Showcase of OT Videos

A little while ago, the below request was posted as a comment on the blog:

"Hi,
We're a small OT company and we've just set up a new OT video wall page on our site - we'd love to hear from any OT students who've found OT related videos that would be worth adding to help describe what OT is all about. The page is:

http://www.inclusion.me.uk/occupational_therapy_services/video_wall

We'd love to hear from any OT students who may of made any short videos that we could possibly showcase or maybe some who might be interested in making one to help us promote the profession.

Thanks and hope you don't mind us sharing this through your blog,
Matthew"

I clicked through the link and checked out the site... it looks like Matthew has put together a video wall that is a wonderful mosaic of the work that OTs do. It got me thinking of all the great videos students put together each year for the gOT Spirit campaign; this could be another place to showcase the creative efforts that are put into those videos and to have Canadian voices be a part of the international dialogue about Occupational Therapy.

If you're interested in having your video featured on the inclusion.ot website, just click through the above link and all the contact information is there.

I hope to see some more Canadian content there soon!!

The First Two-Years of Mental Health Practice

I am coming up on my second anniversary working in adult mental health and the time has simply flown by! The anniversary has reminded me to pause and reflect on all that has happened in those 24 months. A lot has changed and I have certainly changed too.

Some victories?

• I was part of creating an OT program at my place of work. Previously our employer had only part-time and intermittent OT involvement; there hadn't been an established OT program in a few years. When I started, there were two of us who were hired around the same time (my partner started 3 months before I did) and we built the role of OT within the institution from the ground up. There was a lot of leg-work in developing the programming and a LOT of education provided to staff and clients about what Occupational Therapy is. We've come a long way!
• I developed two of the four psychoeducational groups that are offered by OTs. My first program is called Building On Strengths; it is a program that facilitates self-discovery of personal strengths, values, and priorities and then uses that information to help clients create a personal mission statement and set SMART goals. It's all about how to build a life of meaningful occupational engagement; I love it and the clients I've delivered it to have loved it too. My second program is the Supporting Healthy Interactions Program (SHIP) and I cannot take credit for the foundations of this program! There was a pre-existing SHIP program at our facility that was an anti-bullying program for people who tended to be aggressive. It was a pretty short program and, in my opinion, only covered one end of the spectrum of problematic interpersonal styles that I typically see in my client population. But it was a strong place to start; what I did was build on what was already there. Now, the SHIP program teaches about aggressive and passive interpersonal styles as being on different ends of a spectrum, with assertiveness being the balanced middle ground. The program helps participants to understand their own style, how to set interpersonal boundaries, the benefits of assertiveness, and how to communicate assertively in a variety of different situations. There is a lot of role-play in this group, but while the skills-practice is serious we try to keep the scenarios on the humorous side. 
• I've been lucky enough to have two OT partners at work in the time that I've been there and both have been the most amazing women a girl could ask to work with!! I really can't overstate how grateful I am to each of these women. The first developed an Empowerment Program that we use to this day; it's fantastic for working with women who struggle with self-esteeem and/or feeling disempowered/marginalized in our society (which really, isn't that most women who have serious struggles with mental health?). The second (and my current partner) developed our Mindfulness Program, which teaches about mindfulness, observing, non-judgement, and a variety of different mindful and meditative practices. It's been a great foundation tool for all our clients.
• OT is now involved in some of the tasks on our mental health team that were historically assigned only to psychologists. I think that was more a function of the team being historically made up of only psychologists; but still, there were some people who were not sure OTs were capable of contributing in this way. Those tasks are: risk assessment related to suicide and self-harm, and triage of mental health referrals. Not glamorous stuff, but an important contribution to our team as a whole.
• I introduced a sensory modulation intervention to our environment for clients were were under observation due to self-harming or suicidal gestures. It's no snoezelen room! But given that we had no resources before, were given the tiniest budget imaginable, our clients had a real need, and we also had to consider safety issues (i.e. that the items in the intervention could not be adapted for purposes of harm to self or others) I think we did pretty well. Our intervention includes an assessment of the various stimuli available to determine which will be helpful to the client and then, based on the assessment, a "comfort kit" is put together and given to the client to facilitate self-soothing through interaction with the sensory stimuli. Now... if only we could get more funding to restock our missing items and create a larger inventory of stimuli! A girl can dream.
• I've received specialized training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and engaged in peer-supervision with a psychologist friend of mine who also took the training. I've had mixed success in implementation, as I'll probably discuss in a future post, but the training has certainly informed my practice in a lot of ways.
• I've just recently received specialized training in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy!! I'm excited about this particular intervention, but my training is very recent and I do not yet have any clients who are involved with DBT.
• This past July (2013) I began supervising para-professionals! They are not OTAs, as our mental health team has not historically had OTs, but they serve a similar role and the supervisory relationship is the same as you would see between an OT/OTA. The folks I work with coach our clients on their behaviours and assist them with working on behavioural goals.  This clinical supervision was previously always done by a psychologist, but the transition has gone really well. Currently I have six people that I'm supervising in this way (four full-time and two part-time) and it has been great. The people I work with are amazing and passionate about their work; they make my job as the supervisor really easy! And it's been great to work closely with others as part of a team with a common goal.
• This past December (2013) I had my first OT students!!! I had two students, each of them came to my workplace to join me for one day of job-shadowing. They were on a role-emerging mental health placement in the community and their day with me was just to give them a chance to connect with an OT who works in mental health. They were both wonderful and had a lot of great questions. It was a fantastic way for me to start giving back to my profession. I hope to be able to offer a full student placement opportunity in the future, but challenges at my workplace make it difficult to see how I'll find the time.

