Post-Interview Reflection

 Overall, I felt my interview went well. While I did feel somewhat anxious, I believe I was still able to come up with thoughtful, honest responses. In general, the interview went as expected. However, I was anticipating that I could be asked more specific questions, like what would you do in a given situation, and I was not. In order to prepare for this interview, I reviewed what the company was and what available positions they had. I then brainstormed relevant experiences I had in relation to the positions and facility itself. I also researched common interview questions asked and thought out my responses to those questions. For my next, real-life situation, I would want to take more time looking at common interview questions. I would also like to practice my responses with someone, instead of just thinking of what I would say in my head. In addition to this, I would like to try some strategies to help reduce anxiety prior to the interview. Furthermore, I hope that in the future I will take more time and not rush as much through my responses to questions. Something I learned or noticed when reflecting on my interview is that I tend to reexplain my responses. I’m not sure why I do this for certain, but it could be because of nerves or because I’m not confident that my response was clear. This is another thing I want to be aware of and hopefully reduce in my next, real-life experience. After discussing our individual experiences with several other classmates, I learned that there are many different interview styles. This will be something I keep in mind as I prepare to enter the workforce as a new OT practitioner. Ultimately, I am appreciative of this experience and think it will help me in my future endeavors!

Locus of Control

I scored a 13 out of 23 on the Rotter's Locus of Control Scale, which is just about exactly in the middle. While filling out the questionnaire, I kept getting caught up on the questions that regarded things like luck. For me, it was difficult to say that I am the only reason why I am where I am today. When having to answer, I felt like I was discrediting the people and good fortune I’ve had in my life. In addition to this, I felt like I was minimizing people’s misfortunes that I have not experienced. After learning more about what an internal locus of control meant, I am apt to believe that my score would have been lower (indicating a more internal locus of control) if some of the questions were formatted differently. When considering what I learned about the spectrum of locus of control, there are several things that came to mind when trying to address locus of control within me and within the people whom I interact, like my future OT clients.  

When I read more about the difference in internal versus external control. I noted that the times I seem to be having more thoughts that reflect an external locus of control tend to be times that I am also experiencing anxiety. One way I could address things when experiencing times like I mentioned is to practice techniques to help ground myself. This could help reduce my anxiety, and I also believe it could help change my external locus of control to a more internal one. To do this I could practice things like using a gratitude journal, writing down things I’ve accomplished in a day whether they’re small or big, etcetera. In addition to this, I think breaking down larger tasks I need to get done into smaller steps could also help me notice the progress I’d be making, which I normally might not. I think all of these techniques could guide me to a more internal locus of control, decrease my anxiety and overall help me be an effective, future OT practitioner.

One thing that came to my mind when reading the article “Are your patients out of control?” and thinking of my future clients is that some clients who are exhibiting an external locus of control, may also be showing signs of learned helplessness (Meira, 2013). This is something to look out for as an OT and makes sense when you think about it. For example, if someone is constantly having people do things for them that they can or may be able to do, it would be easy for them to forget about their own influence on what they can do. This could lead to feelings of loss of control and could discourage the client from putting for effort. This would be especially important to note, so that you could then appropriately address the situation with the client and/or even their caregiver(s). One way that it could be addressed, is to educate the client on and include the client in their care plan. Additionally, people exhibiting an external locus of control, could also benefit from learning various techniques to be present in their time with you and even outside of treatment. In addition to this, if a more passive treatment, like manual therapy, seems appropriate, I think it would be important to find some way to involve the client. This way, it avoids putting all of their improvement on you and makes them feel like they have a more prominent role in their overall health and recovery/progress. These are just a few ways I can take what I’ve learned about locus of control and apply it to myself and my future clients as an OT practitioner!

