Post-Interview Reflection

 After reflecting on my interview, I believe it went quite well. Overall, I had a great time discussing the potential job opportunity with the hiring manager. I was a little bit nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect or how I would respond to tough questions, but I feel that it went very well. I prepared for the interview by using resources on BB that Dr. Lancaster provided. This included researching tough interview questions and writing down some personal experiences and my strengths and weaknesses. I feel that writing out some thoughts before the interview really helped me mentally prepare for questions, even though I didn’t know what questions she would ask me. I believe if you are somewhat prepared for “typical” interview questions then the rest of them will naturally flow. Only one question went differently than I expected. That question was, “What was the most difficult part of your fieldwork?” I think this question tripped me up because we haven’t gone on our level II fieldwork rotations yet, so I was basing my answer solely on the 1 level I fieldwork we had, but other than that everything went as expected. I think something I would change is that I would do in-depth research about the facility where I am interviewing. This could include looking up their mission, standards, beliefs, etc. I have found great success in performing some preliminary research about a company prior to the interview so that they can say, “wow, he is already looking into what we are all about!” For example, if I am interviewing for a travel therapy OT job, I may reach out to some current employees in the company and see if they can provide any insight into what the company looks for or likes in their employees. I feel this can give you a significant upper hand when interviewing. In conclusion, I feel that I learned how to properly interview for an entry-level OT job, and I feel better prepared in knowing what I am worth and the value I can bring to the company. I believe that is one of the main things a company is looking for; what value are you going to bring to their company. This process also taught me that we are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing us. We need to feel at home and comfortable accepting the position from the company and believe it is a right fit. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I feel much more prepared for conquering my first, real-job interview in the future!

Glyph 2020

Glyph Key for Drawing A Self-Portrait of a Leader

Face Shape: If you believe that leadership is an inborn trait, draw a triangle-shaped head.  If you think that leadership stems from nurture over nature, draw a square-shaped head.

Eyes: If you think the vast majority of OTs are leaders, make big circles for the eyes.  If you think there is a fairly equal mixture of leaders and non-leaders in the field of OT, draw small circles for the eyes.  Fill in the pupils.  Add glasses if you feel that you have had more experience in leadership roles than most other people your age at this point in life.

Eyelashes: Draw one eyelash on each of the eyes for each of the five themes you can name based on your personal Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment from earlier in the curriculum.

Eyebrows: If you like to take the role of the leader in an out-in-front way, make curved eyebrows.  If your leadership style is more behind the scenes, make pointy eyebrows.

Nose: Draw a triangle nose if you think that seeing yourself as a leader is necessary to being a leader.  Draw a rounded nose if you believe that a person can be a leader without seeing himself or herself as a leader.

Skin:  Add a freckle anywhere on the skin of the face if you believe that self-awareness is vital to effective leadership.  Leave the skin clear if you don’t think it’s an essential trait.

Mouth: Draw a smiling mouth if you can think of at least one leader who has had a positive impact on you.  Draw a frown if you can’t think of a good example of a leader.

Ears: Draw round ears if you think technology is an important part of effective leadership in many situations. Draw pointy ears if don’t think so.

Hair: Draw the hair based on a continuum, based on your personal viewpoint in two areas: 

What’s more important in leadership:             Curly hair  <------------------------->  Straight hair 

          creativity or organization?                   Creativity  <-------------------------->  Organization

                        AND

Can an introvert be an effective leader?         Short hair <-------------------------> Long hair

                                                                           No way  <------ I’m unsure -----> Definitely yes

Accessories: Add at least one accessory (example: a piece of jewelry) if you see yourself as a leader.  Add a hat if the way you think about or approach leadership has changed as a result of what you have learned since beginning in OT school.

Finishing Touch: Label your paper with your name, writing in cursive if you have a written plan or goal about to serving in leadership roles in the future; write in print if you do not yet have a written plan. 

Above is a picture of my newly completed Glyph from Fall 2020. After completing this glyph, I realized several things had changed since I completed one last year. My belief of being a leader and becoming a leader has stayed somewhat consistent; although, I do believe I have taken more leadership roles since entering OT school than I have in previous years. I believe anyone can become a leader, yes, there are natural born leaders and people who are born into leadership through their familial connections; however, I believe anyone can make applicable decisions and adjust their mindset in order to become a leader. I hope to continue to invest time and effort into developing leadership skills and taking on leadership roles as a new practitioner and down the road as well-established OT.

Locus of Control

Locus of Control

After taking the LOC questionnaire, I calculated my score to be a 15. I found this somewhat surprising, because I am usually internally locus and believe individuals’ decisions play a MAJOR role in the outcomes of their life. In the past, I listened to a podcast on Spotify called “How I Built This.” The podcast interviewed different entrepreneurs about how they founded their businesses, how the scaled it from 1 to 100 million dollars, and so on. One thing that stuck out to me listening to this podcast was how every entrepreneur stated they worked harder than anyone they knew AND they had a tremendous amount of luck along the way. I think this speaks volumes of how success can come about in mysterious ways and I find this to be true in my own life as well. All in all, my score of 15 was weighted more towards externally locus; which I think can eb and flow depending on a multitude of different factors. I do believe that there are things in this world that are out of our control; however, I wholeheartedly believe the decisions we make will influence the outcomes of our life. 

