specific for providing water, or saving from slavery, etc. Start making a difference today.

Yummy Recipes!!

2012-01-20T23:23:00.000-06:00

So, I know this isn't a cooking blog, but it's also not just strictly and OT blog. :) I often get stuck in a recipe rut and we get totally bored with the meals we make, so I've been doing some crazy collecting on Pinterest. I could keep collecting for hours and hours, but have finally gathered enough ingredients to make some of them!

So, I'll just tell you about them because they were both fantastic! First off, I made Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls. The pic was borrowed from the Annie's Eats page. Check it out, it's fabulous. I wanted a little more pizzaz to the mix, so I also added cilantro, lime juice, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. I think diced tomatoes would be incredible, but wasn't sure if it'd be too runny and opted for sun-dried. We dipped them in corn and black bean salsa. Soooo good! Had them for some great lunch leftovers, luckily there is a stove there so I can heat it up and make sure they get a little extra crisp.

Tonight, I made Thai Chicken Thin Crust Pizza. (Picture from their site). I found this recipe along with other greats on the Flatout bread website. I've looked in three stores for the Flatout Flatbread, and didn't think the flat buns would be enough. So, I found a really random substitute at Trader Joe's ::: Naan. :) Not sure if my Indian friends would approve or laugh at me, but it actually worked well! We loaded them with extra ingredients and loved the taste of the peanut sauce/cilantro/sprouts/carrots combo. It could use one more thing, but we couldn't put our finger on it.

Anyway, that's it for tonight. They were just too good not to share! Have a great weekend!!

Great Resources for Spinal Cord Injuries

2012-01-16T20:36:00.000-06:00

Working with therapists with a diverse experience background is super helpful in finding resources or answers to questions. Before I started this job, I didn't have much experience at all working with Spinal Cord Injuries. I've had some in more acute settings, but never in Rehab. I still have a long way to go before I feel comfortable, but I'm slowly starting go gain some ground. The next person I cover for primarily works with clients with SCIs, so I'll have a better grasp after getting some more consistent daily experience. Anyway, there are some great resources out there that I thought I'd share as I have found them really helpful.

Check out Paralyzed Veterans of America : www.pva.org and look around a bit. They have information on their programs, sports, ADA, finances, etc. It's not only applicable to Veterans, but anyone with an injury resulting in paralysis or loss of function. Best of all check out their publications! You can find their publications on the website that offer guides for consumers (the clients) and clinicians (medical team), they are super helpful, and best of all, they're free!!! They cover everything from Autonomic Dysreflexia, to Depression, to Upper Extremity Function. They also have great Outcome guides for what to expect at certain levels of injury. These are great for therapists, and fantastic for your clients. The biggest pain is that you have to add them to your cart individually, check out, and then they will give you a page with links for each one. Then you save each one to your computer. It's a bit time consuming that way, but once you save them they are yours! They are anywhere from 20-100 pages long, so don't expect to get through them all in one sitting. So far the Outcome Guides are my favorite!

Another great thing is that they have 3 of them available in Spanish, as well as resources for Multiple Sclerosis and things like Accessibility, Housing, Advocacy, etc. I have been referring to this site often lately, hope it helps you as well!

Know Someone with Parkinson's?

2012-01-13T14:49:00.000-06:00

So, my job offers a variety of services in all of the therapy arenas, but I want to give a snippet about this one today. It's not even really OT related, and mainly the PTs and SLPs seem to work with these programs.

It's called LSVT training, and focuses on client's living with Parkinson's. It is a 4 week very intensive program that is recommended to do as soon after diagnosis as possible (early on in the progression of the disease). They also say it is effective with people that have strokes, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, and Down Syndrome.

LSVT has 2 types: LSVT LOUD and LSVT BIG. LSVT stands for Lee Silverman Voice Treatment. The LOUD program is primarily done with a speech therapist, and the BIG program is done with a PT or OT. They focus on just that - being big with your movements and loud with your voice.

Here is a great before/after video of a client of the LSVT LOUD program.

Here is another video with more information about the LSVT BIG program.

Go to the LSVT Global website to learn more about the programs, watch more videos, find a clinician near you, or sign up for courses. :)

I have many people that I've met along the way that I think about when I read about this program, maybe you can help others with it too! I just feel being big and loud help a lot of clients with various diagnoses in general. Not all, of course, but it's so nice that there's a specialized, proven program out there. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

Have a great Friday!

New Job Details

2012-01-11T21:08:00.000-06:00

So, it's about time I update a bit about my job. I work at a fantastic place that I have really enjoyed. The learning part alone has blown me away, and I have a feeling I'm on a continuous learning roller coaster!

The facility provides a ton of great services. I don't even know where to start. The main focus of therapy is outpatient pediatric and adult clients as well as inpatient rehab. However, the OTs also work with our Driving Program, Home Care, in the schools, with Assistive Technology, etc. There are 4 locations throughout the metro area, with one being the main campus and largest facility.

Most often you won't only find the more common, run of the mill diagnoses that I have been used to over the past couple years: joint replacements, diabetes, falls, carpal tunnel, illnesses, CVAs, etc. They may be part of the problem, but most client's have multiple diagnoses or are in need of many services. My job is currently to cover for people leaving on maternity leaves, medical leaves, vacations, or whatever else. Usually I stay in a person's position for 1-3 months, so it's been a great transition from traveling.

Different locations seem to have various expertise/focus. I was at a different site during the fall and they focus on pediatric and adult therapy, as well as pool therapy and various pool classes. They also provide other services as well. The location that I'm currently at is larger and divided into teams for outpatient therapy: Neuro, Spinal Cord Injury, Ortho, Brain Injury, and Peds. The inpatient program focuses mainly on clients with spinal cord or brain injuries, but it's not limited to only these diagnoses. I have had at least a little experience with them all so far and it has been great! There are a lot of programs offered: vocational rehabilitation, an adult day program, an accessible fitness center, pool programming, chronic pain program, sports and recreation programs, as well as many others. I feel lucky to be part of such a diverse and client centered organization. My co-workers have been very welcoming and helpful which makes for an even better transition!

So far so good, and I hope they'll keep me. :o) That's all for now, hope your week is going fantastic!

Watch this video to brighten up your day and put a smile on your face. I thought it was hilarious, hope you like it!

Hand Made Gifts 2011

2012-01-07T18:53:00.000-06:00

So this year I wanted to make some hand-made gifts for Christmas, so I gave it a whirl. I only got a few things done, and they weren't the greatest thing I've ever seen, but I thought they were fun! :)

My sisters got guitars for their birthdays, which is super close to Christmas. While we were at the hubby's family's for Christmas, I saw that his brother had made guitar pics for himself out of old gift and credit cards. They're like the perfect thickness for pics!! Here's what they looked like:

The next gift I made was one I found first on Pinterest. I don't have a sewing machine yet so these were a sew free project I could do on my own. My mom makes incredible wool mittens and has a lot of extra wool sweaters at home. I took a few the last time I was there and made these coffee cozies to go over Starbucks or Caribou cups. They aren't the best, but a good start for the creative juices.

The last is a bunch of magnets that I made for family and friends. I found the idea on a list of gifts to make for others online. There were a lot more options than you see here and I have a lot of leftover materials to make more. They're fun to use for home, work, wherever. I wish I had a magnet board in my car to use them there too. :)

So, like I said.....they aren't anything extra fantastic, but it was a lot of fun. Hopefully it's just the start to my homemade gifting. We'll see! Hope you enjoyed your holidays as well.

GREAT Blogs!

2012-01-06T23:06:00.001-06:00

Fell upon this blog via friends on Pinterest and have been stuck on it most of the night. It is applicable to all parents and therapist working with kids or any adult clients with sensory needs. LOVE it!!
<<<<< http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/ >>>>>
Let me know what your favorites are! Have a great weekend!

Holiday Greetings!

2011-12-25T19:38:00.002-06:00

Happy Holidays 2011

Our Christmas Letter for 2011 :).......

Dear friends and family,

Know that we would much rather sit down over a cup of coffee,
reminisce old times and catch up with life, but unfortunately this little letter will have to do…

A lot of you know this, but the past year has mostly been spent pursuing travel therapy with my job (Occupational Therapist). It gave us the opportunity to explore the US, learn a lot about ourselves, and meet some incredible people. It truly was an amazing adventure! Last holiday season we were en route from Sandpoint, Idaho to Dallas, Texas. We spent the winter in Texas which was a lot of fun. After 13 weeks of being there, we headed up to Moose Lake, Minnesota. We made a few trips to Duluth to take in all that city has to offer. While we were at Moose Lake, Andy started looking for a more permanent job. After many applications and interviews, he chose a job in Business Development for a Logistics in the Minneapolis area. Through a variety of services, they help companies manage their supply-chain activities. As he started his transition there, I finished my assignment and applied for jobs in the cities. I was hired as a Float OT between four facilities and cover for maternity and medical leaves. It has been fun to get a wide range of clients, but also really challenging to learn all I need to know. I work with kids and adults with genetic disorders, brain injuries from strokes and accidents, spinal cord injuries, and lots more. It’s been a great learning experience so far, so I’m really happy with that.

The cities have been good for us, but we are often homesick for Bismarck. It is finally hitting us that these jobs aren’t travel jobs, and that we’ll be here for a while. We miss all of our friends and family back home, and wish we could see everyone more often. We do have a few friends and in the area and are now closer to Andy’s sister, so that’s been great being able to spend time with them. We’re slowly starting to make this our community and have enjoyed getting more plugged in. We’ve found a church that we really enjoy, and are now looking at opportunities to plug into other organizations. Our focus each day is to live life to its fullest, realizing that we are all created for a higher purpose. Although the past 6 months have been challenging at times, we feel blessed beyond measure to have each other, an incredible family, and a support system like none other.

We hope this New Year brings you true happiness full of great purpose. May this holiday season remind you of the true meaning of Christmas.

Blessings to you and yours,

Andy and Kara

To D or not to D?

