Occupational Therapy as a Profession


 

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Introducing "Your Pen Pal Al"

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Hello!     My name is Allison Hyatt, but on this blog, I'll be known as your pen pal Al. I am a first-year student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and a member of the occupational therapy program. I recently finished my Bachelor of Science at Harding University where I studied Exercise Science and Psychology. I was born and raised a Memphian, and I look forward to completing my master's in my hometown.      As cliche as it may sound, I've dreamed of going to OT school for quite some time. During my senior year of high school, a couple of occupational therapy students from UTHSC came and spoke to my anatomy class. They described the joys of the profession and the steps they took to get to graduate school. Their presentation must've been quite convincing because from that moment on, I knew exactly what I wanted my future to look like. I began preparing right away, and I couldn't understand why some of my friends were majoring in "undecided....
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50 Marathons in 50 States

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 Paul Erway and his friends, Grant and Aaron, decided to complete a marathon in each of the 50 states. They completed all 50 by wheelchair and decided to document their experiences. Although they documented each race, I decided to focus on their races in Little Rock, AR and Boston, MA.      The Little Rock race took place on March 3rd, 2013. Paul did not participate in this race, but Aaron and Grant described it as especially challenging. This is most likely due to the fact that they were completing back-to-back marathons with very little sleep. I can only imagine how exhausting one marathon is, much less two in two days! Grant described the race as a constant uphill. He could not recall any of the downs. As someone who attended undergrad just outside of Little Rock, I am very familiar with the city's steep hills. Last week, our class participated in a wheelchair lab. During this lab, we practiced propelling ourselves up the inclines of our campus' parking garage. Th...
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SLUMS Cognition Assessment

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         As part of the Neuro Aspects course I'm currently taking for OT school, I participated in a clinical simulation with a stroke patient. I administered a cognitive screening tool know as the Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) examination. This assessment is one of many tools used to address levels of cognition. Cognition is the ability to perceive and organize information. Our memory, personality, awareness, and more are all a part of our cognition. Since cognition plays an important role in our daily lives, OT's assess and work to improve cognitive skills.     The client I worked with scored a 20 on the SLUMS examination. This score indicates the client has a mild cognitive impairment. Someone with this score would likely have issues with their short-term memory. They may not remember all of the steps to a recipe or they may forget to pay their bills. They may also have trouble remembering new names or directions for driving somewhere...
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