References

Meira, E. (2013) Are your patients out of control? The Science PT. https://thesciencept.com/are-your-patients-out-of-control/

A Glyph on Leadership - Changing Perspectives

FIRST GLYPH

We completed glyphs on our perspectives on leadership at the beginning of our didactic portion of OT school and again towards the end of it. Overall, my features stayed mostly similar for my glyph, however there were some changes reflecting my evolving views on leadership. For my first glyph I believed that leadership was somewhere in between an inborn trait and something that stems from nurture over nature. For my current glyph, I believe that leadership is developed more from nurture compared to nature. My first glyph reflected that I thought a person could not be a leader if they didn’t see themselves as one.  However, I now believe that people can be great leaders, even if they can’t see themselves as one! I also added the belief that self-awareness is vital to effective leadership to my new glyph. In addition to this, for my first glyph I believed that technology was an important part of effective leadership in many situations. I now believe that people skills are more important, while technology skills can still be beneficial. The last change I noted was that at first, I wasn’t sure if an introvert could be an effective leader, but now I am sure that everyone is capable if they put their mind to it!

SECOND GYLPH

For both glyphs I agreed that there is a fairly equal mixture of leaders and non-leaders in the field of OT, however I believe that anyone can rise to the occasion of being a leader in needed situations. I also refrained from adding glasses both times, which would have reflected if I felt I’ve had more experience in leadership roles than most other people my age. While I know I’ve certainly gained more leadership experience in OT school, I think it’s difficult to compare to other people my age! My new glyph also reflected that I am still comfortable taking a leadership role in an out-front way if needed. I also still believe that both creativity and organization are necessary to be an effective leader. In addition to this, I still view myself as a leader and I do not have any formal written goals for leadership. Despite this, I still have engaged in many leadership opportunities throughout my time in the OT program and continue to plan to do so in the future! All in all, it was interesting to see my new perspective on leadership and fun to reflect back on the beginning of OT school!

Below are the instructions followed to created the glyphs. 

Instructions Followed for Glyph

Sensory Profilee SIM Reflection

        Overall, I think my SIM encounter went well. I practiced several times prior to the simulation, reviewed my client’s evaluation thoroughly and took notes accordingly. I believe this helped me feel more confident delivering information to the client’s mother. I also worked to use the empathetic and active listening techniques we’ve discussed in class, like attempting to ask open ended questions, making eye contact and positioning myself closely to the client. While I did use some open-ended questions, if I had the chance to do it again, I would try to ask more of them to ensure that she fully understood what I was saying and also to help identify any concerns/questions she had. In our debrief discussion, we discussed how letting pauses in the conversation happen allow for the client to process things more and think of any questions they may want to ask to help clarify. I also would like to do this more, if I had the chance to do it again. In addition to this, I would have liked to clearly articulate that my relationship with the family was collaborative to let them know their opinion is valued and heard.

Showing empathy is extremely important in facilitating a positive, client-therapist relationship. One example of how a therapist can communicate a caring attitude is by responding kindly and thoughtfully to their expressed concerns, instead of brushing over them. For instance, if a parent says they are overwhelmed, instead of just continuing on with what you were saying, stopping and expressing that you understand and are there for them. By doing this, it lets the client know that their thoughts and feeling are being heard and that they have a role in the treatment plan, as well. Another way you can demonstrate, caring is by positioning; for instance, sitting close to the client and reviewing written information together on the same page. By doing this, it shows that you want them to feel comfortable with you and that you are in the treatment process as a team. This, again, helps the client feel heard and cared about.

            In the future, I will take what I have learned for this simulation and try to apply it in real life scenarios (on fieldwork and when I become a practitioner). A big part of pediatrics is often working with the families. When families are concerned and stressed out, it is essential to be able to show empathy and to clearly articulate your knowledge in an understandable and digestible way. In order to do this, I will work on preparing before I meet with clients’ families by doing things like thoroughly reviewing their chart and evaluations, thinking of alternative options for the family and thinking of understandable ways I can explain information to the family. I also will work on asking more open ended questions to encourage longer, meaningful responses from the client, as well as allowing for pauses for them to process the information. Ultimately, I am thankful for this experience and will take all of what I’ve learned forward with me!