2011-10-08T15:08:00.000-05:00

So the D I am talking about is my OTD (Doctorate in Occupational Therapy). At the moment, if you would like to be an Occupational Therapist, you are required to at least get your Masters degree. There are also many programs out there that also offer a Doctorate program. I've always thought it would be a lot of fun to go back to school and get my OTD. What are some of the benefits you may wonder? Well, you learn more first of all!! I think that OT is such a HUGE field full of diversity and options. I always feel like I could learn more, and I enjoy learning, so it's something that would interest me. Secondly, you can teach. I really don't feel like I'm even a tiny bit close to having the qualifications to be teaching, but I think it would be a lot of fun down the road to help others see the good in OT and teach them the ropes. Some of the cons? Well, first off, it's an expense. And not a very cheap one. We are in a situation where we have a lot of student debt, so it's not a smart or viable option at the moment. Another con is that if you end up not teaching, the pay is not usually comparable to the cost it takes. I have a lot of friends who have their Doctorate in Physical Therapy (which is also a requirement), and when we've chatted, we find out that we're really making about the same as each other. Sorry if that's a bit a loaded answer.....it's not true in all cases of course, but just with some of the friends/co-workers I've had.

:::::So here are some of the options for OT regarding schooling:::::
-COTA (Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant): Requires 2 years of schooling after college at an accredited program. As a COTA, you are able to do many of the things OTs do, except things like Evaluations. There are various state rules regarding what COTAs can and cannot do in specific areas practice, so check out your state's OT Board to find out more.
-Masters in Occupational Therapy: Some schools require you to have an undergraduate degree first, others require a couple years undergrad and then you enter a program. My school was the latter. We went to college for two years, and then entered the OT program, which is about 3 1/2 years. There are also accelerated programs at certain schools and online. Make sure you research possible schools before you dive in.
-Doctorate or PhD in OT: I won't be a pro at this one so feel free to add comments if you have more insight! There are many great options to get that D you're shooting for, whether it's your OTD or PhD in OT. Make sure to get your undergrad first, and look into the programs you may apply for before deciding what your undergrad decisions will be (what and where).
-There are also hybrid programs that offer dual degrees to get your DPT (Doctorate in Physical Therapy) as well as your MOT. People who do this totally impress me, I'm not sure I could make the cut! I'm not really sure how they work, but if you know anyone or any more about them leave a comment! :) I feel like you'd have a large responsibility after you graduate and am not sure of how the pay differs if you have both your OT and PT degrees. I know you can only take on the work of one person but really you have the knowledge for two, so I'd think you'd at least get some sort of bump up on the salary tree.

Before you choose a program, try to talk with some previous graduates from that specific track/program, as well as the faculty. It's always nice to get a good read on things to see if it will fit best with your learning style and situation. For me, I'll just wait a while until I have a clearer picture of my future, and see where I head from here before I make any more big schooling decisions.

Good luck!!! :)

One Year Ago

2011-09-21T13:58:00.008-05:00

Sunrise on our way down Schweitzer

My life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately, in a good way. The last couple years have gone by so quickly, and it's funny for my husband and I to think back to where we were one, two, or three years ago. And just a forewarning for everyone brave enough to read this.....it may be a long post. :)

Last week we were reminiscing about our time in North Idaho (which we do often by the way), which started about this time last year. You know sometimes when you first meet someone or go somewhere and think that they or it is the greatest thing ever and you just want to keep things like that forever? I think that was Idaho for us during traveling, sort of of like our travel honeymoon. :) It was the first travel job we did together. I had done one job by myself in MN prior to that, and one day Andy brought up doing it together. He had a great job doing sales, but was also in an ok place with them and himself to leave and pursue new adventures. I was covering a maternity leave, and didn't have a for sure promise of permanent employment after that. I was excited to break out and see what the world had in store for us. I interviewed a few places over the phone, but out of all of them knew Sandpoint was where I wanted to be. Andy and I had once taken the train to WA to visit family, and I remember waking up at one of the stops around sunrise. It was seriously breathtaking. The tracks were going over a huge lake that was surrounded by mountains all around. Huge trees, a beautiful sunrise, cute houses on the lake. Google 'Sandpoint' or 'Schweitzer Mountain' and check out the images. You'll see what I'm talking about. I had an interview there for a sub-acute facility and it sounded great. I wasn't disappointed.

Waterfalls near Sandpoint

We sold one of our cars, put most of our items in storage, and made plans to venture west. We bought a minivan, removed the seats, and packed it to the top. Said a sad goodbye to our family, friends, and church. It was hard to leave, and we had no clue what to expect. The trip there was a lot of fun. We filled it with stops at parks, visits with friends and family, and lots of great music to jam to. Andy and I always try to make road trips fun.

The place we found to rent was listed on Craigslist as well as another local site. Your travel company will find housing for you, but if you are willing to find your own, you may save a lot of extra money. We did that, and found a steal of a place. It's used by the owners only during the winter, was totally furnished, and Mapquest said it'd be a 10 minute drive to my work. When we pulled in to town, after a few days of travels, we met the owner at a local store. The first thing he said was, "Welcome to Sandpoint! Down here is where you'll be working (as he's pointing around the city), and up there is where you will be living, (as his finger continues to raise as he points toward the peak of one of the mountains), on Schweitzer Mountain." We seriously had no clue we'd be living on a mountain. I should have known by the conversations I had with them prior, but I guess it just didn't click. We got back into our van and he led us up the mountain with his truck. One winding curve after another, and more like a 35 minute drive than 10. There was a bit of unbelief for part of the drive up the mountain, but after we got to a lookout point near the top, we knew everything would be fine. There was a gorgeous view of the city below, part of the lake, and all of the surrounding mountain range. This would be our home for the next three months.

Winter on the Mountain

I started working in town soon after. We only had one vehicle there, so Andy brought me into town for work every day, and was there waiting when I got off. It was a big change, but so great to have that time with him just to prepare for the day and be together. The first week of a travel job is always interesting. There are already interesting dynamics within a company that are important to learn and observe, and when you throw a new girl in there who looks like a teenager and says she's the new OT for 3 months it mixes things up even more. You are given tours (hopefully), meeting tons of new faces, learning different policies and procedures, and of course, trying to learn their documentation system. It's a bit overwhelming, but you have to try to soak up as much as possible and continually remind yourself that it will get better as the weeks go on. The team I worked with was from all over the US, so that was a lot of fun. One of the craziest parts was that there was another traveler there, and he happened to be from ND. Ironic or what? And if you know anyone from ND, you know that there are always connections to be found with others. That's what happens when you grow up in a state with less than a million people. I had gone to elementary school with one of his cousins and had known their family pretty well when I was younger. That definitely helped me feel more 'at home'.

My boss was pretty intimidating at first. She's an Italian from Philadelphia who really doesn't take crap from anyone. :) I remember when she critiqued my first eval I did there. I didn't have everything in the right places, and wasn't as thorough as I should've been. She asked, "So this says they needed minimal assist. Minimal assist why?" as well as other questions like that. I would say it was because of balance or for initiation. She then said, "Then say that. I have no idea otherwise. I only want to say these things once. And I'm doing it because I care about you and care about you keeping your license if you're documentation gets reviewed or audited." My documentation has been much better ever since. :) She and her co-manager were probably the best managers I've had up to this point. They didn't let anything get overlooked, were caring and understanding with their team (us), put the patients first, always were seeking to better themselves and the team, and were always trying to promote the business. It was great. I met a couple friends where I work that I still stay in touch with and hope to be able to spend more time with in the future.

Andy found himself a job doing inside sales in the first couple weeks. It wasn't anything huge, but it gave him more of a purpose and he really enjoyed his co-workers and boss. I'm sure he'll maintain some of those relationships down the road from here.

Round Lake State Park

We forced ourselves to be active and get out there to explore as often as possible. Our typical day there was so out of the norm for us and we fell in love with it. There was always something to do. State parks, mountains, waterfalls, the beach, incredible Farmer's Markets, and live music everywhere we turned. We were able to be there for their summer to turn into fall, which is so incredibly beautiful. In fact, a year ago tomorrow we were hiking around Round Lake to enjoy our anniversary. We hiked a lot and were able to kayak once. Of course, being there from September to December also allowed us a glimpse of their incredible winters. Life slowed down there when winter fell. We are used to harsh winters, but this was a lot more dreamlike. There were downfalls to this as well. We lived on a mountain and owned a junker minivan. We had to buy new tires at the first snowfall because we couldn't get back up the mountain after the snow fell, as well as chains for our tires that we still don't know how to put on right. We would get a foot of snow on the mountain but only an inch or so in town. I loved sitting in the Monarch Mountain coffee shop or the Coldwater Creek wine bar in town and just watch the snow fall. It always fell slow and straight, in big sticky flakes. On the mountain we lived right next to the ski resort, and were able to enjoy it during Thanksgiving weekend with Andy's brother. We had our first experiences with fearing moose and bears and purchased our first can of Bear Spray.

We also found a great church that we really miss called Grace Sandpoint. We met a lot of great people there and really loved the messages and mission of the church. The city was hit hard by the recession, and the church was doing a great job of reaching out to help with their needs. They fed us all every week and then had a table full of food for anyone to take that would need it throughout their week. In the basement, they had a room designated for clothing, appliances, etc. that people had in their homes and weren't using or just wanted to give. It was open to anyone who needed anything, no questions asked. Check out their website to listen to messages or find out more.

City Beach in the Fall

It's funny, we talk about Sandpoint often with our family and each other. I think they're afraid we'll move there someday, but who knows. There are no plans to head that way at this time. We love going back to that place in our minds and think of all of the great times, but also remind ourselves about the fact that it really was our travel honeymoon, and not the greatest glimpse of what reality would be if we were really there. It also makes us excited to see what our future holds with our relationship, our jobs, and everything else included.

We have other 'honeymoon' experiences from the other travel locations that we've been, but I just wanted to share about this one today, hence the blog title. Maybe I'll share more about the other places another time.

We are now living in MN in the cities working and being busy. We have already been swept up in the hustle and bustle of work being our main focus and looking back has been a great reminder to us of what we need to shoot for from here on out. We are currently living in a great area full of fun and adventurous opportunities. There are trees and lakes everywhere and I am looking forward to an incredible fall. This weekend we plan to get our butts out of our apartment and explore what this area has to offer. State parks and apple orchards here we come! Hope the weather will agree with our plan. :)

Our first snowfall in ID

Changes

2011-09-19T22:15:00.003-05:00

So, there have been a lot of changes in my life in the past few months. I kind of backed up from our blogs for a while for different reasons, but I'm getting back in the game. :)

We are now done with traveling, and have moved to a new state/location/etc. I've got my big girl pants on and I now have my first permanent full-time job! All of my previous jobs have either been full or part- time PRN, part-time, or travel. It has been an interesting transition, but a good one.

