Happy New Year!

We head into Winter Term with quiet halls as our Year Two students are out on their OccTh 526 (Level 2) placements.  The U of A students are represented from coast to coast from Prince George, BC to Saint John, NB.  We are also pleased to be hosting students from Australia, U of M, Western, Queens, Dalhousie and the Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres to Alberta and Saskatchewan!  It is truly a collaborative effort to coordinate national and international placements and it all hinges on our great clinical community, so thank you!

For the U of A MScOT students, Level 2 placements are where they start to transition from "Knowledge Application" to "Reflection in Action".  They can not only make a plan for an assessment or intervention but also start to evaluate how and why things unfolded the way they did.  It can take students a while to wrap their heads around the fact that there may be more than one 'correct' answer and path to supporting our clients in participating in meaningful occupations. Preceptors start to move from 'teaching' to 'coaching' and can encourage students to come up with their own theories, providing input and suggestions they may not have considered.  There are several good preceptor resources on our Clinical Education section of the U of A OT Department website [ click here ].   Stay tuned for information on Preceptor Workshops later this spring!

Finally, it may seem like a long way away but we have begun to plan for spring and summer placements for the following courses:

• OccTh 525 (Level 1 - Year 1):  May 15-June 30, 2017 (7 weeks)
• OccTh 527 (Level 3A - Year 2):  July 4-August 18 (7 weeks).  These dates can be adjusted to accommodate preceptor holidays. 

If you would like to offer or discuss the possibility of having an OT student, please contact a member of our Clinical Education Team [ Contact information  ]

Stay warm, enjoy some winter activities (be that skiing or curling up in front of the fire!), and give us a call if you have anything you would like to discuss! 

Student-Led Clinic showcases unique learning 

opportunities for MScOT students

This month, the Faculty of Rehab Medicine communications department highlighted the work of Jillian Quigley at the Vi Riddell Children's Pain and Rehab Centre at Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary.  This placement allows groups of students to participate in a student lead multi-disciplinary learning environment.  Please click here to see the entire article.  

The Department of Occupational Therapy's Jutta Hinrichs and Cori Schmitz pose with Jillian Quigley (centre) in Banff where Quigley received the ​CAOT Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence for the Student-Led Program in Calgary. (Photo Credit: Lili Liu)

Thank you to Jillian for her tremendous work with our students!

Students report back on their 

Introductory Fieldwork Placements

After fun and busy Introductory Fieldwork placement October 31-November 4, our first year students were back in class this week and gave brief reports on their experiences to their peers.  Placements ranged across Alberta and Saskatchewan and just about every area of practice (hospital,home care, community, schools, WCB).  The students were thrilled and we loved hearing how excited they were to experience Occupational Therapy in action.  These experiences really gave the students a sense of how clinical reasoning, ethical considerations, client centered practice and interprofessional collaboration look in practice.  Here are a few of the comments that students had:

• My preceptor was like a 'detective'.  I was amazed at how she problem solved and found the right answer for this client.  
• It was really neat to see how the team worked together and the respect the OT was given in terms of discharge recommendations. 
• It was so cool how my preceptor worked with this client - she empathized, collaborated, educated all in the matter of one visit.
• I never thought I would be interested in this area of practice but it was really interesting and I have a totally different perception now.  
• It was true what we were told about practicing in a small town.  I did know several of the clients we talked about.  It made me much more aware of confidentiality. 
•  There were so many ethical considerations.  My preceptor had to negotiate conflict between client and family, different teams, etc.
• It was so cool!  I had no idea OT was involved in that area.
• It was amazing how my preceptor 'heard everything' the client said and acknowledged it. I was so busy looking at the chart, I don't know how she can do it all at once!
• It was a real 'confidence booster' to get to try a few things with clients and figure out I can do this!

Sam and Julia with their preceptor Jonathan Rivero of Qi Creative

Thank you to all of you who supported the students as they put their toes in the "OT waters" for the first time.  It was a great week for everyone and will help them so much as they move forward with their program!  

The OT Students gOT Spirit!

Once again,  our OT student Professional Development Committee has put together a great submission for OT Month Challenge.  Their aim is to promote how meaningful OTs are to their clients and community.  

The video is available on FaceBook   click here to view

If you are connected on Facebook, please like and share the original post to get the word out to the OT community.  The submission that gets the most "likes" on Facebook will be the winner of the challenge and receive a prize.  Our students have already identified two worthy charities to donate the prize to.  

Congratulations to the students and we hope you enjoy!

