The JDA: More than just your job description.

[Lab 2- March 22: Cognitive-behavioural job demands analysis]

Coming out of this lab, and the role playing that was involved in our simulation of conducting the Job Demands Analysis (JDA), made me realize the complexities of the many occupations that we engage in throughout our everyday lives. The JDA brings out the implicit elements and skills that a typical job description would fail to include, bringing attention to some psycho-emotional determinants of occupation compared to a functional assessment or activity analysis. If I ever decide to use this in my future practice, I have to keep in mind that I need to be more resourceful to attain the full occupational profile of my clients. It's unfortunate that the JDA doesn't ask about how the client's different life roles impact her job performance and experience in the workplace. The stresses of her other occupations definitely plays a role in how she demanding she feels her job is at this point in her life. We're not super humans who perform each of our occupations in isolation from each other. As much as we try our best to put one hat away when we put on another, our stack of hats is usually in within our peripheral vision as we carry out certain occupations because we never know when we'll have to switch roles!

Learning how to See with Empathy

[Lab 1- March 15: Empathy and Stigma]

The theme of our First PE Lab was "Empathy" and to learn about how it can be a tool for overcoming stigma we did an activity where we made Spectacles Of and For Ourselves. As our prof pulled out the pipe cleaners, I knew what was afoot --we were going to make pipe cleaner glasses for ourselves!! And what fun we had!! =)

"PE" Lab?

I haven't taken any sort of "PE" course since high school... Nah! I mean "PE" as in Psychoemotional!

I mentioned in my last post that one of recent events that motivated me to start up this blog again was a lab course. It's the lab component of my Psychoemotional Determinants of Occupation course. We are required to make a lab portfolio that includes:

• journal-style reflections
• additional research and resources
• other material that demonstrates the application and consideration of lab content outside of lab time 
• and will be useful in future practice

The idea of a blog came up, and I knew that I had to Continue my blog!
So that's why I will be making posts in reference to my lab course. However, this blog is not turning into something that is strictly for my lab portfolio. I will continue to reflect on other ideas that are floating around in my mind and it will remain an outlet for me to think and share ideas about Life. This basically means that I should be doing More blogging. At least once a week. I night need to think about a way to organize this class based entries though...

Revisiting a Question to Myself

It's been a Long while since I last posted on this blog.
My lack of blogging doesn't mean I have stopped actively reflecting (during fieldwork placement, in life and about myself) to improve my OT lens. I've found that I've actually written a few unfinished posts throughout my placement and I just never got around to finishing my thoughts and posting them. I hope that I will find the time to do that later this weekend.

For now, I'd like to revisit the question that I had asked myself when I initially started this blog and add on other new ideas I have for the purposes of this virtual outlet of mine:
Why a Blog?

A place to think... That's what this blog should be for me.

Promises to Myself

A new year! This is usually the time of the year when I have the typical New Year’s Resolutions that include "Go to the gym more" and "Smile more" in the back of my mind. Last year, I actually wrote a list of things to keep in mind for the year (I'm pasting it directly from the post-it note on my computer desktop):

• Less Critical (and Defensive?)
• More Accepting of Criticism/Others' Opinions (open-mindedness)
• Run 2x a week (short, 5K & longer) >>10K in April/May/Summer!

I'll be honest and admit that none of these have been fully accomplished. That's not to say that I haven't become more open-minded or less critical... I like to think that I have become more open-minded and less critical/defensive, but can I say these goals were successfully achieved if I can't quantify these traits? I have yet to run that 10K, and although that goal is definitely quantifiable, it wasn't specific at all. So this year, I will make SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) goals! Aha! Applying a concept learned in OT class to real life! XD

One of the classes that I had in my first term of OT was one called “The Learned Experience of Disability” where we learned about different types of disabilities and their respective experiences in a way that lectures and textbooks couldn't teach us. We were each paired with another OT classmate and assigned a volunteer from the local community who had a disability. This volunteer was known as our mentor, and we spent a few hours each week with them, learning about their life and experiences with a disability. From this class, I learned about more than the one disability that my mentor had, but also about the disabilities that the mentors my fellow peers had. I think many of my classmates would agree that our learning about disabilities shouldn't stop there. So I've decided to make a SMART goal to motivate myself to keep learning:

>>By the start of next year’s classes in September, I will have read at least four books on the lived experiences of four different types of disability/illnesses.

And here's one non-OT SMART goal:

>>Run the Beat Beethoven 8km run (8km within 50 minutes) in June this year.

I can do this!! ^_^

Christmas... Time to get Crafty!

DIY Bird Nest pendant necklaces by Sarah Ortega

DIY Rope Bangles by Martha Stewart

From what I remember, I loved doing arts and crafts when I was a kid in elementary school. And as I grew older, I still enjoyed learning origami, and would make the red and green paper chains and random crafts to decorate our home and tree for the Christmas holidays. As a young teenager, I spent quite a bit of time learning to make different types of friendship bracelets. (I guess that's pretty typical hobby for young girls.) Even as a young adult, crafts have been something that I enjoy. But now I only do it for others. The past few years in university were very busy, but I've made cards,  scrapbooks and gift boxes for friends. (Disclaimer, I made them to the best of my abilities. I am definitely no Martha Stewart.) I love the opportunity to   get creative and make a one-of-a-kind gift to show my appreciation for their presence in my life. ^_^

DIY Charlie Brown Ornaments by Jessica

This year for Christmas, I am an unemployed student (I worked during high school and a majority of my undergrad). My close friends are also still students, so some of us have decided to make it a hand-made gift exchange this year. I am SUPER excited because it's something I've always done... but only on random occasions. I've looked up some nifty craft ideas (you can see that jewelry and ornaments are of particular interest to me ;P) that I might use for my friends... or just to make for myself if I have time over the break. =)

Makes me think that I'm going back to my "roots": as a little girl and as an OT! (I just had an exam that required me to study some history of OT, and arts and crafts was our expertise back in the 1920s!)

DIY Embroidered Gift Box from Etsy

You know when you think back to what you wanted to be when you were a kid? Child me always wanted to be a teacher. But now that I think about how this handmade gift exchange has got me so excited... and how I've been crafty since my childhood... maybe I have always wanted to be an OT! Hahah... XD

"What are you Not doing now that you'd Like to be doing?"

Lazying around... When I should be studying.

The title of this post is a question that OTs may find themselves asking their client in an initial assessment. I haven't used this particular question with my volunteer clients in practice interviews, but I really like how the wording is casual. It makes you think about what you can do for yourself to improve your current circumstance right? I also think it's relative to each and every one of us, no matter what stage of life we are in. =)

At the moment, my answer would be: Studying. Hahaha. XD My first exam is at the end of this week and I find myself doing a little blogging...