Some things have been great and easy and others plain rough. This song really helped me get through last week during one of those rough patches so I thought I'd share it. :) I've listened to it over and over and love the musicality of it. I just always wanted to feel more of the meaning and know how it could relate to me. Then boom, last week it just hit me. I always try to do things and be things that are above my capabilities and I'm not strong enough for. I want to be able to be that blossoming flower in the desert, snow on the embers, or star in the morning. But I'm broken. This song just helped me know that I can't do it on my own and that I don't have to. I have someone to stay with me. And I have grace and mercy. :)

If the link above didn't work, here's another post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b5Snkw18Lg

Stories

2011-06-09T20:04:00.010-05:00

I just love love LOVE hearing about the lives of the people I work with. My dad is a Nursing Home Administrator and has been ever since I was a wee babe. My mom is a nurse. I grew up going to the nursing home for the best ice cream sundaes and playing beach ball volleyball with the residents. I remember helping decorate their doors for Christmas, and making paraffin hand molds while watching Full House on the 'big screen'. I grew up in that environment, but as I got older, I wanted less and less to do with it. I guess I got too caught up like many of us do with some of the smells, the sounds, and a little bit of a fear of some of the people that were there. Super lame when I think back at it. I got into this phase where I just didn't want to have much to do with 'older people' and I have no clue why. Then, later on down the road, OT snagged me. I really didn't know what I'd be doing, was excited about some things and not so much about others. I learned a ton, and then was pushed out to the real world. :)

It was probably an awkward transition for me, but I've reverted back to the beach ball playing girl who thought of the people at the Nursing Home as a random extended family of adopted aunts/uncles/grandparents. I have such a respect for all of the patients I get to work with, and love hearing about their lives and their stories. Hearing about getting through the Great Depression, their roles during war times, their first loves, their current loves, their advice, their regrets, their jobs, etc. I wish I could just record our conversations and make a giant book so their stories aren't forgotten. I love the lost look they get while chatting about things in the past where I know that their are reliving that moment. Or the sparkle in their eye when they talk about their spouse or their children or their accomplishments. I have had great conversations with people and wish that I could stop all of the activities/exercise/ADLs I'm doing, grab a cup of joe, and shoot the breeze for a couple hours while I learn and grow from them. There is just such incredible history there.

Anyway, it's been great, and I have a complete different outlook of the people I work with. No matter their situation, their demeanor, or capabilities, they have a story. And it shouldn't be forgotten.

I found a cool link to keep peoples' stories going by creating books/blogs/etc. I can't really do that with a lot of these people, but I'd like to do that to some people that I know personally. Think about it. Ask your grandparents, neighbor, or that white haired couple in front of you at church. Here's the link. Here's another great link to a blog telling some stories! I'm sure there are others too, so post them so we can start preserving stories!! :)

Greatness

2011-05-05T21:50:00.003-05:00

Check out this video. While we were in Texas we were able to go to Passion, which is an incredible conference held all over the world. I've been playing this song almost daily since, I hope you check it out and enjoy it!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3OEGnH5x8g

Here are the lyrics:

If faith can move the mountains
Let the mountains move
We come with expectation
Waiting here for you, I’m waiting here for you

You’re the Lord of all creation
And still you know my heart
The Author of Salvation
You’ve loved us from the start

CHORUS
Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia

You are everything You’ve promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we're desperate for Your presence
All we need is You

CHORUS

Singing Alleluia
Alleluia, singing alleluia, alleluia

CHORUS

I'm singing Alleluia
Waiting here for you
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia
Singing Alleluia

Happy Trails

2011-05-04T21:59:00.006-05:00

We have been traveling now for about 8 months, and so far so good. Northern Idaho, which was gorgeous and crazy, Texas, where it was great to spend a warm winter with some fun co-workers, and now Minnesota.

We now think we have packing down to an art form, and Andy has been the best husband a girl could ask for. I think it would be a lot harder to travel if I didn't know anyone, but still fun.

North Idaho was a sub-acute/SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility, a.k.a. nursing home) mix which was all about Medicare. It was a great learning experience and I was able to work with some great therapists who had a vast array of knowledge. A lot of places work unethically with Medicare and either don't utilize it correctly or just try to take as much as possible from it. You can usually tell this very early in an interview. I try to avoid them at all costs. :( This place was very good in utilizing things correctly and giving patients as much therapy as necessary to assist with that individual. And it was in a BEAUTIFUL area. North of Coeur d'Alene, tons to do, lakes, mountains, forests, etc. If my husband could get a job around there, we would seriously consider moving there! :)

Texas was crazy but great, in an LTAC (Long-Term Acute Care). I didn't really even know what an LTAC was before I got there, but they are super cool. They are for the patients that are super sick or in between acute and home/Assisted Living/SNF. Many patients had oxygen, feeding tubes, wound vacs, foley catheters, and IVs, and some also had vents, rectal tubes, drains and more. I had never really been exposed to a lot of these things while doing therapy, so it was like diving into a brand new pool. It was so great to see that even though these patients were medically unstable and very weak, that therapy still can be done with them and that it is vital for them in order to get better. Some were told they wouldn't survive, came to us and ended up doing great, and others came there in their transfer to hospice. I hope I gained a lot of empathy from my time there. I learned a lot more about appropriate vitals, blood work levels and what affects they have on someone, medications, telemetry, etc. We ran all day from patient to patient, and had a great team of OTs, PTs, SLPs, and techs that all worked together and all genuinely cared for the patients. A lot of great friends were made there that I will definitely keep in touch with.

In Minnesota now, and I am in a mixed setting. I've only been here 3 weeks, so I'll post more when we've been here longer. So far so good though!

It's so interesting how many different opportunities OT offers. I mean we can work in practically every setting and spin it to legitimately be OT. Schools, group homes, factories, businesses, hospitals, nursing homes, LTACS, outpatient clinics, in people's homes, in psychiatric facilities, with horses, vision, driving, the list goes on and on!!! Craziness! Looking back to when I had to choose my future 'career', I am so glad that I was able to talk with the people I talked to. I had no clue what OT did, but I just wanted to check it out. Our director at our school at that time was so on fire for OT and so incredibly convincing of how that would be a good fit. Well, she sold me on it, and I'm so thankful I made the decision. I wish high schools and colleges would step it up a little on educating students on their career options and what those options are like. I would love to be able to do that some day. Just go in and brag (nicely, of course) about how cool our job is. But for now, I'll just stick with this.

This experience has been so great for learning more about OT, and gaining knowledge from other therapists. It has also been great for our marriage. I mean, if you have to be sent to a place for only 3 months at a time, move often, and be away from family, you grow a lot with each other! God has done some pretty incredible things in each place we have been, and we are excited to see what will happen here!

That's all for now......next blog I think I'll blab about continuing ed! :)

Answered Travel Questions

2011-02-19T13:22:00.005-06:00

So I was looking through different posts I've made on this blog, and saw that I've been asked a couple times about travel therapy, pros/cons, etc.

How to look for a good travel company (in my opinion!):
There are multiple websites you can post your resume to find job prospects. I think I posted mine on www.OTjoblink.org, which is linked with AOTA, but there may have been a couple others as well.

Then expect a lot of calls from recruiters. The day after, I had over 50 voicemail. Everyone has their own agenda, so if you feel uncomfortable with anything they say, don't do it. I had many calls saying they had some physical therapy or speech therapy jobs and they had my resume right in front of them. Sorry, if you don't even read the big letters saying Occupational Therapist under my name, not sure the chat is worth my time.

Make sure they have your best interest in mind. Some companies have sketchy insurance for the employees -- one of my co-workers that travels just had 3 months without it!! Other companies want you to sign a year or two contract with them. DON'T do it. Good travel companies have you sign contract to contract. I've known people that signed into a year contract and ended up hating the company, then they are stuck.

Some companies make you do most of the work and have you pay for it as well. If you like to do it, go for it, but the company I work for is super supportive and help through the processes. They have paid for almost all of my licenses in various states and assist with anything needed. Let's say I want to apply for a license......they overnight me an application with the check and requirements needed, as well as a prepaid envelope to that state's board. Easy as cake!

Also, look at their websites before you commit. Some have jobs only in a certain area of the states, some have them everywhere. Ask the recruiter if you find a job on another site, if they will be able to get you that job. Some can and some can't. Some travel companies are able to get more or different jobs because they have contracts with certain medical companies which allows them more options, while other travel companies just don't have the variety.

One of the things that helped me decide was their persistence, as well as their personality. If you don't get along with them or they clash with your personality, ask for a different person from that company or search for another one. There are plenty of recruiters out there. It seems that there is a pretty high turnover rate with their positions as well, so just expect that.

Once you narrow down the company you'd like to go with and the state you'd like to pursue, you'll likely start the licensing and interviewing process:
Your company should help you get your license (most of that is above), and then they have people that call possible employers to see if they would be interested in you. If they are, an interview time is scheduled with you. All of mine have been phone interviews ranging from 15-45 minutes. If it's during the work day, all of my travel employers have been great at letting me take an extra hour or so during that day to interview, and then making that hour up a different time in the week. They give you a call and interview you. It's shorter than a typical face-to-face interview with much less pressure. Mainly, you have to have a decent personality and care about your patients. I have certain questions that I ask, depending on the facility, but always be ready with at least a few questions. Some have just been them describing the facility, asking me if I feel comfortable, and then saying, any questions?? It seems to easy, but make sure to ask as many questions as you need. And try to research their company before the interview.....it's easy, Google them!

Here are some questions I ask:
*What does a typical day look like?
*How will I do documentation? (Written or electronic)
*What do you expect productivity to be? (Some companies expect a 90-100+% productivity- which means that percent of the day you spend face to face with patients. I don't agree with these numbers, most are rehab companies, where you see 3 or more people at a time so they get more money and the patients get less one on one time. Sometimes I like having 2 or 3 people doing exercises together, but if that's always expected, you never get to really see their ADLs or give them the quality of care they deserve. Some people would disagree with me, but that's where I stand with it.)
*What are some of your most common diagnoses there? (Be prepared to work with them)
*How long are treatment sessions? (If they say 15 minutes, it's most likely not patient centered. Make sure the answer is something like, 'Whatever or as much as the patient can tolerate.')
*How long is the typical stay? (If it's inpatient)
*Ask about COTA/OT interaction. (For example, in some states, a COTA can see a patient after the eval for the entire process, in others, and OT needs to see the patient every 5-10 visits. You may have more questions about this.)
*I usually ask about flexibility of the schedule (if I could take a day off if family visits), some places are much less flexible with travelers.
*What's the best part of working at this facility?
*Sometimes I ask if they know how far people commute or if they know of anywhere to look for housing.
There are plenty of other questions to ask, but I mainly try to make sure that they put their patients first and that I get along with them during the interview.

