u/clcliff

I had a student shadow me for day to get hours for OT school, and he asked me to write a LOR to get into OT school. He also asked the person who he shadowed with for 3 days. We are both newish grads and a bit uncomfortable with how to proceed.

This student was giving mixed signals and seemed to have some difficulty with professionalism/social norms. For example when bringing in a peds client who's perfectly aware/cognizant if they have autism, asking me how much I get paid in the middle of a session, asking "verbal or nonverbal?" in reference to a kid I just brought in, referring to kids he's worked with before as "a level II" as a full title.

He said he got OT and ST as a kid so I suspect it's more of not understanding social skills and being young than trying to be rude on purpose, and he did work well with the kids and definitely had the heart for it. If I don't do it, they won't have enough letters to apply this cycle.

It's really hard to get recommendations around her due to availability of places to shadow at so I'm really torn. I was thinking a middle could be offering to write him one after he shadows for some more days.

ETA: idk if it makes a difference but he didn’t even officially ask me. He just added my info to the online application portal and it sent me a link to fill out the letter. Only after did he email wanting to give me a “heads up” to look out for the link and if I could just fill it out when I get a minute. He also didn’t waive he is right to view the letter.

So my outpatient peds job has a new EMR where parents can see openings in the schedule and request them. I'm the only full time OT at my job and there are a lot of kids needing spots. So of course I want to help as many of them get at east 1 session during a cancellation if possible, but lately I've been getting all my 60-minute slots filled in by 2 30-minute spots. Sometimes it happens twice a day so I'm seeing 4 extra kids (some of whom I've never treated before) and have more nots for them. On one hand I'm glad it's not always evals, but with seeing these extra kids, I'm starting to feel a little burnt out by this so I'm curious if this is typical.

Im a bridesmaid for someone I went to grad school with and haven't seen in almost 2 years because we live like 3 hours away now and both have full time jobs in our fields with different hours. Dress shopping is the first event for her wedding I'd be attending. This is my first time being a bridesmaid. All the other bridesmaids are going to be there.

Only problem is that last night I felt a tickle in my throat, and woke up today with lots of mucus, congestion, and a sore throat. I feel so guilty about the thought of cancelling especially cause we haven't seen each other in so long. But the bride is immunocompromised and if I go I'd have to drive 3 hours at 7am already feeling sick. I know the answer is to not go but I just feel so guilty about it.

Should I call her or text to let her know? Can I offer to have another bridesmaid facetime me in during the appointment? Should I offer to go anyway and wear a mask?

EDIT: Made an error in the title. We'd be going shopping to find a wedding dress, not a fitting.

I work in healthcare and am a newish grad in my field so it's still pretty mentally exhausting. I love my job but still sometimes dread the week ahead because I'm left with little time to do things for myself. I usually end up staying up way too late to do things because I don't have time in the day.

Looking for some ideas for some little things that you've implemented to help get over that dread of not having free time!

Peds OTs-- I have a very specific request. You know those putties you can buy online that are different themes and have toys in there to dig out? Like farm vs ocean animals, planets, emotions, etc.? Discovery Putty is one example.

I want to find my own figures like that so that I can swap them out in a single base putty to switch up the themes, but I'm honestly not sure what search terms to use or how to find them lol. Has anyone done this before and knows what I could use that holds up and doesn't stain them?

Thanks all!

Looking for something new to try and wanting to get more active. But I'm literally the least sporty person ever and a total beginner to active hobbies. So looking for suggestions for something to try in the CSRA that's low-stakes, maybe has an indoor option, non-judgemental, and maybe other young adults there.

How often are you all baking? I’ve been having the itch every single weekend but it’s just me and one other person at home who will eat it and the sweets usually last multiple days. Things like cookies, muffins, brownies, cinnamon rolls, etc.

I am a pediatric OT, and working with kids I often get worn out to where it feels so tempting to just each packaged, processed snacks that I have in my bag. Plus the fridge is in a different room and sometimes I don't have time to go there to grab snacks so I just eat what's in my bag.

I would love to hear what you guys are bringing for snacks at work that aren't just bags of chips, trailmix, pretzels, etc. I do like to bake so would be ok meal prepping something!

ETA: I'm vegetarian and allergic to banana and avocado sadly.

Outpatient peds OT here. I know a lot of OTs wear Hokas and really like them, but are they really worth the $150+? I grew up broke so it's always been hard to justify buying myself nice things instead of the $50 Adidas I've been buying.

EDIT: Thanks guys for the info on the Brooks ambassador program--definitely going to look into that! Any specific Brooks shoes you guys like? The more light weight, the better!

I’m a peds OT feeling kind of disappointed in the CEUs I’ve taken because they are all theory and not much about what you can actually do in sessions. For example I did one on sensory strategies you can use, and 75% was just explaining the sensory systems and OTs role in sensory processing. Then there will be like 1-2 case studies of OTs giving sensory strategies in a perfect world where the child is attentive and parents are receptive.

I take most of my CEUs from Aspire OT and Sensational Brain and this has been a theme with both places.

Anyone have peds CEU courses or website that actually give you intervention strategies and don’t spend the whole time just explaining concepts you already learned in school? I am looking for practical ideas that I can bring straight into a session and try.

Thanks all!

So I (26f) grew up reading YA dystopian and sci-fi fantasy series that I would get totally sucked into. Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Percy Jackson, Divergent, the Mortal Instruments, all the series like that.

But since becoming an adult and going through six years of college + full time jobs, I feel like books I read don't have that spark anymore. There are books I still enjoy, but there's not been anything that has gotten me sucked in. So I'm looking for suggestions for books that I can get fully absorbed by and have that hunger to read more again. Open to some YA and adult books.

The closest I've found as an adult is Project Hail Mary. The last series I read was the Darker Shades of Magic series.

Other books I've liked:

• All of Us are Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
• Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
• Anxious People and A Man Called Ove by Frederik Bachman
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanna Collins
• Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
• The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Winter World by A.G. Riddle
• The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
• The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence
• The Raven Boys/Dreamers books by Maggie Stiefvater

I tried the ACOTAR series and Fourth Wing and they weren't for me. Neither were Leigh Bardugo books. Will read thrillers occasionally. Not really into romance, but romance is okay if it's not the main plot.

Can be a standalone or a series. Bonus if they evoke that same feeling as the YA dystopian wave of the early 2010s but are still good as an adult.

Thanks all!

So I have recently been to the Ollie's in Augusta for the first time and am now a little obsessed. For for people who have been to the ones in Aiken and Thompson too, how different is the inventory across all of them? Which one has the best stock?

For reference I am shopping mostly for my job. I work with kids so have been getting a lot of the activity books, toys, and games.