OT Blog
Update your bookmarks
For several reasons, I have decided to move this blog to Wordpress. Please update the URL to http://bloggingot.wordpress.com
If you come to the website directly, it will automatically redirect you. The reason for this post is for those who access the posts via RSS and may not visit the actual website.
I have to update all my links and stuff, as they somehow got deleted, but I will be doing that in the near future!
If you come to the website directly, it will automatically redirect you. The reason for this post is for those who access the posts via RSS and may not visit the actual website.
I have to update all my links and stuff, as they somehow got deleted, but I will be doing that in the near future!
Categories: OT blogs
OT/PT
This is a funny story about people who are absolutely clueless as to the role of occupational and physical therapy. Often, when orders are made for OT in acute care, PT is also requested as part of the consult. It doesn't mean the patient even needs one or the other, but sometimes doctors just check it off as they go down the list of orders on the computer. Also, before some patients can go home, they need to be consulted by OT and PT.
Anyway, a fellow OT co-worker of mine was getting ready to see a patient who was awaiting approval from OT to be able to be discharged home when the nurse saw her coming. She got all excited and said, "OT/PT is here!" Mind you, it was just the OT that was there, but this nurse saw so many patients being treated by both OT and PT, they somehow all got rubbed into one word: OTPT!
Anyway, a fellow OT co-worker of mine was getting ready to see a patient who was awaiting approval from OT to be able to be discharged home when the nurse saw her coming. She got all excited and said, "OT/PT is here!" Mind you, it was just the OT that was there, but this nurse saw so many patients being treated by both OT and PT, they somehow all got rubbed into one word: OTPT!
Categories: OT blogs
I made a splint!
I made my first splint independently last week. I've made lots of splints in my time, especially footplates (to prevent foot drop), but every time I ever made a splint before, I had a clinical instructor or someone else right there to help me out. This splint I did all by myself. And I did a really good job, too :) It was a relatively simple splint, a knee extension splint for a below knee amputee (BKA), but I'm happy that I was able to do is all by my lonesome self.
Categories: OT blogs
Preparing for the NBCOT Exam
Sorry for the delay in this post.
The NBCOT exam consists of 200 questions and you get 4 full hours to complete the test. Of those 200, 30 are not counted, as they are "experimental questions," questions that may or may not be put into future tests.
I took the exam a little over a month ago, and it took me only 3 hours to complete, and that was with me taking my time. Thankfully, I passed. This post will be about what materials I used to study and how I studied.
I utilized the following four books:
The second book in the list, the one by Johnson, was by far the best book (besides the official NBCOT study guide) in terms of questions that are representative of the NBCOT exam. There are multiple tests, and it comes with a CD-ROM that allows you to customize the questions that are presented to you, in case you need more guidance in one particular area. Additionally, if you take an entire 200-question exam on the computer, it will break down exactly what areas you need to work on. I HIGHLY recommend this book.
The third book on the list is the official NBCOT study guide. It only comes with one shortened test, but it gives you a pretty good picture of what the questions on the exam will look like. While I do recommend getting this book, it is probably not necessary for passing the exam.
Finally, the last book is another must have. Whereas all the other books just have study guides (sleep well the night before, arrive early, etc.) and practice questions/exams, this book has all the information that will appear on the test. It has all the information about all the diagnoses, from hands to kids to neuro, how we treat them, what to look for, and more. It is meant to be a primary study source, meaning that you can use this book without looking back at your notes. While ultimately I did look back at my notes and other textbooks while studying, I mainly used this book. The book also comes with a CD-ROM for you to take practice tests, but I found the study questions to be very difficult and not having enough information within the questions to answer the questions appropriately. While not as difficult as the Sladyk book, I still would not recommend taking these test questions.
Now that I've covered which textbooks I used, I'll just say a little bit about the actual studying. First, do not study alone! Initially, I was going to study alone, but I got myself a study partner, and believe me, it helped! I would not have passed without her. With a study partner, you can set goals, test each other, cover material out loud, and review things that you may have problems with.
I recommend taking LOTS of practice quizzes. The Johnson book is great for this, as it has many questions, and if you use the CD, you can have about 800 study questions! You don't have to do 200 questions in a row for the practice quizzes. I found it helpful to do about 50 at a time, so that I can review all the answers and see what areas I needed help in studying. The quizzes helped me realize what style all the actual test questions would be in, and really narrowed down the areas I needed to work on most.
Good luck!
The NBCOT exam consists of 200 questions and you get 4 full hours to complete the test. Of those 200, 30 are not counted, as they are "experimental questions," questions that may or may not be put into future tests.
I took the exam a little over a month ago, and it took me only 3 hours to complete, and that was with me taking my time. Thankfully, I passed. This post will be about what materials I used to study and how I studied.
