Spring 2015 Semester Wrap Up

OMMGGG! Can you believe that I have OFFICIALLY completed my first year of grad school!!!??? I can't. It has definitely been an interesting year to say the least. It started off with anatomy, which was doable of course, but also very fast paced, stressful, and difficult.

Then, there was the fall semester which actually wasn't too bad. The courses themselves and the assignments, tests, projects -- all that, were very manageable. The only thing was my mind wasn't right so my motivation was below sea level. If your mind isn't where it should be the simplest of tasks become difficult.

Finally, there was the spring semester, which challenged me in many many ways. It was uncomfortable, but a much needed experience for both personal and professional growth. I have always understood the importance of being able to work well in a group, but it is something that I have always struggled with. This semester we had crap loads of group projects. I worked well in the groups that were just me and one other person, but the ones with 3 or 4 people to a group were stressful because the dynamics were sometimes off. I'm slowly learning to choose my battles and which projects are okay for me to take a more passive go with the flow role. I wouldn't label myself a perfectionist, but I take pride in quality work. It doesn't have to be perfect, but I like to give my best effort. Another thing that challenged me was "patient" interaction. In my blog post "Looking Beyond Conditions & Physical Interactions," I talked about the awkwardness I felt while interacting with clients at the ADC and how I struggled with feeling inadequate. During this time, I was also going through a "crisis." There were a series of events, that now I am unable to recall, that really challenged me and made me feel incompetent and I had a small break down. It was really bothering me because I have never felt so inadequate in my life and I didn't like how it felt -- very unsettling. As a result, I bought a ton of books with money I didn't really have, in an effort to soothe my discomfort. Three of the books pictured below are actually books required for the summer semester. I will picture them separately in my next blog post when I tell you about my summer semester adventures lol. But anyways, the other 13 books are completely supplementary. 

Row by Row; Right to Left:

(1) Stepping Into Handwriting, Creek's Occupational Therapy and Mental Health 6th ed., The Intentional Relationship, Documentation Manual for Occupational Therapy,

(2) Quick Reference Occupational Therapy, Quick Reference Dictionary for Occupational Therapy, Therapeutic Exercise Foundations and Techniques, Assistive Technologies

(3) Critical Reasoning in Occupational Therapy,  Optimizing Cognitive Rehabilitation, Activity Analysis Application to Occupation, Physical Agent Modalities

(4) Occupation-Based Activity Analysis, The Successful Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Student, The Wheelchair Evaluation, Spanish for the Occupational Therapist

The tests and content covered were also much more difficult. In preparation for the NBCOT exam, the professors have given us 3x more "NBCOT style"questions on tests and quizzes. There were quite a few tests that I felt no bueno about when I handed in my test. Fortunately, in the end, everything turned out well and I was able to pull through with all A's. One of the courses, " Foundations for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice" was combined with "Intro to Clinical Reasoning" and was counted as a Pass/Fail. 

This summer, we start our first fieldwork I rounds so I am definitely ready for a change in pace. I will give you more details in my next blog post!

<3 Bemo