When you start the job, expect to dive in quickly. Take notes, and do as much as you can to keep up with everything. Most places expect travelers to be ready to treat patients day one without much guidance, and to have comparable or higher productivity than permanent employees. If you're not ready for that, make sure you find a place that is comfortable with new grads and have more time to help you, or find a local job until you're more comfortable. Make sure you know when you're expected to be at meetings, and be ready for them, where to find equipment, etc. The first week can be a little rough, but it get's much better as time passes. Sometimes I have found and heard that permanent employees don't always love travelers being there. We usually are getting paid more and will only be there for a few months usually, so people don't always want to invest themselves to form relationships with you. I have had a lot of the opposite happen though, and have made many great friends and contacts along the way.
I have also learned so much from the various therapists. It's amazing tapping into to others' knowledge and having the opportunity grow along the way.

I've never worked for a company that I truly didn't enjoy, but if that's you after a few weeks, talk to your recruiter and see what they can do about it. Hopefully they are understanding and could possibly help you find a solution to what's going on.

Pros:
Exploring different areas, getting great experience in a variety of settings, constant learning, meeting new people, growing as a person, great road trips, up to a month off between assignments if you like to travel between assignments while still being covered by insurance (depending on your company), and so far it's been great for our marriage to do this together, having to fully trust in God through the ups and downs.

Cons:
Being away from family and friends, it's hard to get connected in a community in only 13 weeks, some of the benefits (401K, etc.), finding a job to work for my husband while we do this, not always knowing what you're doing. :)

The company I work for is Med Travelers. I really have had an overall great experience with them so far, and only wish a few things would be different.

I hope all this info helps, and would love any feedback anyone else has on the topic!!!!!

Here I Go Again

2011-02-06T14:35:00.006-06:00

So I have been absent for a number of months from this blog, and I wanted to give a link to the blog that my husband and I are doing as we do travel therapy. It's called Roo & Kare's Epic Adventure and can be fount at http://speideladventure.blogspot.com/ For some reason I cannot add it as a link at this time. It's more about our journey together through this adventure, and a great way to stay in touch with friends and family as we move from place to place.

I'm not the greatest blogger in the world, but there have been quite a few things that I've wanted to blab about, that I just don't have a good fit on our blog. I think Andy or some of our friends would rather hear about deer sausage and road trips instead of hearing about my latest failed attempt at crocheting. :)

I don't want or like to blog to get more people to read what I write. I don't even care that much if people read it or not. It's just a great medium to put my thoughts down and read other peoples'. I'm sure I have talked about many of these things before, but I want to give a quick refresher of the past few years before I start spilling my beans again.

Maybe I'll start at 2007, because that's when I can go back and remember the most. :)
Andy proposed in March at a hockey rink in town while teaching me to skate with Jack Johnson playing in the background. :) We both graduated with our bachelor's degrees in April, I started my Graduate program in May, Andy started his in the fall. In August, we purchased a duplex with Andy's brother and started remodeling with the generous help of multiple family members and friends. In September, we got married!!! I apologize to the multiple people that didn't get a thank you card. I feel terrible and have no excuse. Please know how grateful we are to have you in our lives.
2008 brought our honeymoon in January. We traveled to Trinidad and Tobago and were able to spend time with friends we had met from mission trips there. Our camera disappeared on that trip I feel we should re-do it sometime to get all new pictures and videos! That summer, we made some small sacrifices with work and school to be a part of a trip to Cameroon, Africa with Gateway Teams. God provided and through that trip answered multiple prayers. That fall, I had a fieldwork (internship) experience at the Anne Carlsen Center in Jamestown and it was incredible. Their website is www.annecenter.org , check it out! In November, I went to Guatemala with some classmates and a professor through the God's Child Project to build 2 homes and do OT. It was an absolute blast, and I fell even more in love with service and travel.
2009: I finished my schooling with one last fieldwork in Bismarck, Andy and I were done with grad school!!! The paying off our loans part is what we hate the most. In June, my brother and his girlfriend Shannon tied the knot! In December, Andy's sister Kellie had our first niece, Sylvie, and my baby sisters turned 16!!!
With 2010 came my first travel assignment in MN which was great, but also helped us decide that we didn't want to do it unless we did it together. Andy's other sister, Shannon had our second niece, Liv, and we found out my brother and his wife are expecting the summer of 2011. In September, Andy and I headed for north Idaho, and the rest is in the blogs!!!

There were obviously many other things that happened in that time span, but those are just a touch of the highlights. Sorry to bore everyone! :)

It's Really Happening!

2010-08-26T17:41:00.003-05:00

So, once again, I'm stirring up the pot of life. I recently took a travel OT position in Idaho! My first day will be September 13th. And just to warn you......this may be a long story. :)
Currently, I am covering for a couple people on/going on maternity leave. In my interview, they said that if I found another position that offered benefits and full-time work, they would be understanding, since they weren't able to offer those things at the time. I started looking for things around the area that would allow me to either do both, or just that in order to stick around. I was able to figure out a couple things, but after doing some number crunching with our student loans and our budget, we weren't sure what to do. During this time, the travel company I worked with previously kept in touch with me to see how things were going. I explained our situation and how we were hoping to put as much toward our loans as possible, but weren't sure how to do it with our current situation. She offered a few suggestions, and Andy and I sat down to figure everything out. We did want to stick around the area and liked our jobs, but also knew we wouldn't be able to put as much money toward our loans as we would like, and that there were other places, jobs, and adventures out there that we would miss out on completely if we didn't take a chance.
We are super sad to leave our family and friends that have been so supportive and loving toward us, but are extremely excited about what the future holds in store. I'm excited to be able to take different jobs every 13 weeks or so in different places. On one of my fieldwork experiences, I was under 5 different OTs, learning from them. I loved being able to pull from all of their ideas and ways of working. This will be an amazing learning experience and help me grow my OT skills. I am also excited about it strengthening our marriage. We have always been surrounded by family and friends in our comfort zones, and now we won't have much of any of that, only each other! We're going on this crazy ride together and hope to make a lot of memories. The plan is to do this for a year and a half, depending on permanent job offers after. But we are open to adapting and changing to whatever we need to do to make this work.
For those of you who don't know, travel therapy usually provides more income than finding a position on your own, and also provides great benefits. Not only do we have great insurance, but we are allowed up to a month off between assignments while still being insured. We are hoping to use this time to catch up with family and friends, as well as go on a trip or to if we are able.
God has really been working in this whole process, so we feel like this is what we are supposed to do right now. Some of the things we were worried about to make this whole thing happen were 1) Selling Andy's car, 2) Buying a van {so we can pack everything there instead of renting so many UHauls}, 3) Finding a place to live, and 4) Finding a renter. Well, we sold Andy's car to a high school kid that was SUPER excited, found a van that was really reasonable that my dad helped us get up to par, found a fully furnished great place to live in Idaho, and most recently, found an amazing renter for our place. Those are just a few of the things that have been great in all of this.
Can't wait to see what's to come. This weekend, we will be packing up most everything we won't be needing and putting it into storage. Hopefully we can get everything else to fit in the van! :)

Great Read!!

2010-08-17T00:52:00.007-05:00

So, I'm currently reading a book called The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne (thanks Beth!), and it's pretty dang amazing. I wish I could tell you all about it, but I need some shut eye. I just think you should read it. Especially if you're into Jesus, social justice, or just being a good person. There have been a few parts that I don't totally allign my thoughts w/, but it is really good and definitely worth while!! Here's a link to the church he started in PA: http://www.thesimpleway.org/ and I will also connect it to the title. Now, go buy it, put your feet up, and do some reading! :)

This pic is me walking barefoot on a golf course...me feet fell in love!!

Here's another pic from my summer---was w/ my cousin, on our way to get a canoe to do some rowing. :)

B-E-A-U-tiful!

Becoming Part of the Team

2010-07-13T18:01:00.005-05:00

So I have finished my first travel job and am now back home covering for some maternity leave at a local hospital. I did end up extending my travel position for a couple weeks and eased right into my current job. My first travel experience was great! The setting was a skilled nursing facility, a hospital (mostly swing bed), and an outpatient clinic combined, so I had a very varied caseload. My co-workers were fantastic and really helped me feel like part of their team. I am grateful for their positive attitudes and insight while I was there.

I am now in a hospital setting doing mostly acute care and TCU (transitional care, which is similar to a nursing home). I'll explain a little that I know for those who don't know, because I sure didn't a few months ago. In order to be eligible to go to swing bed, nursing home, or TCU while having your insurance pay, you must have a 3 day stay in the hospital, sort of as a 'pre-qualifier'. If not, you either have to go home, or pay out of pocket. And I don't know the exact details on this, but if you have the 3 day qualifying stay, you may then be eligible for a 30 day stay in swing bed or a 90 day stay in the nursing home (this all depends on which type of Medicare you have, so please don't hold me to it! :)). Sometimes people only need to stay for a week, which makes swing bed a good option, and some may need 2 months of therapy, which makes a nursing home a good option. Once people are in a nursing home or TCU, and are referred to therapy there is a lot more that happens regarding Medicare. But I won't go into it at the moment because I don't know as much as I should to be giving an overview! :)

Acute care is more for people are there for a short time: post surgery (knee, hip, back, shoulder, etc.), medical (pneumonia, mild CVA, cancer, etc.), telemetry, ICU, and others. It's been interesting for me because at my last job, I typically saw patients for a week to a couple of months, and now I may only have one or two days with a patient before they go home. I see a larger variety of personalities and diagnoses. Some are happy to see me, and some try their hardest to get me out of the room as soon as I get to their room. My goal with everyone is to find at least one thing to talk about with them that they are positive about. With some people, it's as easy as finding out what they do for a living or like to do in their free time and talking about these things. For those that think of me as the enemy, I have to work a little harder. We have to gain a better understanding of who they are and what their daily lives consist of before we can make that connection with someone.