I utilized the following four books:
- OT Exam Review Manual (4th ed.), by Karen Sladyk
- Occupational Therapy Examination Review Guide (3rd ed.), by Caryn Johnson
- OTR Study Guide and Study Guide Supplement, by NBCOT (pdf order form)
- National Occupational Therapy Certification Exam Review and Study Guide, by Rita Cottrell
The second book in the list, the one by Johnson, was by far the best book (besides the official NBCOT study guide) in terms of questions that are representative of the NBCOT exam. There are multiple tests, and it comes with a CD-ROM that allows you to customize the questions that are presented to you, in case you need more guidance in one particular area. Additionally, if you take an entire 200-question exam on the computer, it will break down exactly what areas you need to work on. I HIGHLY recommend this book.
The third book on the list is the official NBCOT study guide. It only comes with one shortened test, but it gives you a pretty good picture of what the questions on the exam will look like. While I do recommend getting this book, it is probably not necessary for passing the exam.
Finally, the last book is another must have. Whereas all the other books just have study guides (sleep well the night before, arrive early, etc.) and practice questions/exams, this book has all the information that will appear on the test. It has all the information about all the diagnoses, from hands to kids to neuro, how we treat them, what to look for, and more. It is meant to be a primary study source, meaning that you can use this book without looking back at your notes. While ultimately I did look back at my notes and other textbooks while studying, I mainly used this book. The book also comes with a CD-ROM for you to take practice tests, but I found the study questions to be very difficult and not having enough information within the questions to answer the questions appropriately. While not as difficult as the Sladyk book, I still would not recommend taking these test questions.
Now that I've covered which textbooks I used, I'll just say a little bit about the actual studying. First, do not study alone! Initially, I was going to study alone, but I got myself a study partner, and believe me, it helped! I would not have passed without her. With a study partner, you can set goals, test each other, cover material out loud, and review things that you may have problems with.
I recommend taking LOTS of practice quizzes. The Johnson book is great for this, as it has many questions, and if you use the CD, you can have about 800 study questions! You don't have to do 200 questions in a row for the practice quizzes. I found it helpful to do about 50 at a time, so that I can review all the answers and see what areas I needed help in studying. The quizzes helped me realize what style all the actual test questions would be in, and really narrowed down the areas I needed to work on most.
Good luck!
Categories: OT blogs
Where I've been
It's been just over a month since I last posted anything, so I just wanted to post a quick update as to where I've been and what I've been up to. First, I was concentrating heavily on studying for the NBCOT exam. I might dedicate a blog post about the whole process, but for now, I can happily report that my many hours of intense studying paid off and I passed the exam! I got my official state license, and I'm now a fully legal occupational therapist with lots of letters after my name (MS, OTR/L).
With all that studying, I knew I'd need a break and so I went with my family to Israel, where I spent an amazing two weeks vacationing. This is something I'd recommend to anyone: Take a vacation before you start working; you'll never be able to take off for this long again!
I finally returned to the United States, and after a week to recover from jet lag, I started my new job working in an acute care hospital. Tomorrow begins week two, and I'm still finding it hard to believe that I'm a working man!
With all that studying, I knew I'd need a break and so I went with my family to Israel, where I spent an amazing two weeks vacationing. This is something I'd recommend to anyone: Take a vacation before you start working; you'll never be able to take off for this long again!
I finally returned to the United States, and after a week to recover from jet lag, I started my new job working in an acute care hospital. Tomorrow begins week two, and I'm still finding it hard to believe that I'm a working man!
Categories: OT blogs
Helpful Guide for Planning OT Treatments
Jenna from OTplan.com sent me the link to her website yesterday, and after having a quick look through the website, it looks like it can be a very useful source for treatment ideas. The site is obviously geared towards working with the pediatric population, so if anyone is in that field, you should definitely check it out.
The way the site works is you choose a skill you want a child to work on (i.e. tripod grasp, sequencing, cutting, intrinsic muscle development, etc.) followed by selecting what materials you have available in your clinic, house, or treatment setting. After selecting the materials, a list of activities (treatments) show up, and you can click each one for easy and understandable directions. The entire site is very straightforward, which I like a lot.
So check it out!
The way the site works is you choose a skill you want a child to work on (i.e. tripod grasp, sequencing, cutting, intrinsic muscle development, etc.) followed by selecting what materials you have available in your clinic, house, or treatment setting. After selecting the materials, a list of activities (treatments) show up, and you can click each one for easy and understandable directions. The entire site is very straightforward, which I like a lot.
So check it out!
Categories: OT blogs
Graduation
Things have been really busy with graduation and the subsequent studying for the Boards. But I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still alive!
In my previous post, Dr. Iwama honored me by posting a comment with a link to his website that explained the Kawa Model, and I was going to attempt to explain it in my own words, but I realized that his website explains it best, and my summary didn't give the model the proper respect. So check out his website on the Kawa Model!
In my previous post, Dr. Iwama honored me by posting a comment with a link to his website that explained the Kawa Model, and I was going to attempt to explain it in my own words, but I realized that his website explains it best, and my summary didn't give the model the proper respect. So check out his website on the Kawa Model!
Categories: OT blogs
