OT & JA

Today is one of the most important days of the whole year. Why, you ask? Today is the 241st birthday of one of the greatest (arguably THE greatest) author of all time. I mean, of course, Jane Austen. As if you needed clarification. And what does Jane Austen have to do with OT? Um, basically everything. No big deal.

First of all, Jane Austen wrote books. Literature. For reading. Reading, as you know, is an occupation. One of my favorite leisure occupations. But, there is actually a deeper connection to OT than that. Let's first take a look at the use of the word "occupations" in occupational therapy. We take it to mean anything and everything that takes up your time. However, in the non-OT world, "occupation" simply means your profession, where you work. Here's the thing: it's only in the past 50 or so years that the word has become so specific in the non-OT world. OT officially became a thing in 1917, back when occupation still meant any activity that takes up time. And, as Jane wrote long before that, in the 18th century, it applies to her writing as well. Which, as you will see, is important. In every single one of her six primary novels, she mentions occupations. And not just mentioning it in passing, but the importance of occupations to health and leading a meaningful life. (Note: I will not be covering all the novels in this post, but you can take my word for it that occupations are in all of them. Or even better, don't take my word for it, and read the books for yourself!)

If you have not read Jane Austen before, I now charge you to do so. However, until such time as you do, I will give you a quick overview of what she wrote and who she wrote about. Though sometimes placed in the "Romance" literary genre, that is about as accurate as saying that OT's only address people's professional occupations. The actual categorization is "comedy of manners", which is a fancy way of saying that Jane specialized in witty satire, often aimed at various aspects of society in the late 18th century. And believe me, it is funny. Unlike this blog, it will actually make you laugh out loud. While also being incredibly well-written, and featuring some of the most brilliant and relatable characters you will ever have the privilege of reading about.

In Mansfield Park, we hear of the importance of reading, to the heroine, Fanny, in distracting her from her current unhappy state in life. "There is nothing like employment, active indispensable employment, for relieving sorrow. Employment, even melancholy, may dispel melancholy, and her occupations were hopeful."

In Emma, occupation is used in the context of that important ADL, eating, and to describe those thrilling activities that ladies were expected to engage in in the late 18th century. "Women's usual occupations of hand and mid will be as open to me then as they are no; or with no important variation. If I draw less, I shall read more; if I give up music, I shall take to carpet-work." This is Emma, our heroine, describing how age does not have to change one's occupations. So very accurate.

In Persuasion, the concept of occupations takes on a more mental health-centered meaning. " You have always a profession, pursuits, business of some sort or other, to take you back into the world immediately, and continual occupation and change soon weaken impressions." Meaning that staying occupied is a way to cope with stress and depression.

And it is in Persuasion that I would like to take a closer look at a minor character, who, while not an OT in title (obviously, because OT hadn't been officially "invented" yet), definitely fits the description of an OT. She is a nurse, filling the qualification of providing medical care, and she cares for one particular woman who is quite ill and has lost the use of her legs. I explain it all in my own words, but Jane's are infinitely superior. The following is spoken by the woman who is receiving care:

"As soon as I could use my hands, she (the nurse) taught me to knit, which has been a great amusement; and she put me in the way of making these little thread-cases, pin-cushions, and card-racks, which you will always find me so busy about..." 

So, she is helping her client, who has a disability, occupy her time with a meaningful occupation, in addition to helping her find a way to earn a little income. All as part of the healing, recovery, and coping process. Guys, Jane Austen wrote about OT. Over a hundred years before it was even a thing. Which goes to show, that although our profession is only just now approaching its 100th birthday, the values and concepts of our foundation have been around for much longer. Probably forever, really. But I don't have the time to do that kind of research.

A Farewell to the Classroom

And we are back after a brief hiatus. The hiatus being somewhat unplanned, but not unexpected due to the whole being-in-the-last-few-weeks-of-grad-school-thing. And apparently, as I have found, being in the final weeks of grad school is a constant battle between lack of motivation and extreme panic about one's lack of motivation. Being so completely over sitting in class and listening to lectures, but also slightly horrified at the thought of being out in the field and entrusted with others' well-being. An emotional roller coaster is, I think, how one of my classmates described it. Which is really quite appropriate, because, graduate school as an entity is (or has been), an emotional roller coaster. Only fitting that the last few weeks should encompass that characteristic.

