....What a month!!
I have come to the realisation that Occupational Therapy focuses on our occupations... that is literally everything we do! Things involved in leisure, self-care or productivity. Wow, Occupational Therapists are specialists in all occupations! How awesome is that! On reflection, I'm guessing that is why I'm feeling very overwhelmed with everything, as there is a lot to learn if I'm to specialise in everything we do! :)
The University Of Cumbria is situated in Carlisle, and I am from Wirral. I have decided I will commute to Carlisle for the days we attend. This is a 2 hour journey which has proved to be quite tiring! I have tried a combination of driving and getting the train. The bonus of getting the train is that you can do a bit of extra reading on the way! We attend on a Thursday and Friday so I have been staying over in a Travelodge on a Thursday night, which has been really good.
I'll tell you a little background information about myself:
My name is Vicky, I am 25 and from Wirral. My first degree was a BA (hons) in Fine Art of which I graduated in 2011. I have always been creative and had a real passion for art, If I feel inspired by something, I will want to create and draw something! It is a great way of expressing yourself.
After I graduated I got my first 'proper' job working as a bank staff support worker at Wirral Autistic Society. I never thought I would work in a health care setting, but I soon became fascinated with Autism and it's many complexities and that I could have a just a little role in making a difference in people's lives affected by Autism, promoting independence through tasks of daily living, implementing structure and communication strategies and most importantly UNDERSTANDING. I discovered that you can use art as a means to promote all of those things and to provide meaning and achievement to people's lives. After working residentially and within supported living settings I gained a post as an Activity Leader within the creative arts day services department. I loved my job so much! It was such a great opportunity to do so many things I felt passionate about to support and make a difference to others. I feel very lucky and it was a privilege to work with and support some of the most interesting and unique people you could ever wish to meet and make a positive difference to the lives of them and their families. I learned so much from my work experience there and it was this experience that got me interested in Occupational Therapy, as I had the perfect experience and transferable skills to apply!
My first month has been a bit of a roller-coaster! I am mainly finding adjusting to masters level study a challenge. With coming from an art based background, I have not dealt with much scientific research and critical writing/analysis skills. Our first assignment dealt with these things and on reflection, I need to learn more about critical skills. I have bought a handbook to help me along the way!
I am really enjoying the course and finding out about the foundations of Occupational Therapy as well as being introduced to OT as a profession and how the role is important within health care settings. Being able to define OT is a challenge for all professionals as they cover such a wide range of skills and "occupations" there is not just one single definition!
We have been doing a lot of group work and self directed study! This was also a very new process for me but is a great way of learning and with a cohort of people with such varied backgrounds, people have a lot of good things and experiences to offer! So far we have already done two presentations! This has put me in great stead for future presentations and has helped with my confidence on reflection and how I can improve in the future.
We have had some really fun and insightful sessions that made us think of the core skills of an OT and also how to analyse an activity. We chopped fruit and vegetables whilst other members of the group watched and analysed. This activity helped us to realise that everyone completes activities or occupations differently and they all have different meanings/importance in the lives of others. We have also completed activities such as dressing others and how this simple task we take for granted becomes so much more complex for those with a disability
I have my very first observational placement in a week's time! I am very excited and a little nervous. I am going to work with a neurosciences team for a week, and this is an area which I feel will be very interesting and exciting! We picked up our uniforms earlier this week, which made everything seem very real! Exciting times.
I have been studying basic anatomy alongside my other modules, and at the moment have focused this on neuro anatomy in stead of my first placement! However, I have focused on some other parts of the body too! Halloween seemed a really good time to learn anatomy... Meet Bertie! I'm hoping he will help me to remember the skeleton! He glows in the dark too!
I also utilised my art skills and enjoyed drawing a spine!
Overall I feel this month has been quite overwhelming, but I feel excited and positive as I'm finding my feet through all of the theory, and new experiences of thinking critically and an awareness of thinking about everything we do as occupations! This is going to be a challenging but very exciting adventure.
I will leave you with a photograph of my one eyed cat. Just because. She means a lot to me and makes me smile through times of stress and is proof that even cats can adapt and live happy meaningful lives after disability.
When life smacks you in the face with a car and gives you a hundred reasons to cry... Show life a thousand reasons to smile...
I hope she makes you smile too :)