The challenges?

• As noted... time is a big problem. With funding cut-backs, our mental health team has been trimmed and trimmed and trimmed again. We have a number of people on parental leaves of absence and our employer does not fill the position while the person is absent; we simply do without. Because of this we're spread pretty thin... to be honest, I'm not sure how sustainable this model is. I see my teammates getting burnt out; I feel burn-out creeping up in myself. I recognize that this is the situation for many of us right now; it's a sign of the times. But I'd be curious to hear feedback from others about how they manage their time or their burn-out. email me at otsweetpea@gmail.com if you have some ideas/strategies that work well for you. This is the biggest pressing issue that I'm dealing with right now.
• Maintaining a core sense of your professional identity on an interprofessional team is something that you have to work at regularly!! For a while, when I was new, I struggled to see the niche within my practice context that OT fit into. I looked for where there was an unmet need and then set about filling it. But as time goes on and you start to have a better understanding of your role in the environment, you also come to better see the overlap with other professions. I find that taking time to debrief with my OT partner at work is really helpful for this. We compare notes and consult on complex cases; in doing so we anchor each other to the core values of our profession.
• It's also worth mentioning that the work environment I am in is stressful all on its own, even without the extra challenge of limited human resources. When you work for a large organization and need to coordinate client care with a variety of different stakeholder groups it can sometimes feel like not everyone is on the same page. Additionally, working with other human beings... who have moods and struggles and priorities of their own... can be tough and I've noticed that the most difficult thing of all (for me) is not letting the negativity or low-morale of others affect how I feel about my work. I do my best to support the people I work closest with, to insulate us from the worst of the negativity in others, but you can only do so much. I find I'm always having to remind myself just how much I love the work I do with my clients, because it's not the clients that are causing the stress. But that's the nature of the beast in a large organization; it's not unique to my workplace, I'm certain.

What's on the horizon?

• The situation on my team, with regard to staffing levels, is going to get worse before it gets better. So seriously, if anyone has any tips for managing your time in this kind of environment, or managing your burn-out, I am all ears!!! I will likely be putting together future posts about both these topics.
• It's been a whirl-wind of training and development for me these last two years. I think year three is going to be about consolidation! I need some time to fully absorb and implement all that I've learned thus far. Plus, I have to take the time to care for myself in all of this... so, my themes for 2014 are about finding balance and consolidating the development I've achieved thus far.