I had a patient recently who was very angry to be in the hospital and was also in a lot of pain. After a couple of refusals from them one day, I decided to try one last time. I knew what they did for a living, about their home set-up, family dynamics, and their hobbies. But this time I asked, "If you weren't here right now, what would you be doing?" "Fishing," they replied. Finally it was something I could run with! I went on to ask what kind of fish was their favorite and what lakes/rivers they used the most. I don't fish often but I enjoy going and of course love eating it. So instead of telling them of my few fishing adventures, I went on to ask about the best ways to prepare it, and what they eat with it. It made me laugh when they told me how I prepare it is totally wrong, but were able to put me on the right path. I most likely won't change how I cook my walleye or tilapia, but it was nice to finally break through that wall and have them trust me a little more.

I wish I could share more examples, but I need to be careful w/ confidentiality. It's hard to blog about work & OT sometimes because the things I'd like to say may be about someone's family member or friend. When I was working in MN, most of the people had never even been to ND. Now that I'm working back in ND, it seems that 90% of the people I see are have connections within 1 or 2 degrees of separation. They may be from my hometown, are relatives of a friend, go to church with us, or anything else. I had a patient recently who used to be good friends with one of my grandparents growing up. It is definitely a smaller world in ND, but I do like that sometimes.

Anyway, I'll be done for now, but I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that we all need to be sensitive to our patients/clients/residents and their situations. It is our job to help gain their trust and to find connections with them so that we are part of their team and a resource for them rather than the enemy.

Happy birthday to new baby Liv (our 2nd niece)!!! We are so excited to meet you soon! :)

Thanks to these blogs for listing this one on theirs! Very encouraging. I feel undeserving, but thank you so much.
http://mastersinoccupationaltherapy.org/2010/top-50-occupational-therapy-blogs/
and
http://thinkingot.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/social-media-in-occupational-therapy-why-bother/

And for all of you considering going into OT, here is a link for possible financial resources for you! Good luck!!! :)
http://blog.onlinecollegeguru.com/health-care/financial-aid-for-occupational-therapists/

green can go with anything

2010-05-24T21:42:00.002-05:00

So recently I read the book Green Goes With Everything by Sloan Barnett. She has a lot of great websites for various products, and since I need to give the book back to my cousin, I'm just going to put a lot of them up here so I don't forget them! :) Her main company she promotes is Shaklee and they have a ton of really great products in all of these areas. I know I will end up just buying the book so I can share it w/ friends and family. I'll just do the clean house and body sections tonight. I will do more later!

Clean House:
~Household Products Database - hpd.nlm.nih.gov
~Citrus Floor Cleaner:
1 gallon hot water
2 tablespoons liquid castile soap
15 drops sweet orange essential oil
1/4 C. lemon juice
~Window Cleaner
3 C. water
1/4 C. white vinegar
1 T lemon juice
~Stain Lifter
2 T. cream of tartar
2 drops peppermint, eucalyptus or lemon essential oil
Water
Make into paste
~Toilet Cleaner
1/2 C. baking soda
1/4 C. white vinegar
10 drops tea tree essential oil
~Drain Cleaner
Bio-Clean Drain Cleaner, statewidesupply.com
Citra-Drain Natrual Enzymatics, citra-solv.com
Drainbo.com
Ecos.com
~Ourhouseworks.com
~Drugstore.com
~Air fresheners
Ecodayspa.com, Greenridgeherbals.com, Pacificacandles.com, Scentedroom.com, Vermontsoycandles.com

Clean Body:
~Deodorant
Burtsbees.com, Crystaldeodorantprotection.com, Kissmyface.com, Tomsofmaine.com
~Fragrances
Aveda.com, Dropwise.com
~Hair Care
Aubrey-organics.com, Aveda.com, Drhauschka.com, Giovannicosmetics.com, Jrliggett.com, Jurlique.com, Shikai.com
~Hair Dye
Herbavita.co.nz, Logona.com, Bewellstaywell.com, Iherb.com, Naturcolor.com
~Make-up
Aubrey-organics.com, Drhauschka.com, Eccobella.com, Paulpenders.com, Modecosmetics.com, Afterglowcosmetics.com, Alimacosmetics.com, Bareminerals.com, Shaklee.com
~Nail Polish
Topshades.com, Honeybeegardens.com, Iamapeacekeeper.com, Suncoatproducts.com, Zoya.com, Naturaleurope.com, Ourtatefamily.com
~Sunscreen
Albabotanica.com, Badgerbalm.com, Colorescience.com, Keys-soap.com
~Skincare
Burtsbees.com, Sephora.com, Eccobella.com, Shaklee.com, Jason-natural.com, Originsorganics.com, Renskincare.com, Sukisnaturals.com
~Oral Hygiene
Burtsbees.com, Jason-natural.com, Tomsofmaine.com
~Tampons
Seventhgeneration.com, Natracare.com

I named her Megan

2010-05-18T22:41:00.003-05:00

So I am currently on a travel assignment and in my 11th week! I really have only 2 weeks after this, but may extend it a bit, depending on if the travel company I am working with will help me out with it or not. Things have flown by, and I have had a lot of fun! It's a mixed setting and I've gotten to see people ages 2-100 from many walks of life. I really have enjoyed the variety, as well as the staff. They have been so great! I have felt so welcome and would definitely consider staying if it wasn't so far away from home. It's been fun, but I have really missed Andy, as well as everything else back there. My weekend was filled with graduation open houses, a baby shower, church, a bonfire, a GREAT walk, friends and family. It was so good to be back and was super hard to leave to come back to MN. I miss having my own house and yard....I even mowed our lawn twice this weekend! Haha.
A few things that I really appreciate about my job in Minnesota are the dynamics, support, and respect. Everyone gets along really well. There are the occasional little things, but everyone seems to resolve them before they are made into a big deal. Everyone really supports each other and we try to make things work as a team as best as we can whenever we can. The manager also is really considerate of everyone. There have been a lot of interviews lately, and each person that gets interviewed also has a time where they sit with the entire therapy department so we can all ask them questions. It's nice to see everyone ask what they'd like and for the staff to get a feel for that person to know if they'd be a good fit or not. Those are just a few of the many things. :)
During my time here, I have seen a wide variety of diagnoses. A few of the patients I've had in the nursing home have passed away, some have made amazing strides forward, and some are still making baby steps. Overall, the environment in the therapy department is really positive. Most people are trying to get better, and want to; some are willing to do the work, some aren't. We get to know our patients and what their lives consist of, and we often become entwined into their lives as another branch of their days.
I am a fairly optimistic person, but I really appreciate getting zapped by reality from time to time. A couple weeks ago, after laughing and joking with a patient who has made amazing improvement, I brought them back to their room. As I was turning the corner to go back to the therapy department, a girl who looked like she was in her late teens/early 20s was walking toward me. She was crying, and trying to hold sobs back. I wanted to stop and talk and see if she was OK, but she didn't make eye contact with me, and I thought it may make her feel even more uncomfortable. I automatically assumed that she may had just found out she was pregnant, but her tears may have been for a ton of other reasons. But assuming she was, I just kept thinking of how many drastic life changes will be coming into her near future. Telling the guy, her parents, dealing with her body and emotions as things go forward, and MANY other things after that. Her life could be forever changed by that one visit.
And last week, we had a little girl come in for therapy. I had seen her around before, but not for OT. She always seemed to be cheerful and eager to do whatever they wanted her too. I learned one of the first times I saw her that she was going through cancer. I don't think the prognosis was good, but that didn't change her lively spirits. We have a PT student right now who has gotten to work with her a few times. The girl came in for therapy with one of the therapists, and then went looking for the student. She knew that Megan was not going to be a student with us much longer and wanted to tell her goodbye in case she didn't see her again. After finding Megan, she gave her a big hug and said her goodbyes. She started leaving the department, but turned around and said, "Wait, look at my new doll!" Megan commented on how cute she was and this little girl responded by saying, "Yeah, I named her Megan!" I'm not sure why that sticks in my mind so clearly, but it's so great to see how much one person can affect another. We are constantly working with different people and need to be constantly reminded that even our smallest interactions can affect people in big ways. I also loved that despite this little girl's own life issues, she remained so focused on finding Megan and letting her know that she named her doll after her.

Convicted

2010-04-12T21:42:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been reading the book Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. I just finished a chapter called 'Profile of the Lukewarm' and it really was good for me to hear. The entire chapter is great, but this is the part that convicted me the most:

"Lukewarm People do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens--they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them--they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live--they have life figured and mapped out. They don't depend on God on a daily basis--their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God."

This is sadly true in my life on multiple levels, which is hurtful to me. I know God has done some great things in my life and has answered many prayers. He as guided me through many situations, but there are many situations where I did not come to Him, and just made things happen my way on my own terms. That is not why we are here. Sometimes when I look at my current situation, mostly financially,and how it affects my future, I try to figure out what to do to own my own to improve it. If I would have just given more of my plans and decisions to God before they were happening, I don't think that I would be in the same situation. I don't know this for sure, but I feel things would be a little different.

We plan things too often by ourselves and for ourselves. We have our game of life mapped out with little room for bumps, turns, or possibly total detours. Many of us have food in the fridge and at least some money in the bank. We don't go to God often enough to figure out how to improve our situation, or how to be used in a better way by Him. I would really hope that my life would look different if I suddenly stopped believing in God. But many times I slip and fail and get lazy or mess up. And at those times, I tend to start caring more about myself than about my walk with God.

So maybe it's not a challenge to you at all, but it really put me in my place and gave me a good (new) starting point. Andy and I were talking about something the other day and something he said also gave me a jolt of reality. We were talking about Jesus and the huge sacrifice that was made for us. He said something like, "It's just so crazy, He died for us. People like us continuously spit in His face, let Him down, and beat Him just like they did on the day He died. We do it so often. And even though we treat Him horribly and abuse Him, He would still die all over again for us." I know I've heard that concept before, but it just really hit me that time. Like wow, I am a total loser who treats Him like dirt at times......but His love for me is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO unconditional.

