Mock Interview

I truly enjoyed the mock interview experience and thought it went very well overall. When I was preparing for this interview, I told myself I was going to treat this experience as if it were the real thing because I knew it would be very beneficial for me. As I was looking over resources to prepare for this interview, I learned so much that I had never really thought of before. I was scrolling through questions and reading about the best way to answer them and a lot of things caught me by surprise. I realized that several of the answers I had prepared were considered cliche answers and I was completely unaware because I thought I was providing genuine answers to the questions asked. For example, the question of, "tell me about yourself" was something I took as, truly tell me about you. Therefore, my answers were tailored toward my hobbies, values, morals, etc. However, during my preparation I realized how important it is to adjust your answer, to that question, and relate it back to your career. Something that went differently than expected was the fact that when I was preparing, I practiced all of these questions, but it in the back of my mind, I just knew they were going to ask me a question that I was unprepared for. However, that was not the case which made me feel as though all of my preparation payed off.

During this process, I learned so much about providing answers that make you memorable and ways you can incorporate aspects of your academic career such as research projects, presentations, fieldwork experiences, etc. into the interview process. With that being said, there were some things I thought went really well and there were some things I thought I could improve on. I believe I gave very thoughtful answers and tried to build rapport with the interviewer. I did get asked the question I referenced earlier, and remembering what I had learned, I thought I answered it well with a mixture of both what I have done in my academic career that would relate back to the position I was applying for, while also letting her know a little about what I enjoy. I think it is important to let the interviewer know about your personality to ensure you will fit in with the personalities already at their facility. One of the things I could improve on would be the fact that I rambled some when answering the questions. As I was answering, I kept thinking of other things that I could say that would be a good way to answer the question and ended up somewhat talking in circles. I also, said the word "important" too many times. In the future, I need to work on having more concise but appropriate answers and finding synonyms for common words used in an interview and trying to broaden my vocabulary a little more in that regard. 

All in all, I thought this was a great experience and learned so much from this process. My interviewer gave us feedback on the one topic that everyone is scared to talk about, salary. Her advice was great and made a lot of sense as to when to bring it up and how to bring it up. I think the mock interviews should continue and I loved that it was with someone who we were not familiar with, because it made the experience that much more authentic. 

Aging and Sexual Health

From the lecture today on aging and sexual health, there were some key takeaways that were important for occupational therapists to understand considering this topic is within our scope of practice. It may be a very uncomfortable topic for most people, but it is a major component for increased quality of life. All in all, sexual experiences start with a cognitive thought and there can be physical or psychological reasons why someone is having issues with their sexual intimacy. For men it is more a perfectionist mindset, and for women it is more of a biological drive or body image issue that can hold them back from engaging in this activity. There is a common idea that older adults leave behind this component of their life as they age and this is not necessarily true. There are definitely changes that occur as we age when it comes to this specific topic, but learning how to address these issues and concerns are part of what needs to take place to maintain quality of life. Occupational therapists and certified sex therapists need to work together on this matter because if either discipline needs a consult from the other professional, it is important to know their role in this subject as well as what occupational therapy can do to help. 

One intervention that an occupational therapist could work on with an individual is energy conservation. For many diagnoses and the older population specifically, fatigue can be an issue. Working on building endurance in therapy is one way to address sexual health, but also educating the client on how to conserve their energy prior to engaging in sexual activity. Strategies such as having all related items for a task in one specific area, limiting the need to expel a large amount of energy for everyday activities, can help with the client having saved energy to devote to their sexual experiences. Also, taking breaks throughout the day and spreading tasks out over the course of the week instead of trying to do multiple things in one day can help reserve some energy as well. 

For a group or a population, an intervention that could be implemented might be doing an inservice for employees who work in skilled nursing facilities or an educational session for caregivers on the importance of sexual health for the older adult population. The inservice should include information on the importance of not shaming them for feeling a need to pursue this type of activity and ways we can support them such as giving them privacy, validating their concerns, finding resources for them, and helping them understand that changes are completely normal for the aging population. Further, if you are working with a group of older adults who have had surgeries that can impact their ability to engage in this type of activity such as hip replacements, spinal cord injuries, or amputations this could be a topic of discussion during group after a significant amount of rapport has been built. You could invite a certified sex therapist to assist you with leading this particular group session to expand the information given on the topic. 