Dear abandoned blog,

I have not forgotten you, dearest blog of mine. I was simply too busy to dedicate any time to writing. Now that I have some time, I am faced with some questions about what direction to take you in.

My earliest posts were all about the application and admissions process for the Masters of OT programs in Ontario and they remain as a solid resource for future applicants. But I am no longer a student and there are years of life and experience between where I was then and where I am now. I can't really speak to what the admission process is like these days; I don't even know if it has changed.

Now that I am working as an Occupational Therapist in adult mental health I would love to post about my work! I am passionate about what I do. I feel grateful to work with my clients and team members. But I don't think any of them want their confidentiality breached, which means I can't really write about my work except in the most general of terms.

So what's a girl to write about in her poor abandoned blog?

I'm not entirely sure yet... but I'm going to give it a go! With the intent of sharing the things I care passionately about and drawing attention to things where I feel the advocacy of occupational therapists would be a meaningful addition to the dialogue, I will follow my instinct and see if this little blog can find a new voice and momentum.

And thank YOU, dear readers, for taking a leap of faith and taking this journey with me.
*fingers-crossed*
:)SweetPea

Questions Galore!

I've received a few email messages lately (maybe a lot) regarding the application process and I wanted to post my reply because I've noticed some common questions coming up each year. I hope that you find this helpful! I also have a caveat... I don't represent the school, I've never been on an admissions committee, so I don't know what the magic combination is that will get you an offer of admission. The following represents my opinion, based on my experience and that of others I've spoken to. Each applicant is different. Each school is different. And each year the selection committee, their priorities, and the pool of candidates may be different. I'm no expert, and I also don't believe that there is a single answer to the question of who/what makes a good candidate. I suspect that students are considered on a highly individual basis (mostly - see below).

1. GRADES

I get a lot of questions about grades and what constitutes a competitive GPA. Sadly, I don't know how to answer that question. Both the OT and PT programs are highly competitive, as are most graduate programs. This is also the one area where students are not considered as individuals, since research has shown (I'm told... I don't have a reference) that past academic performance is the greatest predictor of future academic success, including your ability to successfully complete the MSc OT program.

Common responses I get to that statement are "But I've had a lot of life experience since then and my grades don't reflect what I'm capable of!" and "My grades are just above the cut-off, should I even bother to apply?" I'm going to address each of these separately.

If you feel your grades don't reflect your ability... good! It probably means that you've been out of school a while, you've got some life experience under your belt, and your choice to pursue a career in OT is probably both considered and informed. The bad news is that your grades, if below the cut-off, will put you out of the running for consideration or, if just above the cut-off, will significantly impede your odds. The good news is that if this is a passion of yours you can always go back and take a few courses to pull up your GPA! After all, if you're capable of doing better then demonstrating this fact will make you look good on paper. Plus, it's an indication of commitment on your part. This was the exact position I was in when I decided to make a career change. Yes, it took me more time... but it's been incredibly rewarding and I've not resented a single second of the extra time. I was so motivated by the fact that I was working toward a goal that was really important to me and I ended up with a highly competitive GPA that got me both admissions offers and a scholarship. Not to mention the boost to my sense of self-efficacy!

If your grades are above the cut-off but not in the "competitive" range that's a tougher position to be in. Essentially you have two options... spend the money to apply, put together the best application you can, and hope for the best OR defer your application for a year, take a few more classes to bring up your GPA, and then apply the following year. The only reason I could see for not applying is if money is so tight that you can't afford it. If you can put together the money then apply! Some people in my class had less competitive GPAs but still got in. You may get wait-listed... then get in. You may get denied an interview at Mac based on grades, but then get a call 3 days before the interview weekend asking if you're still interested and available for an interview. And you might not get in anywhere... but that's also true of people with high GPAs. No matter what, it will be a valuable learning experience for putting together a better application the following year when you've had a chance to take some courses to improve your grades. Having said that, money is a legitimate concern for many people so taking the extra year before applying is not a bad strategy, especially if you have a plan on how to use that year to meet your goals.

