OT425 Conceptual Model of OT

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OT:430 Caleb Harbor Blog 4

      A United States sailor finds himself in Jamaica on leave, where he runs into a weird man who makes him a strange bet.  The bet is the sailor can strike a lighter 10 straight times with a miss. If he wins he receives a car however if he loses he will have his left pinky finger cut off. The bet is stopped early by the wife of the strange man so the sailor does not lose his finger.
      If the sailor had lost the bet, there would of be some effects on his daily occupations. As a sailor in the navy he would more than likely have to handle a firearm. The loss of a pinky would affect the grip in which he would control the firearm. Another activity in which the loss of a pinky might affect a sailor is in the ability to tie knots because the loss of the pinky would affect grip strength. A modification for the sailor could be to use both hands when handling the firearm. Also the sailor could do hand exercises to increase hand strength and dexterity to help with tying knots aboard the ship.
     The wife of the man in the story would have problems with daily occupations such as typing or driving due to only having two fingers on one hand. In order to address the problems she may have due to the loss of fingers, she could use a smaller keyboard or adaptive keyboard in order to type easier. As well as using a steering wheel knob in order to control the wheel better with only one hand.

OT 425: implicit bias

Implicit bias is unintentional or unconsciously placing certain attributes both good or bad on an individual because of cultural or physical characteristics. It is important for OT students and practitioners to self-evaluate for possible bias they may unknowingly have. Everyone has life experiences that shape their worldview in different ways rather that be the area of the world they grow up in, family they are born into, religious affiliations, or personal interactions. These factors affect the way we may see a race, religion, or social class. OT students and practitioners are supposed to be non partial and unbiased when evaluating and treating clients. OT students and practitioners should treat every client with the same dignity and respect in the hopes of providing the best possible care, not allowing for bias to alter their behavior. There are few things you could do in order to examine your own bias. One thing is taking a survey or test, like the Project Implicit, to see if there are any possible bias you may have. A second thing someone could do is ask others around them, who they trust to be honest with them, if they see them showing any signs of possible bias. Thirdly someone could have open conversations with people of other races, religions, and cultures to help inform them on ways they may feel others show bias. Finally, I would add just treat others the way God would want you to treat them. My biggest take away from this session on implicit bias was I do not think most people are intentionally behaving in biased ways, however they are just blinded or uninformed. I think most implicit bias could be eliminated if people would just take a step back and think before acting in certain situations and just remember the golden rule, treating others the way you would want to be treated.

OT430: scapulohumeral rhythm

Scapulohumeral rhythm is defined as ratio of movement between the scapula and humerus. This ratio is for every three degrees of movement the scapulothoracic joint accounts for one degree and the glenohumeral joint accounts for two degrees. It is important that this ratio be maintained for full 180 degrees of motion. It is important to consider this ratio when a client does not have full ROM in order to find out which joint may be responsible for the lack of movement. Improper function in either joint could result in a decrease in ROM, an impingement, or pain. A lack of full scapulohumeral rhythm can point to signs of defects or problems with muscles that move the scapula such as trapezius and serratus anterior or issues with the humeral head rotating laterally.

OT430: Blog 2 MMT

It is important to use bony landmarks and proper positioning when measuring ROM in a client so that the data collected is both as accurate as possible and in order for the measurements and process to easily be replicated by another clinical professional resulting in the same or very similar results. The "test position" is used to help place the client in the best possible position to both optimize muscle strength and help reduce the possible compensation from either activating another muscle group or twisting/bending to increase ROM or strength. The purpose of placing a client in to a gravity eliminating position would be if the client does not have the strength to move against gravity or if the client had contraindications calling for the movement to be done in a resistance free position. 

OT425: Knowledge Check for class 4/9

I learned a few things from the lecture on Health Promotion from Prof. Flick. In the lecture Pro. Flick discussed the Triple Aim from the IHI. The goal of the Triple Aim is to better the health care of individuals across the board while reducing the cost per capita. Triple Aim also wants to empower individuals and families by assuring a seamless journey through the healthcare system. Prof. Flick also discussed the three types of intervention which are primary, secondary, and tertiary. Finally I read about social determinants of health on the HealthyPeople.gov website. These determinants can be anything from factors such as public transportation and safety to personal factors such as income and resources. 

