Welcome @OT-Ali!! I graduated in 2011 and went to work in rural Nebraska, where I covered several settings, and I so relate to how you are feeling! In fact, those first years as a new grad was a huge part of why I ended up creating OT Potential.
There IS so much to keep with and consider, but it makes it so much easier, when we approach evidence based practice TOGETHER! Please don’t hesitate to reach out as you have questions- that’s what we are here for!!
Hello there! My name is Clare and I’m an OTR who just made 6 years working as a Pediatric OT in clinic and school settings. I am very interested in bolstering my evidenced based skills and have started a blog (curiosot.com) to write reviews of pediatric research. I’m especially interested in learning more about varied assessments! I struggled a lot to find quality, effective and helpful assessments when working with high school and young adult students with ASD, CP and other more involved diagnoses.
Hi @CuriosOT!! It is is SO GREAT to have you! It definitely seems like you have come to the right place! There is so much exciting pediatric research coming out, and I’m always so thankful for the thoughtfulness that our pediatric members approach the discussions with.
Maybe a good past article to look at for you would be our most recent article on pediatric goals setting? I remember that assessments came up quite a bit in the comments. (Side note: finding and indexing assessments has become a personal passion of mine. )
Your website looks awesome, let me know if you ever have any ideas for our OT Potential and the Curios OT could collaborate, since we seem to have a shared mission!
Thank you! I agree! When I saw your site, I was thinking…these are going to be some of my people. I will definitely look at that article. Thank you for the recommendation!
Thank you for the encouragement! I would love to collaborate! I just got started about a month ago, so I feel like my wheels are just really getting turning. If I come up with an idea, I will let you know. Please do the same if you think of something that might work well for us to collaborate on.
I’m really so grateful to have found this because I get frustrated by OT getting a reputation for not working, while knowing that we have powerful background, knowledge and tools to really make an impact in people’s lives. I’m looking forward to participating here!
Hi All!
I’m glad to be here and converse with you all and grow together!
Yay!!! Welcome, @BrandyA!! It is soooo good to see you in here!
Hi everyone,
My name is Morgan Hughes and I’m an OT graduate student at the University of Puget Sound, which is located in Tacoma, WA. I recently completed my first year of academic coursework and I am really excited about becoming licensed professional in the not too distant future. Prior to starting the program, I worked in social services for 10 years so I have a lot of experience with occupations in the context of mental illness, homelessness and substance use. This summer, I’m working on cementing and supplementing all the great stuff I have learned so far. Already having listened to a number of the podcasts and read some of the discussions associated with the weekly articles, I think the club will be a great resource in helping me acquire more clinical knowledge.
My motivation for joining also has to do with networking and finding opportunities for my experiential learning credits which involve working or volunteering in an OT setting or one that might provide knowledge relevant to OT. I’m most interested in finding a neuro experience, but I’m also looking to learn more about wrist and hand injuries. A clinic situation would be ideal, but with the pandemic still impacting things I recognize finding an opportunity like this would be unlikely, so if you know any OTs or organizations who might have a project I could work on remotely, please let me know.
I look forward to talking with everyone and hearing about more articles in the near future!
Hi Morgan,
I am a graduate of the University of Puget Sound in 1981. I’ve been an OT for that long. I am semi-retired now editing continuing ed. courses, writing for Elite, and working very P/T in pediatric HH. I had the opportunity to volunteer last year internationally and taught in the first OT program in Vietnam. I also volunteered in two special needs classes in India and an autism center in Nepal.
Good luck with your career, and hopefully, more opportunities will be available to you.
Regards,
Carol
Hi Carol,
It’s really cool to hear that you’re a graduate from the UPS program and the international teaching experiences you’ve had sound interesting, especially helping to introduce OT in Vietnam. Thanks for saying hello!
Hi - I am a COTA working as a contractor in 2 schools in PA most of my caseload are AS students grades 3 to 8. Found an old OT Potential Club post about finding the best OTA job (2019) and followed the thread here…
Hi everyone, I am a professor and academic fieldwork coordinator in an occupational therapy program and I clinically practice in adult rehab with a passion for the neurological populations but an interest in so many areas of practice. Because I have so many interests, my desire to stay current in EBP can quickly become overwhelming, so I am so excited to be joining this group to help me be more efficient and keep me accountable!
Hi @Lifelong_Learner!! It is so great to have you! We love having members with a wide swath of interests! And, it is especially fun for us to see how our variety of topics tend to connect and have underlying themes! I hope you will find the same!
I hope you will find the Club to be a fun and efficient tool for staying up to date!
Hi @lori4!! I love that you found us though one of our blog posts!! Are you in a job hunt now? Your current work setting sounds great, but where ever you end up finding yourself, I hope you will find the Club to be a useful tool!
Hi @morgan4!! I’m really excited about the great background you will be brining into your OT work! It sounds like you have a lot of experience to build on!
Your interest in neuro and your location in WA makes me feel like you should virtually meet @lauren2! Lauren has an extensive work history in neuro and used to live not that far from you in Seattle. Lauren, I’m curious if you have any advice/connections for Morgan?
Hi @morgan4 nice to meet you - thanks for the introduction @SarahLyon. Welcome to the club, Morgan. It’s a wonderful community of practice with a variety of students, educators and therapists that want to up their OT practice and increase their potential. I lived and worked in Seattle for several years. I have several OT connections in that area - I used to be Director of Rehab at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital and a Manager at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. In addition, I’m connected with an AWESOME OT at the VA in American Fork (which may be closer to you). Shoot me an email at lauren@thenonclinicalpt.com and let’s discuss where you’d most like to get connected.
Lauren
Thanks @SarahLyon! I will definitely check in with Lauren.
Hi all,
I am excited to be part of this group. Nice to have the opportunity to talk EBP with fellow OTs!
Hi @irvin! It is seriously so fun to talk EBP each week! I’m so glad that you are going us! What setting do you work in?
Hello, My name is Kate! I am a newly licensed OTR working in Denver CO. I just started my first job in pediatric home health. I stumbled upon this resource and am excited to continue learning about the latest evidenced-based practices and being in apart of a bigger OT community. Looking forward to connecting!
Hi Kate,
I live in Boulder, and work in pediatric home health for Aveanna. I am very part-time doing telemedicine now. I also edit/revise continuing ed. courses, and write articles for Elite/Advance.
Welcome!
Carol