Anyway, I really need to get ready for bed. Here are some verses that are also in that chapter:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." ~Matt 7:21

"Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation" ~Amos 6:1

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" ~James 1:22

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he out to do and doesn't do it, sins" ~James 4:17

"I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." ~Rev 3:1

And another paragraph that I really liked:
"When I was in high school, I seriously considered joining the Marines.......What turned me off was that in those advertisements, everyone was always running. Always. And I hate running.
But you know what? I didn't bother to ask if they would modify the rules for me so I could run less, and maybe also do fewer push-ups. That would've been pointless and stupid, and I knew it. Everyone knows that if you sign up for the Marines, you have to do whatever they tell you. They own you.
Somehow this realization does not cross over to our thinking about the Christian life. Jesus didn't say that if you wanted to follow Him you could do it in a lukewarm manner. He said, "Take up your cross and follow me."

2010-03-30T22:32:00.004-05:00

I wanted to post this earlier but didn't think the timing was right, but it's official......I quit my first official OT job and am now doing some traveling OT! Crazy, right? I really didn't want to quit, but they no longer needed regular help at the pediatric clinic that I was helping out very part-time at and my job wasn't gaining hours (they hoped I'd become full-time), but instead was slowly coming to a halt. I feel horrible that I had to quit and a part of me almost feels like I was a failure because I was unable to get things going at a higher volume. I was doing inservices for 4 facilities and putting fliers in mailboxes of these residents as well as offering free screenings. They were great people to work with but it just didn't work out. :( I honestly have never quit a job before that. In high school I worked at Dairy Queen until I went to college. In the summers I worked at pools or camps so employment ended before school started. My first year of college, I coached gymnastics and cheerleading to little girls and then transferred. One of the jobs I had at the next school ended up going out of business, and the other two I still help out at. I just really like working there so I want to still feel like 'I've got it'. I hope I can find an OT job that I really like that much.

Right now I am in a hospital/nursing home/outpatient setting in a smaller community. I have actually really liked it and have learned a lot. The people are great and I kind of feel like I have been here forever and just slipped into it with ease. I hope to get some feedback of how the director feels things are going soon, but it's been so busy that I almost feel bad interrupting the schedule. It will happen though. They just had one of their physical therapists quit, so if anyone is looking for a PT job or and OT job---let me know! :) I've gotten to see a lot of variety too so that's been fantastic. I love listening to people's stories when they come in. To get to know about their lives, what they like to do, what they do or did for a living, about their children. I think I could be a professional chatter. (may not be a good thing!! lol) It's only a 13 week assignment and so I'm excited to see what our next adventure will be.

I am interested to see how this new health care plan is going to affect us as OTs as well as consumers. I am definitely up for some reform, but don't necessarily agree with some of the things in it. I have been getting pretty annoyed with the stories of 'Republicans' who are lashing out with hate toward the democrats who voted for it. It really bothers me. I don't consider myself associated truly with a certain party at this point but I am more on the conservative side with my values which tends to lean more with the Republican views. But I almost feel ashamed that these people who supposedly have these great value and moral systems are sending hate mail, throwing bricks through windows, cutting gas lines off of peoples' houses, etc. What great examples of hate you are to your children. :(a.k.a. my generation and those following) I am not saying that is what everyone is doing or that Democrats are angels, but I just wish that people could be more respectful and civil.

Last month, I was part of an AMAZING 'rally' where I learned that great things can be accomplished by just being kind. There is a bill that people like me wanted to get through quickly to stop and prevent more kidnappings, rapes, and murders in Africa that are going on right now. There is a rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (find more on www.invisiblechildren.com) that is now in multiple countries in Africa (Uganda, Sudan, DRC, etc.) and spreading quickly. They kidnap children and train them to be soldiers to kill their own people. The young girls get raped, and the children to small to carry guns (4 and 5 year olds) are given whistles and sent to the front lines to scare the armies, but most becoming easy targets (www.fallingwhistles.com). My heart breaks for these children and for the families that have been torn apart. Anyway, this bill was being held back by one Senator (www.coburnsayyes.com). Hundreds of teens and young adults camped outside of his Oklahoma office for 262 hours. I was only part of it through their live streaming of the event on the internet. They made signs and stood outside his office, being super kind. People were curious and they shared with them when they asked. Everyone knew what to kindly answer for questions being asked and people responded to them with great generosity and kindness in return. We wrote emails to him and called his office thanking him for the things that he has supported that we also support and then urged him to please consider passing this bill to help arrest Joseph Kony (the LRA leader) and put an end to the longest running war in Africa. And guess what? After all that time of being friendly and kind, he supported the bill!!! He actually thanked the people from Invisible Children and Resolve Uganda (www.resolveuganda.com) for doing this the 'right way' and he mentioned that he had only heard good things from everyone who had told him about them and this bill. It was just really cool to be a small part of.

Wow, that got a little long, but I just had to get some of that out there. Hopefully I'll start posting a little more consistently soon so I don't have to have wordy spells as often. :)

Quote

2010-02-23T15:15:00.002-06:00

Here's a fun quote I saw in a movie last night. Thought I should share:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
~Marianne Williamson

I wonder what it would be like if everyone pursued their dreams and ideas and gifts that God has given them with every fiber of their being? The world would be so different. I find myself falling back into patterns of laziness or content much too easily and I'm not sure why? Maybe because it is comfortable and doesn't take much work? I have so many dreams and passions in my life, but I find myself not pursuing them with all I have. I always get to thinking, "Yeah, I could spend time on this and this and that, but then have no time to do anything else," or "I'd love to do that if I wasn't working at this job or as much, etc." Lame. I'm playing small and not letting my light fully shine. Hopefully it is at least glowing and I'm at least giving some of my potential. But that's not good enough, I need to radiate! I hope and pray that 2010 brings many changes, both big and small. That I am able to change my typical pattern of contentment and start becoming more bold and unafraid of what challenges I may face along the way. People are in need. And I want to give.

So look at your life. "Who are you not to be? You are a child of God. "

Another chapter in my book of life....

2010-02-22T15:02:00.003-06:00

How sad is it that I haven't blogged in almost a year? Craziness. I've meant to quite a few times but never seemed to find the time among work, church, other activities, and having a husband. :) Well here goes....
I officially finished OT school last May ('09) and became a REAL occupational therapist in July. Since then, I've worked in an outpatient clinic focusing mainly on geriatric patients, as well as filled in for a pediatric clinic a couple days per week.
I have a new-found love for older adults that I have never had. :) I never disliked them by any means, but just didn't think I'd ever want to work with them. My dad has been a nursing home administrator my whole life, and my mom a nurse.....usually in the same place. I've grown up in them, helping decorate for holidays, watching Full House after school there in elementary school, ate meals there occasionally, and bombarded the activity rooms to 'make gloves' with the paraffin. I thought I'd probably end up working mostly with kids in the big scheme of life. Through my job (w/ more geriatric clients), I have met some amazing people, and heard of great stories. One of my patients used to be a dancer, some were missionaries in far off places, one boxed in a small town ND cigar shop when they were a teenager. One of them even saw Mussolini's body when he was hung upside down for all to see he had been killed. All of them have such interesting stories and histories. All important, but many are not remembered or known by others. I wish I could compile their stories and put them into a book. :) I could probably keeping HIPAA in mind, but that would mean I find LOTS more free time!
There are many new adventures in my life that are ahead of me, some of which I hope to share here. But not today.

In place of more verbage from me, here's a great video a friend posted today. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI-l0tK8Ok0

Wonder

2009-03-09T20:06:00.003-05:00

Right now, I'm just a little ball of wonder.

I have less than two weeks left of my last fieldwork. It's been going well, but a lot of days leave me wondering. Like how I am doing, how I can improve, how I am being perceived, and how to make things different the next day. I have gotten to work w/ a variety of diagnoses, but mostly physical issues. I want to observe in a few more areas like psych (all ages), group homes, and a little more school system, preferably on the reservation since it's run a little differently for OTs....but I'll need to do that on my own.

After that, I need to study and get ready to take my boards. Results this year haven't been as positive as previous years so I wonder if I'll pass. I want to prepare as much as possible before I take it, I'm not a great test taker so that'll be a ton of fun. :)

Then is off to find a job or jobs. For this, I have no idea where I'll be or what I'll do. I'm planning on giving it to God and letting Him figure things out for me, but I still wonder what it'll entail. PRN? Part-time? Full-time? Here? Traveling? Moving?

I often wonder what it would be like to be some of my patients and their families. I can't imagine their wonder and worries. It's crazy how much their worlds are totally rocked and how much they'll have to readjust. Lives are changed forever, by things that could and could not be prevented. It definitely makes me want to live as healthy as a life as I am able.

I also wonder what is in store for my family, friends, and others in my life. There are so many paths in life that take us different directions, and so many things can happen. Opportunities, tragedies, joys, sorrows, challenges, and successes. Ups and downs that mold us into who we are. I am curious what will be in store for me and so many people eternally. So many things to think about.

And I wonder what will happen with the peoples' lives that we've met in other countries. What's in store for them and if they will be given chances and opportunities in life that they deserve. I know many of them won't get the chance and it's such a bummer. It would be so cool to get to see people again in the future that we've met during these experiences.

I wonder when all of this will stop whirling in my mind? :0)

**The truth is rarely true and never simple.**

~Oscar Wilde~

**Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.**
~Leo Tolstoy~

Summer Update

2008-09-21T17:42:00.003-05:00

Soooooooo, I guess I haven't updated since before Africa! :)
It was an amazing trip and I really don't have time to explain everything, but definately check out the video posted here to get a little taste. I saw that in an earlier blog I wrote about the fact that we were worried about receiving the support we needed to go on the trip. We've gone on other mission trips before to other countries, so we didn't want to bombard our family yet again with requests for money and support. We sent out letters and it seemed like the word leaked on it's own. To our suprise, we received beyond what was needed for the trip from family and friends to complete strangers. It was amazing!! We used the extra money to pay for our bills for the time we would be gone and not earning income. Our prayers were definately answered. Andy quit his job at the time to travel on the trip and I had OT fieldwork right after (and am still on it) so we now are trying to look for opportunities & jobs for both of us. Andy has been working crazy hard to earn the income we need these last couple months so I'm super thankful for that. Anyway, here's a short video of our trip.....more to come!!! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKS8weczGac

Political Campaigns

2008-09-21T17:21:00.004-05:00

I'm getting super sick of seeing political ads on every other commercial. I know they want/need publicity to have a better chance of getting into whatever offices they'd like to get into, but seriously, I'm waiting on some true substance. I'm mainly talking about the Minnesota Senate commercials & the Presidential candidate commercials. It's just as trashy as some of the shows on TV if not worse. It's basically two people telling the world what the other person doesn't do right and why they don't deserve a chance, and a lot of times it's also what they WILL do that either the other candidate won't do or the current person in office hasn't done. It's just annoying. Why would I want to vote for ANYONE that can't even show that they respect the other candidate or sometimes even political party? I'm neither a democrat or a republican, I'm just looking for who I believe would be the best person for the job. There is just SO much that goes around that is untrue, wrong, and/or hurtful that it gives a horrible representation of the elections anyway. The Minnesota campaigns talk about how much money the other has wasted on trips or how much the other swears or is rude and ONLY use that content. I'm sick of people debating to the death if it's OK that Obama may be a Christian or a Muslim, and sick of hearing if the fact that Palin's daughter is pregnant is wrong or not. It's all so tiring. Let's see what they're best interests are for the US instead. OK I'm done venting but here's a really applicable quote to the situation....

