Whitney OT425

We had the opportunity in Neurological Aspects of Occupational Performance to hear from Fletcher Cleaves, a public speaker who shared hope and inspiration with us. Fletcher was a supreme athlete in high school and had the opportunity to play as a scholarship football player in college. During his first semester of college, he was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. I can’t imagine. His life was completely changed. Fletcher is unbelievably positive and has and will continue to inspire and make a change. He was swerving from a distracted driver when his accident happened. She appeared to be texting or doing something that required her to look down at her phone. I’m guilty of this all the time. Since Fletcher spoke to our class, any time I look at my phone while driving, I think of him and put my phone away. I NEVER want to be the reason someone swerves and has an accident.   https://www.fletchercleaves.com  

During the professional development lecture, I began thinking about all the different certifications occupational therapists can get and which ones I might be interested in one day. While working as a tech for 2 years before beginning school, I became close to two clients who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The PTA I worked with mentioned the LSVT Big and Loud program and the success it was having for people with Parkinson’s.   This may be a certification I would be interested in after practicing for a few years.

“Clinical reasoning enables practitioners to •     Identify the multiple demands, required skills, and potential meanings of the activities and occupations and 
 •     Gain a deeper understanding of the interrelationships between aspects of the domain that affect performance and that support client-centered interventions and outcomes.” – OTPF An integral part of the OT process is using clinical reasoning. As discussed in class, acquiring the skill can take time as an OT. It is something for us, as students, to remember as we travel through the program. We have opportunities through fieldwork and RKS to not only watch experienced practitioners use clinical reasoning, but to practice and mold our own clinical reasoning.  

Although the process used by occupational therapists is similar to the process used by other health care providers, it’s important for us, as students, to understand the focus of the OT process. Many professionals use the same process including three phases: evaluation, intervention, and outcomes. The unique part of the OT process is the focus on occupations. The occupational/client profile is a huge part of the evaluation. I’m glad that we are getting practice doing the occupational profile in foundations and neuro aspects because I think it is so important. It not only gives the OT an insight into the client’s life, but I believe it lets the client know that the OT cares about every aspect of their lives…going back to the top down approach.    

Will Traynor I just completed a neuro note on the movie Me Before You,  but after the discussion about Cameron's case study I was reminded of an important key to occupational therapy. The main take away I got from this particular case is to always remember that each client's situation is going to be different with SCI. Will has goals that may be different from other clients and it's important to focus on his specific goals.

Me Before You I chose to watch Me Before You for my first neuro note. I chose this movie because of the hype it has received. Critics claimed that the movie misportrayed disability. I wanted to see for myself. Although the movie is probably the saddest movie I’ve ever seen, it left me with many reflections. Will Traynor was a successful, fun loving young man whose life was altered when he was hit by a motorcycle which resulted in a spinal cord injury. Will became depressed and felt like there was no reason to live. I think sometimes it’s too easy to just think about the physical changes when you think of SCI, but it’s important to recognize the emotional toll as well. His life was completely turned upside down and he had a difficult time dealing with it. I’m sure this is a common theme with SCI and I think it can be difficult for people to imagine. I’ve always, from a young age, strived to treat everyone equal because you NEVER know what someone is going through. ...