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ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners is thrilled to welcome you to OT Blogs, part of the Healthcare POV: Blog and Forum Community from ADVANCE. Our new blogs offer posts covering timely questions, advice and opinions about the occupational therapy field. Please take a moment to read our bloggers' bios to learn more about each of them. We have provided tags to assist in locating topics of interest. And feel free to use the comment area after each blog entry to interact with our bloggers. We look forward to hearing more about the occupational therapy field from your Point of View (POV).
LATEST POSTS FROM EACH BLOG
August 5, 2008 3:25 PM by Tim Banish of COTA Thoughts

Therapy is once again taking a hit with the passing of the Part B Caps which took effect on July 1, 2008. Congress allowed the bill to take full effect as originally scheduled ...

 
August 5, 2008 3:24 PM by Wendy Hof of A Pediatric Perspective

Last week I offered links to recipes for making your own playdoh, goop and slime.  This week I thought I would offer suggestions and links to other ways to "get messy" and have fun without having to purchase anything or spend a fortune. 

Being someone who loves the outdoors my favorite ways to get messy involve being outside - and don't cost a penny.

  • Jumping in rain puddles! Oh come ...

 
July 29, 2008 1:36 PM by Tim Banish of COTA Thoughts

Do you ever worry about getting hurt on the job? This thought hit me the other day as we were rushing about and one of us almost fell. Due to vacations, we were short staffed and while trying to attend to one patient in the gym, one of us came close to falling. This would have been a silly accident, but it could have caused a significant injury. Then I thought about how our job is often quite physical in nature anyway, ...

 
July 29, 2008 1:34 PM by Wendy Hof of A Pediatric Perspective

Today's helpful tidbits are websites that have recipes for making homemade playdoh and other messy substances. What makes these websites extra useful is that often the kiddos you are working with don't want to touch the play-doh or get messy when asked to sit down and given something "messy" to play with. The catch is getting them involved in actually making the substance you want them to eventually play ...


 
July 22, 2008 3:14 PM by Tim Banish of COTA Thoughts

Well this past week included a bit of R & R for me. I guess the summer weather we been having here lately is the reason why. The nice weather made my mind continue to wander off to thoughts of an upcoming vacation. After several day dreams, my final conclusion on this thought was that I just had to sneak out to the campground for a weekend trip. A couple of days of fresh lake air next can really do a lot to clear ...

1 comments  
July 22, 2008 3:12 PM by Lorraine Calhoun of OT Coach’s Corner

I am not trying to trick you by that title that includes the phrase, work-life balance. Is it possible to have balance? Are you looking for that elusive "work life" balance that seems to be just a few steps ahead of you?

How long have you been chasing it?

Balance can mean different things to different people. I have a friend who says that there is no such thing as balance. She feels that we cannot ...


 
July 12, 2008 2:51 PM by Jill Glomstad of ADVANCE Outlook: OT

Here in Orlando it's the last day of the Autism Society of America conference. According to ASA CEO and executive director Lee Grossman, over 2,000 participants are here for the conference.

What a great way to end a fascinating conference, by having Temple Grandin, PhD, give the final keynote speech of the event. Dr. Grandin is very well known in the autism community, but for those of you "neurotypicals" who don't ...


 
July 11, 2008 10:21 PM by Jill Glomstad of ADVANCE Outlook: OT

Whew! I just returned from the Autism Society of America's 2008 Evening of Champions Gala. What an exciting and inspiring night. After a cocktail reception in the Gaylord Palms' replica old Spanish fort, we moved to the Convention Center ballroom for dinner, drinks, dancing and an evening to honor some exceptional people and organizations in the autism community.

Lois Blackwell received the ASA Founder's Award ...


 
July 11, 2008 3:30 PM by Jill Glomstad of ADVANCE Outlook: OT

This morning at the keynote speech at the Autism Society of America conference here in Orlando, I realized that people in the autism community -- practitioners at least -- are as concerned as OTs are about evidence based practice. I think that's fantastic, because there are a lot of alternative treatments out there (in autism lingo, they call them "biomedical approaches") that haven't been researched very much. Things ...


 
July 10, 2008 11:25 PM by Jill Glomstad of ADVANCE Outlook: OT

I attended several sessions today at the Autism Society of America's conference. First was a presentation by Zosia Zaks, MA, MEd. She has Aspergers, and now works with adolescents who are on the autism spectrum. She reviewed a number of social strategies she uses for adolescents and young adults to help them cope with social challenges they face. Many social skills interventions available aren't that great -- they ...


 
July 10, 2008 3:47 PM by Jill Glomstad of ADVANCE Outlook: OT

 

This is my first time attending the Autism Society of America conference - their 39th - and its been quite an enlightening and educational experience after only half a day.

The conference, held at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, kicked off this morning with some opening remarks and the keynote speech.

First up was a darling little 6-year-old girl, Gina Incandela, ...


 
July 10, 2008 2:53 PM by Susan Coyle of COTA Thoughts

ADVANCE for OTs is now on facebook!

That's right! We've joined the most popular social networking site online to provide you with a place to connect with other OTs and OTAs, stay up to date on news and ADVANCE announcements, and share photos and videos with each other. And while you're doing all that, we'll do the same, updating our page regularly so that you're never out of the loop.

To ...