Introductory Placements October 31-November 4

As our students are well into the fall term and we are all feeling like winter is here, the Fieldwork Team would like to take a moment to wish all of you a Happy OT Month! I know many sites will be having their own celebrations and here at Corbett the students are making a video celebrating OT -  I had my "close up" today! Here's to celebrating our great profession and the work we do!

Thank you so much for the overwhelming response to our call for offers for the Introductory Placements for our Year 1's from Oct. 31-November 4.   

The purpose of this early exposure to OT practice is three-fold: 

1. Opportunity for students to witness and participate in real, live OT practice and confirm their interest in our profession.

 2. Opportunity for students to gain basic knowledge about the OT role in a particular practice setting and create a context for OT practice that can be built on during classroom learning.

3. Opportunity for students to demonstrate professionalism, engagement and begin practicing their therapeutic use of self.

There are no 'caseload' expectations for this placement but throughout the placement students are expected to be engaged, eager learners who demonstrate basic time management skills and the ability to communicate appropriately with clients and colleagues. At some point during the placement, student must establish therapeutic rapport with at least one client and by the end of the placement they must articulate to their preceptor what occupational therapy is and explain the role for OT in this particular practice setting. 

We hope those of you who have students at your sites find them eager and engaged and that they remind you of your own excitement about Occupational Therapy. 

Happy Occupational Therapy Month!

 

Students co-author article 

on Prosper Place Clubhouse

Congratulations to MScOT students, Helen Tam and Esther Wong, who along with their fieldwork supporters, Heather Bussiere and Loraine Kolber,  and community leader, Bluma Goldberg,  were published in this month's OT Now.  The article it titled "Prosper Place Clubhouse: A mosaic of inclusion for recovery" and you can read it by clicking here.  

Prosper Place has been a key partner in providing Independent Community Placements (ICPs) to our MScOT students for a number of years and journalling and reflections are a key part of any ICP experience. Esther and Helen's journal reflections help illustrate how the principles of the recovery philosophy used in the Clubhouse model mirror Occupational Therapy values.  You can learn more about ICPs on our website [ click here ] or by contacting our Fieldwork Educator for ICPs , Loraine Kolber.  

The "Postcards" have arrived!

Back in June, we let you know we were requesting submissions from our students about their placements.  We got some great pictures that really highlight what a dynamic, creative and FUN clinical community we have in both Saskatchewan and Alberta.  Here's a what they looked like when we pulled them together. 

We had postcards from Canora, Rosetown, Cochrane, Edmonton, Bonnyville, Outlook, and Calgary!  Here's one of my favorite stories:

"This is a picture of [A], the boy I worked with this summer, and his friend. Kids at A's school don't like to play with A. because he has autism. The parents of these kids don't let their kids come to A's birthday parties. There is a stigma attached to having the label of autism but this little girl doesn't think A is different at all. She genuinely likes to be around A and plays with him like she plays with any other kid. She's patient with him and makes sure he feels included. She treats him like a typical kid while everyone else treats him differently. The world would be a better place for those with disabilities if people were all like A's friend."      Andrea

This little girls sounds like a future Occupational Therapist to me!!  Thanks to all the students who submitted!

WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS FALL? 

• Year One students are into their first week of classes and have already filled out their selections for their Introductory Placements from October 31-November 4.  Thanks to all our great sites and preceptors for offering to give this group their first fieldwork experience - they're pretty excited!  A reminder, students are allowed to return to their Introductory site in future placements (they only time they can repeat sites).
• Year Two students are back from summer break and buzzing about their OCCTH 525 placements in May/June (and hopefully enjoying their classmates postcards!).  They will head out in January again for OCCTH 526.
• The first "Year Three" students in the new curriculum are excited as they are completing their final placement!  Remember that feeling of no longer being the "Student", not knowing what to do with your time now there were no assignments and due dates, and the excitement and trepidation of embarking on your new career?  Many of them will be preparing to write the CAOT exam on November 19th.  
• Finally, something for YOU!  There are U of A Alumni-Student Pub Night events booked

• In Edmonton:

  Friday, September 23, 6-9 pm

  Hudson's on Whyte

  10307 82 Ave NW Edmonton

  
  

  In Calgary:

  Friday, November 4, 6-9 pm

  Last Best Brewing & Distilling

  607 11 Ave SW, Calgary 

  
  

  Appetizer buffet starts at 6 pm

  FREE drink ticket for a domestic bottle beer or hi-ball

  Please click on the link above for information and to register! 

As always, feel free to contact any member of the fieldwork team if you have any comments, questions or cudo's regarding MScOT student placements!