After reading the supplemental income, I believe we should fully understand LOC for patients and other therapists. It is important to understand a patient’s LOC to know how to properly decision their intervention plan and know what would challenge them. If a patient is internally locus then we could understand they are motivated and will work strenuously to regain their abilities. However, the externally locus patient could play the victim during therapy, work, and other areas of their life. This is so important to understand even during our basic, everyday interactions with our patients. 

In conclusion, I believe it will help us become better therapists to understand locus of control in our patients and fellow employees. I think designing a patient’s intervention/plan of care will be impacted by understanding this. A patient that is externally locus will not respond well if we are blaming them for a slower progression in rehab. This may require us to be creative in our treatment design and responses to their comments.

OCP Peds Simulation

Overall, I believe the simulation went very well. Personally, I feel that this simulation was much more calming than the previous ones, or maybe it could be the "practice effect." It also could be just becoming more comfortable with speaking to clients. Just before entering the room there I became anxious, but once I walked in and introduced myself most of the nerves went away. In preparation for the SIM, there were copious amounts of information that we had to read, interpret, and deliver to our simulated client. I think spending ample amount of time preparing notes, reading over Libby's information, and practicing with classmates helped me be better prepared for my delivery of the information. I believe this SIM went well and I delivered the information I needed to with empathy and understanding.

If I could do something differently, I would have tried to get to know her more and understand what she is going through. I think probing more with questions about Libby, asking how her behavior impacts their daily life, and just try to get a full perspective about Libby and their family dynamic would have been great. I think this is the one thing I would have done differently.

1. One example of how an attitude of caring can be communicated to a client/caregiver is body positioning/language whenever speaking to the client. I believe body positioning is an integral part to being on the same level/playing field as the client. In our simulation, the client was seated near the hospital bed. I had to roll the stool over and sit close to the client, but not too much in her personal space. I think being close to the client shows that you care and you are available to them, and I also think it allows you to explain paperwork or documents "together" instead of being all the way across the room on a computer screen. 

2. Another example of how an attitude of caring can be communicated to a client/caregiver is practicing active/emphatic listening skills. This can be done by giving the client your sole attention, making eye contact with them while your speaking, and using facial expressions to express and openness to what they are saying. We know that listening is just as, if not more important than speaking, so as OT students we need to listen to our clients. We have to listen to understand.

I will incorporate this SIM lab into an actual clinical situation by using emphatic listening skills we have learned. I will take time during the clinical situation to sit down and actually get to know my clients on a personal level. Also, in a clinical situation I will take time to find things/interventions/activities that are truly meaningful to the client and help them work on those things. Overall, I think the SIM labs help us to develop a confidence to convey information and speak to clients in a professional and emphatic manner, and I am grateful for these opportunities to help us become better practitioners in the future.

Neuro Note 4

Parkinson's disease

A test for Parkinson’s with a phone call

Max Little— June 2012

Little, M. (2012, June 1). A test for Parkinson's with a phone call. Retrieved from https:// www.ted.com/talks/max_little_a_test_for_parkinson_s_with_a_phone_call?language=en#t-238655

Max Little is an applied mathematician. He has a friend, Jan, who has Parkinson’s and it destroyed her ballet career. 6.3 million people worldwide who have the disease and have to live with weakness, tremor, and rigidity. Max believes we need objective tools that will diagnosis and detect the disease earlier and more accurately. Unfortunately there are no biomarkers that show Parkinson’s disease. The most accurate current test is a 20 minute neurological test that is costly and will require the patient to come into a doctors office to receive the test. The test in the neurologist clinic is around $300. The vocal folds are affected in patients with Parkinson’s and Max is tracking those differentiations to diagnosis Parkinson’s with a phone call. Max’s goals are reducing logistical difficulties, high-frequency monitoring, and low-cost mass recruitment. He has developed a non-expert test to diagnosis Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s Voice Initiative is a way that everyone can call into the hotline and leave small voice recordings in order for Max and his team to collect data and see if individuals are showing early signs of Parkinson’s through their voice recordings. The more data Max receives the more advanced his machine learning will become and the better detection rate will be for his diagnostic tool. He also will be using the voice call in service for patients with Parkinson’s disease to call in and their doctor will receive the recording in order to check up on their progress. The doctor will be able to tell the progression of their disease solely based on the voice recording. 