OT430 Blog 1: Activity Analysis

Every day I grab a coffee mug out of my kitchen cabinet. When I arrive at the cabinet and face it, my arm is in full adduction by my side. My forearm is in a neutral position and in full extension at the elbow joint, and palms facing in toward my body. In order to reach for my mug my shoulder must first go into concentric flexion to the height of the mug inside the cabinet. All of my DIP, PIP, and MIP joints go into concentric flexion as well as my thumb going into opposition in order to grasp and hold the mug. After I have grasped the mug, my elbow goes into concentric flexion in order to bring the mug in closer to my body meanwhile my shoulder is performing extension by eccentric muscle contraction to bring my arm back beside my body lowering the mug. The action of flexion and extension in the shoulder joint, elbow joint, as well as the DIP, PIP, and MIP joints takes place in the sagittal plane around a frontal axis. The osteokinematics of the shoulder is flexion to extension in an open kinematic chain. The arthrokinematics of the shoulder in flexion is the convex segment of the humerus spins and rolls inferiorly with a slight anterior glide within the stable  concave segment of the glenoid fossa on the scapula. The prime movers for the shoulder flexion is the anterior deltoid and coracobrachialis which perform a concentric contraction. The same muscles act in an eccentric manner to allow shoulder extension.

Art Therapy with Navy Seals, Knowledge Check #14

     I listened to the podcast " Leisure Exploration and Creativity with Veterans" from the Glass Half Full website. It was interesting to learn about some of the efforts being implemented to help our service men and women who are struggling with PTSD and/or the adjustment of life after deployment. The concept of using arts therapy with top tier military operators had never crossed my mind. When I think of military members especially Navy Seals, I think of some of the most alpha dog personalities on the planet, not someone who is going to sit down and knit some socks. However I learned from the podcast that art therapy can be woodwork, metal work, construction,  and many more activities along those same lines. They even discussed photography as a popular method of art therapy.

     The also enjoyed learning about the nonprofit War Paints which was being promoted by Seal Team member Rusty Noesner. War Paints creates studios around the country and offers classes for veterans to get connected with art therapy to help them adjust to life back in the States. Rusty also talked about the barriers that sometimes have to be torn down before veterans can fully take advantage of art therapy. He talk about how sometimes masculinity can prevent certain male veterans from trying actives such as photography or art painting. Rusty stated that one of his favorite activities is photography even though it is more common with female veterans. I really enjoyed the podcast because I think it is important we take care of our veterans since they sacrifice so much to protect our lives and freedoms. 

OT misconception meme

What is "blissful ordinariness"?

There are things we do everyday that are so routine and ordinary that we do not even think about it. We often even take them for granted. This can be things like showering, making coffee, driving a car, and getting dressed. The term "blissful ordinariness" describes just that very concept. Things we do in a routine manner that can often feel almost religious because they are so ordinary and ingrained into our every day. However, people often only see how important these activities are to them when they are no longer able to perform them without hinderance. This is where the holistic approach within occupational therapy really excels. Instead of just looking at a referral and starting from there, an occupational therapist will make use of their therapeutic relationship with the client to find out what is important for the client and why the client wants to get back to doing this activity. An occupational therapist wants to know how this affects the client in order to know the best way to help. Everyone has a daily routine that can be interrupted in many ways it is an occupational therapist's job to use their skills to return the client to their " blissful ordinariness" of every day the best way possible.

Area of interest

I think my interests and curiosity will change over the years and that is the great thing about occupational therapy. I do not want to be limited to doing the same exact thing for the next 30 years every single day from 9:00 to 5:00. I enjoy a change of pace and venue. However I think my end goal would be to work in a for profit agency with a outpatient type setting. I believe eventually I would like to start and run my own clinic that is why I am saying this setting cause that would be the most common type. I like the thought of the freedom and adventure that comes with being my own boss and running a small business. I think this would allow me to always be pushing to learn something new and expand my services to best service my clients. I think a clinic with both a pediatric side and an adult outpatient side with a variety of services not just occupational therapy would be the goal. However I know that is not a feasible starting spot. I really have a interest and a heart for pediatrics, and I enjoyed my time during my internship that was done in a pediatric clinic. However I am interested in seeing as many different settings as possible. I feel like a public agency such as an acute care hospital would allow me to see a variety of diagnosis and disorders to sharpen my skills, broaden my experiences, and make valuable networking contacts. As of right now I have not found a special certification that draws my attention so much that I would like to focus on it, but that could change at any time. As you can see it is not necessarily a single nitch that intrigues me the as much as it is the endless possibilities and serving people along the way.