Speaking of.....OT

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Re-Admits Yesterday was a tough day at work. Two of our patients who were discharged a few weeks, were readmitted due to another fall at home. This made me wonder about the safety of elders after they are discharged to return home. The patients are assured with the prospects of home health services or a caregiver, however neither those resources are everlasting. Without family support or the inability to hire a full-time caregiver, the patient is eventually left to take care of themselves. As much as we promote independence in our patients and teach them compensatory ways to increase safety awareness, ultimately they require ongoing attention. A typical patient will spend a few days at the hospital, then approximately another month at a rehab facility where they're provided with a structured schedule and more importantly, a safe environment. Most of the patients I have seen in my short time as a therapist, I have noted that as  much as they look forward to being in their own hom

I am a licensed and registered Occupational Therapist. That rings music to my ears. How wonderful it feels to say that yes, I am a licensed therapist. The licensure didn't come easy though. It was months of hard work and lots and lots of studying to get to the point that I was able to pass the dreaded NBCOT exam. From all the months spent studying, reading all the books, online forums, doing practice exams, biting my nails and losing hair, I've learned a thing or two on how to effectively study for the exam, which at least worked for me. Now, generally if you've just graduated from OT school, I would say to pick up whatever study book you have and start reading. The sooner you take the exam after you graduate, the more easy it will be to recall and retain information, especially since you're still in the studying mindset. I, on the other hand, planned a wedding after I graduated then went on a month long road trip and moved across the country. Granted, I had lots

To Sit or Not To Sit.. I walk into a crowded coffee shop with my laptop in hopes of getting some work done but there are no seats available. I look around and spot a square table for four in the corner of the room and briskly charge towards it before someone else calls shotgun. I'm thrilled that I found somewhere to park myself for the next few hours but wondered why no one else was sitting there before. A little symbol on the corner of the table tells me it's a handicapped accessible table. Nobody at the other tables seems to be leaving anytime soon and there aren't any other places nearby where I could steal wifi from. So, do I sit at the handicapped accessible table or not?  I look around and start wondering what people will think of me if I sat at that table. I mean, I can just get up if someone needed it, right? Then the therapist in me took over and turned around, just as a neighboring couple got up and left. For the last one hour of sitting at my new non-accessi

The Future of Occupational Therapy I went to the WESTEC conference a few weeks ago, which showcased the latest innovations in manufacturing technology and engineering. I strolled through booths displaying electric welding systems, optical communication encoders, expansion clamps, CNC machines, and all things redefining the future of manufacturing. What's this got to do with Occupational Therapy? Well, after strolling through a lane offering free candy, I came across the Additive Manufacturing, or commonly known as 3-D printing, booth. Recently, there have been a lot of advances made in the field of medicine such as targeted cancer therapies, the first full face transplant, bionic hands that position using an iPad app, bluetooth devices that coordinate motor movement, and 3-D computer models that customize eye socket design. But what really blew my mind was in a glass showcase - a 3D printed "magic arm," also known as WREX (Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton) and a 3D prin