For all interactions with clients occupational therapists should utilize the PLISSIT model that stands for permission, limited information, specific suggestions, and intensive therapy.  

Adaptive Driving Evaluation and Training Program

Based on our guest lecture regarding adaptive driving, there were a few key takeaways that I feel are very important. Having the ability to drive, no matter the situation, promotes a sense of independence and freedom. From the moment we all reach the 16 year old age requirement our dream of driving is the only thing on our minds and that freeing feeling follows us even into older age. There are several reasons why driving abilities need to be adapted or even eliminated throughout the lifespan. These reasons range from diseases or disorders that someone has had since birth, to surgeries or events that can occur in later years such as spinal fusions and strokes. As occupational therapists, we can become Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialists (CDRS), which allows us to evaluate someone on their ability to drive safely through a clinical assessment and a behind-the-wheel assessment. This will allow the therapist to make a recommendation as to whether or not a client is capable of safely navigating roads and interstates. There is a very delicate way to approach this topic with clients, because we always need to refer back to the fact that most people do not see this as a way to maintain safety because they do not see an issue with their driving abilities, rather, they see it as taking away their freedom.

Intervention strategies that can be conducted by an OT could vary depending on the person. If a person does receive adaptations to their vehicle, an intervention that could be specific to an individual would be transferring in and out of the vehicle while taking into consideration transport of any durable medical equipment they may be using such a wheelchair or walker. Learning how to get into and out of an adaptive vehicle without leaving your equipment behind can be a challenge. Further, an intervention for a group of clients who have reported issues with driving could simply be education about what equipment you can buy locally that could resolve the issue. As we learned in our lecture, there are several, cost efficient, easy to install items, that can be bought to assist with driving ability that the group could learn about. The type of group could vary between low vision, stroke, amputations, and many more. 

Glyph Leadership Activity

At the beginning of my OT school journey, my class and I did an activity where we drew a picture of a face and each component of the face was drawn after given a choice based on your opinion of what characteristics a leader should obtain.  For example, if you thought being a leader was something you are born with, you were supposed to draw a triangle-shaped head, and if you thought is was a product of nurture over nature, you were supposed to draw a square-shaped head. At the end of last week, we did this activity again to see how much our perspective of a leader had changed and we compared our results. Overall, my two drawings were similar. However, I noticed the things that did change were signs of growth in my abilities as a leader. Some of the main differences I noticed, after comparing the two drawings, were that at the beginning, I drew pointed eyebrows indicating that I was a more behind the scenes leader, this time I drew rounded eyebrows indicating that I was a more out front leader. The ears on my person are now pointed rather than round and this indicates that I now believe technology doesn't have to play a huge role in being a leader. And lastly, I drew a piece of jewelry meaning I see myself as a leader and I drew glasses meaning I feel I have had more experience in being a leader than most other people my age. All in all, this activity has allowed me to reflect back on my OT school journey and how much personal growth I have experienced since the beginning. The activities, the clubs, the interactions, the friendships have all been so beneficial to me as a person and as a future clinician. Being a leader is such an important part of being an occupational therapist, in fact, one of the criteria for us as students

to carry with us out into the field of practice is being a leader change agent and I feel I have made significant process to achieve this requirement. I am very thankful for this fun, quirky exercise.

