A BIG CHANGE

I decided to get a little personal on the blog today. I know that I rarely share facts about my personal life, but this whole social media thing is fairly a new experience for me. For those of you who don’t know me personally, you probably don’t know that I’m an Occupational Therapist and I’m very passionate about the geriatric population. Some of you might ask, “What is an Occupational Therapist (OT)?” When initially meeting patients I normally receive the response, “Honey, I don’t need you to find me a job.” :)) This makes me chuckle every time.
So what do I really do on a daily basis as an OT?  I am basically there to help a person get back to his or her daily routine and as close as possible to their prior level of functionality. No, I’m not just here to do upper body strengthening and work on fine motor skills (although these are some areas that can be addressed depending on the deficits noted), I am here to evaluate each person individually, examine how his or her deficits interfere with the ability to carry out goals that are meaningful to that person. From there, I develop an individualized treatment plan.
I started my career back in 2012 where I accepted my first job in a nursing facility in Louisiana. Shortly after, my husband and I relocated to North Carolina for his schooling, After 2.5 years of living in NC, it was then time to move to AZ to explore new job opportunities for both of us. I never imagined that I would experience this many life and job changes this early into career. My husband is absolutely the best for being my rock and my biggest supporter 🙂 Thinking back on everything and all of our major life changes,  I wouldn’t have it any other way. Each experience has allotted me the opportunity to grow as a person as well as professionally. I am so fortunate to have worked alongside so many amazing healthcare providers.
You’re probably reading along and wondering where I am going with all of this… Well, I recently quit my job here at a nursing home in AZ.  I feel that so often in life, it’s so much easier to be comfortable somewhere familiar and fearful of experiencing change. I wanted to challenge myself to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, and to challenge myself to continue to be a life long learner. I was recently offered another position that was the perfect opportunity for growth and something I couldn’t pass up. That being said, I start my new job tomorrow! I must say, I will miss all of my coworkers and patients so much. I’m a little nervous, but excited for a change. If anyone is wondering, this was not an easy decision for me, but after careful deliberation, I decided to take a leap of faith. If anyone has any specific questions for me, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email 🙂

Ps.. I promised a therapy post, so I decided to share this built-up nail clipper. I made this for one of my patients and received such great feedback that this particular patient went to the administrator to tell him how useful it was! It’s super easy to make. All you need is a pair of nail clippers, a hot glue gun, and popsicle sticks. I cut and filed down the popsicle sticks so no parts of it were sharp. This is useful for someone who needs modifications due to decreased fine motor coordination and pinch strength. Hope y’all enjoy!