"A typical vice of American politics is the avoidance of saying anything real on real issues." ~Theodore Roosevelt~

HiJkLmNoP

2008-05-20T15:30:00.007-05:00

So I am sitting at work once again. :) But it's good. I really like my job a lot. I work at a shelter for abused women and children. Working here has really changed me and will really help me in future practice. I have learned to be a great listener, have a ton of empathy, to not let others and myself be manipulated, how to handle certain crises, etc. It's been a great all around thing. I'm so glad Kristie told me about it. It's so sad to hear the stories of these women, but also great to see them finding strength to keep going.

That would be so great if there were two more days in the week where you could volunteer instead of work. I was looking in the paper last week at the different volunteer opportunities here and there is delivering meals, adopting a pet, the soup kitchen, being a big brother or sister, and so much more. I was surprised to see so many things for how small our area is.

Wow, it's late. That's it for today.

great quotes from great girls

2008-05-15T00:45:00.003-05:00

Sooo, I have been leading a small group of high school girls for a church in town over the past four years. I started when they were freshmen, and now they are almost done being seniors. They have grown in numbers, strength, and passion. They have kept me going through all of OT school and almost all of my college career. Yes, the girls are 5 or more years younger than me, but I have learned innumerable things from them. They have shown me so much and helped me to keep staying young......which I always plan to feel. I love them as strongly as I love my sisters, and that is what they truely are. My sisters, and some of the best friends I could ask for. We have all had victories and all have fallen, but we can do it knowing that the others will be there to cheer us on or pick us up. We all try to stay as rooted in faith as possible, and help each other do it.
This year, we've been passing around a traveling journal where the girls can write whatever they'd like inside. There are a lot of amazing things inside, but I'll only pull out some phrases that they have quoted others on.

*You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now.* Joan Baez
*Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of the mind, than on outward circumstances.* Benjamin Franklin
*You've got so much love in you. You've got so much love in you. I'm amazed that I'm talking to you.* Rocket Summer
*Just because everyone's doing it doesn't mean it's right. Just because it's right doesn't mean everyone's doing it* Sarah
*I believe in the sun even when it's not shining. I believe in love even when I don't feel it. I believe in God even when he is silent. I believe.* Barlow Girl
*My grace is sufficient for you! For my power is made perfect in weakness. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.* 2 Corinthians 2:8&10
*Love all you can. It's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had?* Henry James
*A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for*
*An archaeologist is the best husband any woman can have: the older she gets the more interested he is.* Anon
*Don't forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels withought knowing it.* Ephesians 13:2
*For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.* 2 Timothy 1:7
*So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God-even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.* 1 Corinthians 10:31-33
*Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.* Phillipians 4:6
*Oh no, you never let go! Through the calm and through the storm. Oh no, you never let go. Lord you never let go of me!* Song by ??
*God never gives you more than you can handle*
*The Lord is merciful, compassionate, patient, and always ready to forgive.* Psalms 145:8
*I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.* Proverbs 4:11-12
*When there's no where else to turn, all your bridges have been burned. Feels like you've hit rock bottom. Don't give up it's not the end, open up your heart again. Someone loves you even when you don't think so. Don't you know that you've got me and Jesus.* Song
*It's taken so long but now I know. I had to find out on my own. When nothing could convince me, your love it convinced me that it's gonna be ok.* Song

I love how much these girls have to offer. I just wish that they'd all be able to see it in themselves. I think that's a huge problem in today's world....especially for girls. That's why we're reading Captivating. It's a great book, but I hope it sinks in to them. Good night, I'm @ work and just trying to lazy this night shift along. :)

Me + Traveling = Love

2008-05-09T00:30:00.003-05:00

I haven't been on here for quite some time.....

My goal is to get better at it over the summer. So grad was last weekend and it was fun to walk and get hooded. I'm not really sure where to put my hood, but it's fun to have it! :)

This month I'll be working full time at the shelter so that'll be awesome. We (Andy & I) are going to Africa this summer and need to do some major fundraising. I'm super pumped to go but there is a LOT to do before that I really hope all comes together. I have always wanted to go to Africa and would really like to go back and travel and serve in other countries. We're going to Cameroon but other countries I REALLY would like to go to are Kenya and Uganda too.

My dream job would be either something where I could travel with Andy to these other countries and places of need in the states and we could work together to help however: I could do the medical part and he could do the business part....or something that would allow us both to take at least a few weeks off every year so we could go on a short term mission trip. I know that I may not find these things right off the bat, but everyone needs a dream right?

We're also trying to save up money for my trip to Guatemala for some of my fieldwork. There's almost 10 of us going that are made up of mostly students and one or two faculty. That's in November so I'm lucky to have a little time before I do that. :) It will be great though.

So I guess if you could just send a little prayer this way that we'd raise all of the support that we need.....it would be MUCH appreciated. :)

Ya bye!

I love......

2008-04-01T19:59:00.002-05:00

I love different things about each and every day. Today has been a realllly good day. I didn't wake up feeling the best, so I slept in which is always great. When I got up I actually got quite a bit accomplished. Did some laundry and cleaning, studied, and worked on my resume. I really don't think it's that great, but it needs to be done. I chopped my hair off last week and I'm not the biggest fan....so the fact that I had a good hair day today made me happier than it would make most. lol. I took a test in Assistive Tech class today and it was so much easier than the last. YES! We got out really early and then taught my cousin piano lessons instead of trying to stuff it into Thursday. Now the Biggest Loser is on---my favorite show! It's great like usual, but a little weird cuz it seems like there's a little spark between Mark & Alli. Not that you all know who I'm talking about so you'll have to watch it and see. I love seeing how far people can push themselves and grow in those experiences. Anyway, I'll write more about school a little later. :)

Ugh!

2008-03-29T00:09:00.005-05:00

Wow, I need to get better at blogging more often. Today we had our final class session of Therapeutic Use of Self. It's a class where we really sum up everything that we've really learned about ourselves from OT school. We talk about spirituality in practice, using humor in practice, we've done some conflict management, and have completed many surveys and papers about ourselves. In today's class, we did a presentation on ourselves. Everyone's was a little different, but I talked about my family and life situations and how they've shaped who I will be as an OT. I also talked about my attitudes, values, beliefs, perceptions, actions, convictions, and my integration to OT practice. It really explains who I am, so if I ever figure out how to post a ppt on this I'll go ahead and do it. I am not the most computer savvy person, so if you really want to see it, you may just want to let me know. lol. Another part of it was which model of practice I use in my daily life. I'd have to say I use PEOP the most. Person-->Environment-->Occupation-->Participation. It takes into consideration both extrinsic and intrinsic factors (which cover A LOT), so those along with participation and occupation gives you occupational performance and participation. It's goal is to have ppl live a satisfying and productive life, which is exactly what I want. It's completely different when you apply the models and frames of reference to yourself rather than our supposed clients. It's almost a little like being a patient of yourself. This is super random, but I compared myself to a tree towards the end. I talked about it's strong roots and how it can be used in so many ways and situations. Here is a little part from the end:

Right now I’m an entry level tree with both strong and weak branches. I will need to mend and prune those weak branches to make them stronger along the way. Some of them will die and break off, but it will make room for new branches to start growing. I may never grow to be the strongest and tallest tree in the forest, but I will continually try to reach new heights.

That's all for tonight. I'm falling alseep at the keys and Andy went to bed over an hour ago. :S Whoopsies! lol.

We put the OT in HOT!!!

2008-03-20T20:20:00.003-05:00

So we're getting closer and closer to the annual AOTA national conference. Last year was in St. Louis and it was GREAT so I am very excited to go this year....to Long Beach! We talked a little about this years motions to the RA in SOTA today, and some of them are definately interesting. Maybe I'll put them up here later, we'll see. :) Here's a few pics from last year's conference:

Me getting some major sensory input! :)

Sweet pins that were handed out at conference.
OTs are HOT!

All of the ND students at conference. We were the ASD reps for UND and UMary.
Marcie, Shell, Amber, and Me

I'm really excited about this years conference because there are a lot more students coming from ND. Last year it was only us four, and this year there are four different ASD reps, along with 8+ more Mary students and at least 4 more UND students. (I'm not sure exactly.) It's really encouraging to see how much we're growing.

Another exciting thing was how many ppl were recruited to NDOTA at the conference. There were over 30 students who joined NDOTA for the first time. There were 65 students there and that's encouraging for a first annual conference. :) That's all for now.