 
June 26, 2008 10:44 AM by Tim Banish of COTA Thoughts

Being an occupational therapist means we need to be knowledgeable with many different medical diseases and conditions. We deal with everything from stroke to Parkinson's to dementia, and more. Through school, hopefully you received plenty of information about resources and agencies that deal with specific afflictions. Passing this knowledge on to our patients and family is what one of my teachers always said was one ...


 
June 23, 2008 3:00 PM by Jessica LaGrossa of ADVANCE Outlook: OT

ADVANCE now offers its full print issues in a digital format online!

This interactive version of our current issue contains ...


 
June 19, 2008 12:52 PM by Tim Banish of COTA Thoughts

I always check out a few different OT forums to keep up with the on-line chatter and views of other OTs around the country. As much as many of these comments are good, there are quite a few negative ones.  Comments such as; "the work is so hard", "productivity stinks", or "they have no hope of getting better" just make me mad to see. It seems like a few bad apples are spoiling the whole notion of what OT can ...


2 comments  
June 10, 2008 10:28 AM by Wendy Hof of A Pediatric Perspective

Whether we are actively looking for a new job or just checking to see what is available out there, it can be hard at times to know where to look.  Today's tidbits are helpful hints when it comes to finding pediatric therapy positions. 
  • Ask a colleague if they have heard of any openings.  You could be surprised what they may know or who they may know.  The obvious concern here is to be ...

 
June 6, 2008 9:32 AM by Tim Banish of COTA Thoughts

Medicare has some very specific rules that we all have to follow in regards to performing treatments and submitting the billing for time spent with patients. Ever since the advent of PPS there have been many different definitions, or ways people try to read between the lines, to make the rules bend to their liking.

One fact that has always been true, without question, is what constitutes ...


6 comments  
June 6, 2008 9:29 AM by Wendy Hof of A Pediatric Perspective

What would you do if you had a child who kept spiking a fever of 104-105 degrees for four to five days only to have it disappear and then reappear again in four to six weeks? What would you do if you went to several different doctors and still could not find a reason for the fevers? What would you do if no medication helped to bring down these fevers?

For many families this is a scenario ...


 
June 3, 2008 8:51 AM by Wendy Hof of A Pediatric Perspective

Today's tidbit is a listing of internet social support groups for Occupational Therapists.  MySpace and FaceBook are two popular social sites but they are not just for finding or meeting new friends - they can also be a source of social support for and by OT's.  Whether you want to join or to just browse through them I think you will find that they have a lot to offer - whether you are gaining knowledge ...


 
May 23, 2008 1:42 PM by Wendy Hof of A Pediatric Perspective

When you work in pediatrics you are usually working with children who have challenges that prevent them from being able to keep up with their peers. This is not always the case but when it is it can break your heart. Our job is to help the kiddos we are working with to reach their potential - to help them be the best they can be at whatever it is they want to do. Children can be cruel though. I don't think ...


 
May 22, 2008 3:07 PM by Wendy Hof of A Pediatric Perspective

Being a full time mom and full time employee I am always looking for ways to save time and work more efficiently.  Recently I have had to do several sensory profiles for children on my case load.  I find the profile itself is easy and quick to do but it is the actual scoring and report writing afterwards that takes time.  I am a computer person and thought I would do a web search to see if there was ...


 
May 20, 2008 3:12 PM by Lorraine Calhoun of OT Coach’s Corner

Are you aware that keeping a journal can be good for your health? I discovered this years ago as I was researching different healing modalities for myself. I was feeling miserable and wanted some relief. All of the resources I was reading had references for journal writing. I love using interesting references to lead me on a path of discovery.

That is exactly what happened with journal writing.

What ...


 
May 12, 2008 10:31 AM by Lorraine Calhoun of OT Coach’s Corner

How do you prepare for your workday? Do you have a resource file of handouts for the many different things that you teach the patients you treat?

This question came up for me in regards to my own work as I read through the Forum. http://Community.advanceweb.com/forums/28/ShowForum.aspx   ...


2 comments  
May 12, 2008 10:28 AM by Tim Banish of COTA Thoughts

What does the future hold for COTA jobs? Will there be a job for every future COTA?  Will salaries remain stable or will future Medicare reimbursement cuts affect pay rates?

I have to admit, the COTA job market is no longer what it was 10-12 years ago. Back then, you could expect a phone call almost daily from a recruiter (head-hunter) trying to convince you why their company was better. If the phone calls ...


8 comments  
May 8, 2008 9:05 AM by Wendy Hof of A Pediatric Perspective

Back in February I had posted a blog listing some helpful oral motor sites & articles and Samana Khan had left me a comment asking if I knew ...


 

ABOUT OUR BLOGS

The ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners editorial staff will discuss issues in the occupational therapy profession, current events in healthcare and offer their personal views and tips for your enjoyment.

Timothy P. Banish, Sr., COTA, will share his thoughts on important issues facing COTAs such as unrealistic goals in efforts to increase revenue ethics, salaries and job security.

Wendy Spoor-Hof, Pediatric COTA/L will share therapy ideas & strategies, inspirational stories, and offer a place to discuss the challenges and inspiration that comes with working in the pediatric occupational therapy field.

Lorraine Calhoun, OTR/L-CLT will delve into the creative, holistic and often times spiritual aspects of occupational therapy. She will also discuss the need for career satisfaction and life balance.