Neuro Note on Preventative Actions that Can be Taken to Avoid Alzheimer's

The name of the Ted Talk I watched for my fourth Neuro Note was titled “What You Can do to Prevent Alzheimer's” by Lisa Genova. I chose this video because I have heard accolades about the speaker. The title also caught my attention because I was unaware of any strategies that might help prevent Alzheimer’s. While I was watching I took detailed notes and tried to relate the information being discussed to what I have learned in Neuro Aspects and to what I know about occupational therapy.

In the beginning of the video, the speaker discussed how the risk of Alzheimer’s increases with age and that there is no disease modifying medication or cure currently. She then simplified how Alzheimer’s is caused in the brain by saying that amyloid beta accumulates due to microglia not “cleaning up” like the typically do, which then results in plaques that block synapses and prevent neurotransmitter communication. Once the amyloid beta reaches a certain threshold, the microglia get turned back on and sent into overdrive in efforts to try and clean up the plaques. Despite their efforts, the microglia can actually then damage then synapses themselves, which leads to further complications. One interesting thing that she mentioned was that people can have evidence of plaques as early as 10 to 15 years before they become symptomatic and get diagnosed. She then discussed that most medications that have been or are being developed are preventative – meaning that they aim to prevent amyloid beta plaques reaching that threshold. She then proceeded to discuss alternative ways in which the plaques created with Alzheimer’s can be worked around by increasing one’s cognitive reserve. A cognitive reserve is about someone having more than one pathway to a given topic, this increases the odds of that topic not being forgotten, or blocked by plaque, because there are multiple routes to get to the given topic, rather than just one. In addition to this, Lisa discussed criteria that places people at a higher risk for Alzheimer’s like not getting enough sleep, obesity, cardiovascular problems and smoking.

By watching this video and writing this Neuro Note, I gained a deeper understanding of what Alzheimer’s is and how it is caused. In the future, it would be helpful to use the information I learned in order to help explain things to potential client’s and caregivers for people who have Alzheimer’s. In addition to this, my knowledge can help me inform my potential clients about the preventative actions, they can take to decrease their risk of getting the disease – like working on creating a cognitive reserve, prioritizing sleep and improving cardiovascular health. I would recommend this video because it is informative, interesting and the speaker did a great job presenting!  

A hyperlink to the video is provided here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twG4mr6Jov0

Reference

Genova, L. (2017, May). What you can do to prevent Alzheimer's [Video file].

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twG4mr6Jov0

Media Project Reflection

My Media Project Poster

The most significant thing I learned during this project a successful, creativity strategy that I developed through trial and error. At first, I had no idea what I would be able to create for someone with a completes, C5 spinal cord injury with a cereal box as a material. I also had apprehensions that even if I did come up with something, it wouldn’t be client centered, or functional. With this perspective, had a very difficult time brain storming any ideas. I decided to take a break and come back with a new strategy. This time I analyzed the provided client profile carefully and tried to pick the most important and meaningful goal for the client. After this, I began thinking about what could be developed to facilitate this goal and how my assigned object could help facilitate this goal. I then began to imagine how I could make this client centered by relating to my client’s values and interests. By breaking things down into smaller steps, I was better able to use my creativity and not get as overwhelmed. I hope to use this concept in the future if I am ever feeling “stuck” while working on a project, or even while coming up with an intervention for a client as a future occupational therapist.

My Matching Music Sliding Board from Above

My Matching Music Sliding Board from the Side 

This project taught me that it can be challenging to come up with meaningful, therapeutic interventions for people with higher level spinal cord injuries. Because of this, I hope to seek more information about spinal cord injuries and successful interventions, so I can be a more equipped occupational therapist. I also learned that a splint can be used to keep the wrist in extension, which then allows for a universal cuff to used by people with completes, C5 spinal cord injuries in order to hold and use various utensils.

            Going forward, I believe I will be more aware of client’s interest and values, so that I can then incorporate them into the therapeutic process. I also think that I will better remember what deficits occur with what spinal cord lesion. Finally, I plan on utilizing the creative process I used for this assignment for

future projects and in future practice!