Nutrition and Aging

Based on a lecture in our older adult class with a focus on nutrition, the key takeaways were that nutrition is important for everyone, specifically the aging population. Nutrition is vital for things like would healing and preventing a decline in function. Further, malnutrition can occur, especially in those who have been in the ICU for a number of days. A person's metabolism, when they have been in the ICU, is functioning at such a higher rate, so the need to intake more calories and nutrients becomes even more important. Another takeaway would be that lean body mass doesn't decline as a normal part of aging and if older adults could maintain their nutrition and exercise, it would be extremely beneficial to them in regard to function. One way occupational therapists could be involved in assisting clients, groups, and populations with nutrition is through our interventions. One intervention that could be done for a specific individual could be assisting the client with meal preparation. Educating the client and practicing strategies for meal preparation helps address how to prepare foods that fulfill all of the nutrients needed and ensure they have their recommended amount of protein. Another intervention that could be introduced would be a food log to provide a visual on what their diet consisted of throughout the day. This would allow the individual to see whether or not they have consumed any protein during their meals. Further, being able to check off the foods they have consumed can provide a motivation component for completing their nutrition requirements for the day. An intervention that could be administered to a group could be an educational session on the importance of nutrition and provide a list of foods with the recommended amounts based on body weight. This could be in the form of a group therapy session, for example, when self-feeding is being evaluated, or it could be for a group of health professionals such as nurses or physicians. Part of the educating process for group therapy can include activities related to cooking or baking depending upon factors such as cognitive status. The group can work together to prepare a healthy, nutrient packed meal. Group therapy can address many different aspects within our scope of practice, therefore it wouldn't be too difficult to include nutrition education within any group therapy session. Of course, the all client's interests and preferences should always be taken into consideration when planning interventions, therefore finding out their food preferences can be a huge piece of the puzzle when related to nutrition.

This is a debriefing video from my past Level I Fieldwork rotation at a skilled nursing facility. I hope you enjoy hearing about my experience! Here is the link. https://youtu.be/vFQKEZiPrn4

Alex and his ALS journey

Alex's Journey with ALS

Henderson, W. (2018). Alex Coriell's Journey With ALS. Retrieved from https://alsnewstoday.com/2018/02/01/alex-coriells-journey-with-als/?utm_source=ALSNews&utm_campaign=856209f0b7-RSS_FRIDAY_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0593028b75-856209f0b7-71721017

In this video, Alex is a 29 year-old husband and father. He was diagnosed with ALS in January of 2013. This video shows the progression of the disease and how he lost his ability to swallow, speak, walk, use his hands, and more. Alex's wife was his caregiver. She bathed him, fed him, clothed him, cooked for him, and supported him with such a loving attitude. As life for Alex became more of a challenge, he and his family did a wonderful job using technology to their advantage. When Alex could no longer speak, he had a device that could articulate for him. When he could no longer type with his fingers because of the pain, to post on his blog, they chose to have an IPAD/ tablet elevated to his level so he could type with his nose. When he could no longer type with his nose, he was able to control his keyboard using his eyes. Furthermore, Alex also had a power wheelchair that helped him get around both inside and outside their home.
Alex continued moving as much as possible when he still could. He walked with a cane, he lifted light weights, and he still did some of his ADLs (activities of daily living) such as shaving and brushing his teeth. Alex also made sure to still spend time with his children. Several times in the video, it showed Alex watching football with his boys, playing out in the yard, or spinning them around in his chair. He truly had a heart made for perseverance.

I chose to do this assignment on this video because we have just recently discussed ALS in class, and I thought it would not only help further my learning on the specific disease, but also give me insight into a real life situation for someone with ALS. I furthered my learning of this topic by using the knowledge I gained from the discussion we had in class, along with the notes I took on the topic, and it definitely helped put everything into perspective and helped further my understanding.

I have learned that ALS can also be referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Furthermore, this disease causes a deterioration of the muscles to the point to which the person cannot move. It can affect swallowing which results in a G-tube, and I got to see a small portion of this video showing us how that worked. I also got to see a significant amount of footage of the care-takers role in someone with ALS, which can further my understanding of how to educate the caregivers if I ever have a client with this disease. This video not only educated people on the facts of ALS, it also educated them on how a positive attitude can be of assistance when life doesn't go as expected. Alex had a wonderful heart and he never gave up regardless of what his body was preventing him from doing. Instead of giving up, he found a new way around the obstacles and challenges, and as an OT student, this was very interesting and inspiring to see. OTs are always adapting and looking for new ways to accomplish tasks that bring joy and fulfillment to the lives of other people. I loved how he was still able to paint with just a touch of modification, and he painted something that was important and meaningful to him.

I encourage anyone and everyone to watch this video. It is so unique, empowering, and vulnerable. I commend Alex for sharing his story, and reaching out to help others. This video was a great learning experience for individuals wanting to learn about ALS or to see how a positive attitude can go a long way!

https://alsnewstoday.com/2018/02/01/alex-coriells-journey-with-als/?utm_source=ALS+News&utm_campaign=856209f0b7-RSS_FRIDAY_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0593028b75-856209f0b7-71721017