Level 1 Fieldwork

2008-03-18T16:54:00.002-05:00

So I'm done with fieldwork and back to school. It was a lot of fun but I was ready to get back home and stop living out of my suitcase. :) On Thursday and Friday I administered the CAM on a patient and watched the MVPT with her too. I'm glad the therapist was in the room with me. I went in the room pretty confident, but made a few simple mistakes that I'm glad she caught. I watched three therapists administer it that week and they all did it a little different but the same. Wednesday we went on a community outing to a local grocery store. There were three patients, along with and OT, SLP and Rec Therapist. Each patient had three goals for the trip involving ordering their lunch, ambulating ____ft, finding the items in the aisles, etc. They each got a grocery list that they decided for the next day's lunch and each therapist had one patient. The next day, they came to the OT kitchen and had to prepare, eat, and clean-up their lunch they had planned and their families could come. The whole experience was definately in a setting where I could see myself working in the future. Good stuff! :)

Fieldwork

2008-03-11T21:34:00.003-05:00

I know I'm a year three student, but our school does things a little different. We do one level one fieldwork our second year and one our third year. After our third year we have two different 12 week fieldworks and a choice to do an additional fieldwork experience in Guatemala...which im doing of course. :) We also have different things that we do throughout OT school that count as another level 1 FW. Right now I'm doing a Level 1 FW doing Inpatient Rehab and Transitional Care. So far things are going really well and I'm really enjoying it. It's definately something I could see myself doing in the future, but not forever. :)There are a lot of pts with TKAs and THAs, but also a lot of variety with tumor removal where different parts of the brain are affected, CVAs, TBIs, along with some really interesting secondary diagnoses. I thought it would feel longer and redundant, but I really like it. They have so much fun equipment and really great programs. There is a lot more variety there than at home. I've gotten to work with a few therapists and a couple students. At first I was nervous about having more than one educator but I've found that I really like it. I get to see a bigger variety of treatment methods and diagnoses. One of our assignments for school with this FW is to do the COPM on a pt. Since my site doesn't really use the COPM, we have decided that I will be doing the CAM along with ADL history. So tomorrow I'm observing a student who will be completing the CAM with one of her pts and I will do it on Thursday. It will be nice to get a refresher before I do it on my own. Everyone has been great to me and I've enjoyed working with everyone so far, my main educator is really amazing. She has great interactions with her clients and coworkers. She is always optimistic, compassionate, and considerate. I definately have learned a lot (it's only the second day) and am really glad I was placed at this site.

OT School Projects

2008-03-02T17:35:00.003-06:00

Soooooo,
I'm going to write a little about our current projects in school so if I blog about them ppl know what I'm actually talking about. It will probably get quite wordy, so if you aren't interested, I'd recommend skipping it. :)
One project we're working on right now is our Slagle House project. There actually is a Slagle House in California, and our projected is somewhat designed from it. In our program, we really don't cover a lot of 'business class' info, so Slagle House is a great way to get some practice. My understanding is that we have the floor plans of the house in California, and we create our own clinic from that. We are split into groups of three and each serve a different population. Some include women who are abused, at risk youth....sorry youth at risk (people first!!) :), adults with chronic mental health issues, well elderly with depression, one more child population, and another adult/elderly population dealing with substance abuse. Sorry, I can't remember them all off hand. Since there are so many groups, we're split into two houses and each group of three has a floor of the house for their clinic. (there are three floors in each house.) My group's clientele are adults with chronic mental health issues and we're on the second floor of the house. We're given a 3 year budget and are put to work. We 'shop' online for everything possible we'd need in our clinic from office supplies to furniture to assessments to appliances. We 'hire' however many people we need in whatever professions would benefit our clients the most. We take into account demo and construction costs, utilities, transportation, groceries, marketing, insurance, etc., and inflation is calculated in for each year. We have a daily schedule that includes all of our services. Areas we will work with our clients are social skills, community integration, home management, meal planning & preparation, job skills, & stress management. We stick to our budget, write a business plan, and create a floor plan that fits our needs. When the project is completed, we have 40 minutes to present on what makes our program unique. I have REALLY enjoyed working on this project. I don't feel like I could go open my own practice tomorrow or anything, but I have a better handle on what it would all involve. Does anyone else do anything like this in their programs? Or even anything like this that has to deal with the business side of OT?
Another project that we're working on is our Community Partners in Service Project aka our theses. We start working on this our first year in OT school and it becomes our thesis our second and third year. We have a list of places available to us and can pick our top three choices. I am with a segment of our local Parks and Rec program called B.L.A.S.T. (Bismarck Life After School Time). It includes the vast majority of after-school programs in Bismarck. I started this project working with two other classmates and we were assigned to a specific school. Our needs assessment showed two main areas of need. The other two group members were pretty passionate about working with discipline and I was passionate about working with structured activities and job satisfaction so we decided to split and cover them both. Once that was decided, the administration of the program thought that since we were covering two areas, we should be put into two different schools (which makes sense, but doesn't necessarily deal with our needs assessment). So I was switched to a different elementary school in town. They actually have great structure and play great games. So my quantitative study on job satisfaction and certain structured activities (in a small nutshell) has been changed a few times and now is looking like it will be a qualitative study on what it is like to lead an after-school program as high school and college students.....i hope!! I have to make quite a few changes to what I've already written so we'll see how it goes. The results of my study have to be presented the first week of May, but my actual thesis doesn't have to be completely written up and bound until December. I definitely don't plan on waiting that long, but knowing that I have some extra time know eases my mind a bit. This week is actually spring break so I'll be spending quite a bit of my time on it. The week after is a one week fieldwork experience so that'll be exciting.
Yet another project we are working on this semester is at a retirement home within the community. We are partnered with Physical Therapy students and a client from the retirement home. Every week one of the groups leads an exercise activity for the ppl living in the retirement home. After the exercise group we spend time with our client. We do an eval, get to know them a little, and assess things like their strength, ROM, ADLs, some IADLs, etc. We then give them ideas and make recommendations, etc. I've really enjoyed this experience, but our client has been pretty sick the last couple weeks with pneumonia. If they're not better by tomorrow we'll have to bring them a get well package. I really hope they're feeling better very soon!
Ok, that's enough for now............don't want to bore you too much!! :)

Quick n Dirty Fundraising Ideas

2008-02-28T22:23:00.003-06:00

Ok, so here are a couple free money fundraising ideas if anyone is looking for any. :)

Some are for a trip this summer to Africa that Andy and I are planning on going on with the youth group for three weeks in July. = $3000
Others are for one of my fieldworks to Guatemala with some of my classmates in November. = $1800

#1. Go to your local Pizza Hut and pick a date that works with them. Print off flyers with that date and post them/leave them everywhere and with everyone. We're planning on putting them on cars on campus and off. Then on that date you get 20% of all profits from that night when ppl bring their flyers in.
#2. The website www.goodsearch.com is set up for non-profit organizations. You can set up your own account and for every search ppl use on the site you get 10 cents. It's powered by Yahoo so you get pretty legit results. I Google daily, and if you have a big group/congregation/family that would change their homepage to Goodsearch, you could get some moola.
#3. This is my favorite. Go to Sam's Club and buy a 24 pack of mini M&Ms that are in the canisters/tubes. Type up these directions on address labels and hand them out:
1. Eat and enjoy the M&Ms
2. Fill the container with spare quarters
3. Pray for us as we prepare for the trip
4. Return to ________ by _________
Once you collect all of the containers, count up your money and that's all there is to it. Each container can hold $14 in quarters. So that's $1400 for 100 tubes. It's nice because you don't have to collect money and deliver something, or force ppl to buy something. Everyone has spare change laying around, so give them one or two tubes for two months and you'll have some much needed funds. :)

Does anyone else have any ideas?????

1st ever ND student OT conference

2008-02-23T20:23:00.003-06:00

So today was the first ever ND student OT conference. It went over really well. There were around 70 students there which is really good for a first time thing! There were OT students from UMary and UND and OTA students from LRC and NDSCS. We had the PTE advisors as the keynote talking some about the Centennial Vision (AOTA) and also the 'four i's' we need to approach our work with: Intellegence, Imagination, Integrity, and Inspiration. Then we had four break-out sessions throughout the day. One was on therapy dogs that are trained here in ND. They can be trained for most anything and are great working with ppl that have various disabilities. Some are used for mobility, some for hearing, some for seeing, some for sensing low blood sugar, others for early detection of seizures, and even more. It's amazing to see what they can do. The website of the company that talked to us today is: http://www.greatplainsdogs.com/ and
http://www.healingpawstherapypets.org/index.html is another site in Fargo that works with therapy dogs. We also were talked to about the recovery model. The OT and OTA from the State Hospital presented on this. They have they're programmed designed so it's set up more like a community than a controlling hospital environment. Recovery is a continuous process and we need to have our own choices in the medical setting in how our recovery will go since it's up to us when we get out. Another topic was benefits packages in our future jobs. There's so much out there to know when looking for jobs. I honestly felt like I needed to be there for another hour or so to really understand each individual thing, but oh well. Our last session was on Assistive Tech. The guy who talked about it was SOOOO knowledgable and passionate about what he did. He used a lot of websites as resources that were really great. One video he used to portray people of all types was http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/wp-content/themes/179/aschool012008.html , which was so right. There were quite a few tears shed after that one. Www.cast.org talks about universal design for learning and . Another great video we watched was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BhHwk9qSvI, which is about a man that was born with Spinal Muscle Atrophy and does everything with a switch with his thumb. He goes incredibly fast, I can't even imagine!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, that was pretty much the conference today. Happy Saturday!!!

Cool in School

2008-02-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

BRRRRRRRRR!!! So it was 30 below without the windchill last night so I bet it was around 50 degrees below zero. It's been freezing here! Gotta love North Dakota! So since the beginning of the school year, there has been freezing air blowing into the OT lab. It's less than 50 degrees in there. Lol, we wear plenty of layers. Today I was sporting the sweatpants with tights underneath, along with a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, and Northface vest. I was still a little cold with all that! Last night we had Assistive Tech and talked about the PECS system for teaching kids how to communicate. It works best with autistic children. It was really neat watching videos with children that have worked with it. There were also a lot of fun communication devices for kids with low vision or hearing along with developmental disorders. Today we did some excitatory & inhibitory exercises to use on clients. A lot of it was review, but it's nice to get some extra practice in, and to get it done to you. Anyway, I have to get going to youth group (Andy's getting a little inpatient) (:o). Afterwards I have to finish my part of the Slagle House project, and read the rest of the chapter for my small group girls. They're highschoolers that I help out with at church and we're reading Captivating together. Every Thursday morning we get together to eat breakfast and talk about it before school. These girls are amazing!!! Don't know what I'd ever do without them in my weeks! Goodnight!

Newbie

2008-02-19T14:51:00.000-06:00

Ok, I think this is super cool.
I've been running into different OT blogs since the beginning of the semester and I just spent the last two hours reading a few ppls. I know it's a little excessive, but it's one of those things that you just get lost in. I was experiencing some major 'flow'. I really like the idea of doing this as an OT thing. Putting what I had learned each day for the past 3 years of OT school would've been a great idea. It would be a great place for pics and review whenever I need it. So for now I'll just have to use other's OT blogspots for learning/review. :)