Thus, because the end is near, and I am a naturally-nostalgic person, I have decided to dedicate this post to a summary of the OT graduate school experience. Also, because we are a less-well-known profession, most people don't know what our graduate experience is like. And, especially in the area of healthcare, it's always nice to know what your doctor, therapist, nurse, etc. had to go through to be able to provide you with care. Gives you a better appreciation for them, I would think. 

My first semester of graduate school started in June of 2015. Because we are a 2-year program, we have three semesters a year (Spring, Summer, and Fall). As much as I would love to go through and detail every course we took, I am just going to highlight a few...

I would be remiss, of course, if I did not touch on our wonderful adventure with Gross Anatomy our first semester. Gross Anatomy is your regular Anatomy course, with cadavers added into the mix. We learned and memorized every organ, muscle, bone, blood vessel, and nerve, both on paper, and on the six cadavers in the lab. So the majority of my summer was spent in the lab with dead bodies, no big deal. It was great. Not only do we know the functions and locations of all the muscles, blood vessels, organs, and bones, but we can also visualize them on our patients. That sort of thing is invaluable.

The following semester, Fall 2015, we took our first official "OT lab". We learned transfers to and from all surfaces (bed, toilet, shower, chair, etc.) for multiple diagnoses. We also learned adaptive dressing techniques for a variety of different diagnoses. All of these skills were then put to the test through lab practicals, in which we were given a case scenario, with one of our professors playing the part of the patient, and we had to perform all or some of the skills I have just listed. Lab practicals are the most terrifying thing about OT school. All the pressure, all the stress. Because it's pretty much giving you an indication of how you would function as a therapist in the real world, with a real patient. But, the beautiful thing is, after you're finished with the practical, you have this surge of confidence in yourself and your abilities as an OT. It's very encouraging. Throughout the program, we took about 12 lab practicals.

It is also important to mention our psychosocial courses. OT's focus on the whole person; mind, body, and soul, therefore, it's important to have an understanding of the role psychology plays in our profession. In fact, it's so important that we had both a lecture class and a lab dedicated to the subject. There, we received a thorough overview of various psychological diagnoses, detailed training on interview techniques, as well as the opportunity to run our own group therapy sessions.

Along with the psychosocial aspects, it's also important to mention our focus on the musculoskeletal part of OT. After this most recent semester, I now know all the things (theoretically all the things) about various upper body injuries such as carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, shoulder impingement, and about 30 other diagnoses. All the things being what each one is, signs and symptoms, causes, prognoses, diagnostic testing, and treatment. We also learned splint fabrication, and I now have three custom-made splints that are the result of much blood, sweat, and tears on my part (The sweat part is real. Splinting requires boiling the material to make it moldable, so it was pretty hot in the classroom that day.).

I would really love to cover a few more things, but as I am already testing your reading endurance, I will just mention one more aspect of the program that is particularly important. And that would be my classmates. There's something about spending every waking hour in a lab inspecting dead bodies, while all of your non-OT friends are on summer vacation, that tends to bring people together. There's nothing quite like waiting in line outside the room to perform your lab practical, pacing back and forth, and babbling about random topics like The Office, with people who are experiencing the same pre-practical anxiety. Or sitting in class after a professor sped through 100 Powerpoint slides in an hour and a half, and the professor asks "Are there any questions?", and you can almost hear the crickets chirping in reply. And not just the classmates, but the professors themselves are an integral part of the experience. Where else would your professor invite your project group to her house and make you a delicious homemade meal? Or, let's talk about the fact that we have each one of our professors' personal phone numbers. What I'm really trying to get at, with all of this rambling, is that there is no way I could have been successful in grad school had I not had 38 other people going through the same thing with me. There is no way I would have recovered (psychologically and academically) from a few disappointing grades without the support of my professors, who are just as concerned about my success as I am.

Although I am extremely excited to move on to the next stage of my OT adventure, fieldwork, I can't help but be a bit melancholy when I think about all the wonderful people I won't be seeing everyday anymore. But, once again, knowing that all 38 of my classmates are going through this transition too, gives me comfort and confidence. Because I know that each one of them (including me) are going to be stellar OT practitioners.