I chose this Ted Talk because of the technology used to detect/track progress of Parkinson’s disease. I believe technology can make our lives better, more convenient, and more accessible in terms of healthcare opportunities. I was very intrigued by Max’s talk about machine learning and how collecting more and more data will increase the accuracy of detection and progression. It is something that will be paramount in the coming years especially in the healthcare sector. 

In addition to above, I believe I learned how technology can not only help us as healthcare practitioners, but it can completely mold how we care for our patients. I know as occupational therapist we will use our therapeutic use of self every single day with our clients, and we will build lifelong bonds with them as well. However, in today’s world we can communicate with individuals through the internet we never would have had the chance to meet in our entire lives. This is a special time and we can take advantage of the technology we have to enhance and benefit our lives. I believe there will always be a special place for face to face, physical communication, but I do believe technology, machine learning, AI, Virtual reality will better our lives and the health of our world. 

Below is Max’s website:

www.parkinsonsvoice.org

Media Project

Innovator’s Statement

One of the most useful things I learned from this assignment was finding the right innovation that fit perfectly with my client. Once I figured out what activities my client could complete with his upper and lower extremities, I was able to use my materials to create something meaningful and therapeutic for him. Craig used to work 70 hours per week owning his own music store, so I wanted to incorporate music and business into his therapeutic innovation. I took the brown paper bag and created CD and DVD pouches that Craig would be able to slide or push CDs into. This is where the “ah-ha” moment came into play.

From this assignment, I learned how to take an ordinary item and transform it into a therapeutic medium that is useful and meaningful to my client. I believe having prior knowledge of spinal cord injuries and deficits at those specific injuries helped me tremendously. I was able to find what Craig could perform and areas he would need assistance. Also from this project I have learned that most items we have within arms reach can be adapted and used for a therapeutic purpose. I believe creating the CD pouches and sleeves are a simple solution that is easily teachable. Lastly, completing this assignment will help me become a more adaptable occupational therapist. I know looking back to this assignment will help me when I am working with clients and need to think on my feet about a quick, adaptable intervention. When you have a client that needs a simple solution specifically catered to their occupations and wants, sometimes you have to be able to create something out of nothing.

Neuro Note 3

ALS

Nancy Frates—October 2014

“Meet the mom who started the Ice Bucket Challenge”

Frates, N. (2014, October 1). Meet the mom who started the Ice Bucket Challenge. Retrieved August 18, 2019, from https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_frates_why_my_family_started_the_als_ice_bucket_challenge_the_rest_is_history

Nancy talks about how in the Summer of 2011 her 27 year old son, Pete, was playing minor league baseball and got hit in the wrist while batting. His wrist went completely limb and was like this for several weeks. He went from doctor to doctor with no diagnosis but ended up at a neurologist and they clinically diagnosed him with ALS. Her son Pete was extremely passionate and strong after his diagnosis and decided he wanted to change the face of ALS and help find a cure for such an awful disease. They created “Team Frate Train” to help spread the word about ALS.  After a few years, Pete was put on a compassionate drug that was in trial runs; however, the drug came back with no efficacy. Two and a half years after his diagnosis he is completely paralyzed. He has a feeding tube, cannot speak, he uses a motorized wheelchair, he also uses an eye-gaze communication device. At the 75th year anniversary of the ALS disease BleacherReport.com asked Pete to write an article about the disease and his mother said he wrote the entire article using his eye gaze technology. July 27th was the first “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.” The word spread like wildfire! After the Ice Bucket Challenge began, the media got ahold of Pete’s story and his website. First it was in Boston, second was National media attention, then it was celebrities, and lastly it was global news coverage. Pete’s favorite Ice Bucket Challenge video was Bill Gates, because he knew philanthropists like him would provide necessary funding to help find a cure for the disease. 3 pieces of advice Nancy wanted to give was: 

• Choose every morning to live your day in positivity and proactiveness
• Person in the middle of the challenge has to have mental toughness to put themselves out there
• If you ever find yourself in a situation that is so unacceptable that you cannot live with it any longer, dig as deep down as possible and GO AFTER IT!

I chose this Ted Talk because I participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 and did not truly know the impact it was having. I think watching the video really opened my eyes to the progress Pete and his family are having in achieving a cure for ALS. I believe if finances are provided to help try to find a cure that we will find one during our lifetime. I believe it takes people like Pete, who has the disease, to reach out to individuals like Bill Gates, who has the financial means, to help put their strengths together and find a cure.

I learned more of the advocacy side of ALS from watching this video. I also learned that if you truly believe in something and want to get information, answers, or a cure then you have to FIGHT for it. Pete went from begin diagnosed with ALS at 27 years old to spreading news so rapidly that the richest man in the world did an Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money and awareness. If that doesn’t pump someone up to stand up for what their passionate about, then I don’t know what will. I truly have respect and courage from watching this Ted Talk. 

Here is the link to watch Bill Gates’s Ice Bucket Challenge. Enjoy.

https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Bill-Gates-ALS-Ice-Bucket-Challenge