2. PERSONAL STATEMENTS

More than anything... be yourself! This is the one area where you don't want to be a clone of all the other candidates and where the schools don't expect cookie-cutter answers. What you DO want to make sure you achieve in your statement is a coherent narrative about who you are and why OT is the inevitable choice for you. Think about your life and your interests... what have been the milestones on your journey to OT? What do you love about the profession? What personal characteristics do you have that will make you a good match? What achievements do you think show your suitability for this profession? What experiences have you had, personal or professional, that make this an informed choice and/or a passion for you?

Once you've answered those questions for yourself in point form then draft a story... where you are the protagonist and becoming an OT will be the climax. I've seen friends write these in a chronological way (first I did this, then I developed that, and now here I am!) and I've also seen them written in a thematic way (these are the characteristics I have that match the profession, here are my educational experiences that are germane to OT, and here's my roster of related professional achievements). Plus, I'm sure that there are many other ways to write these statements. The key, as I said above, is for it to be a coherent narrative rather than just a collection of facts about you. It's your statement about who you are, how you developed and what you value. It's kind of like your brand.

Finally, get a friend... preferably one who is also applying or who has applied before to a medical, OT, or PT program... to read your draft and give you feedback. Lots of feedback. On more than one draft. I did this and my friend definitely picked up on some awkward phrasing that I missed, and I hope I did the same for her.

3. INTERVIEWS

I can't really say any more than what I've already posted while I was going through the process myself. I highly recommend going back in my archive and looking at all those posts. I got really good feedback from my classmates, and from peers who have joined the class following mine, about how well the steps and pointers I outline prepare a person for the MMI. So, check those out!

4. WEIGHTING OF APPLICATION COMPONENTS

With regard to how your grades, experience, statement, references, interview, resume etc. etc. are weighted... I have no idea. I believe that McMaster uses grades only as a cut off for offering interviews and that the interview scores are given even weighting with grades in the final decision to offer admission or not. But I'm not privy to the actual decision making of the admissions committee, so I can't be sure. And I don't know about the other schools. However, given that each of the programs in Ontario considers different components in their decision making, I think that it's reasonable to assume that they give weight to the things they ask for. For example, UWO asks for references and McMaster does not. So, if you have strong references you may have a better chance at UWO. If you don't have great references, you might have better luck at Mac. But I'm just guessing.

I wish all future applicants the very best of luck! And on that note I'm also going to say that I'm a tapped out resource as far as these applications go. Everything I know about how to get into OT school has been said somewhere in this blog already. I don't have any specialized knowledge that will help me to assess an individual's odds for getting in. I don't know much about the other OT programs, since I chose McMaster. And as each year passes I get further from the experience myself, making my recall of the process more clouded and my advice less timely.

So... I still welcome your email! But if you have questions related to the application process then I'm just going to refer you back to the blog. And now a favour request! If you find any information in my blog helpful and you get an offer of admission, please let me know! I love hearing the success stories... they always make my day :)

SweetPea

Term One Placement = DONE!

I've just finished my first placement and it was great!

In our program, each term is divided into an academic portion followed by a clinical placement. The exception is in term five, when the clinical placement is substituted with an evidence based practice project... aka a research project akin to a mini-thesis. So, at the end of the program I'll have had a total of 5 placements in 6 terms. The earlier placements are shorter in length and our skill set is more limited so our level of participation is less than what it will be toward the end of the program when we'll be completing the longer (8-weeks for the final) placements.

So, Term One placement was 15 days over 4 weeks. We would go to "work" Monday through Thursday, and then Fridays we would rejoin our problem based learning groups at the school in order to talk about our experiences. I had my placement at a big hospital, working with the OT assigned to the Nephrology (Kidney) and Urology departments. My preceptor was great and I feel very fortunate to have had her! I have a sneaking suspicion that, more than your placement setting, a preceptor can make or break your experience.

Working primarily in Nephrology, we worked very closely with other members of the allied healthcare team, especially one of the PTs. Our clients were inpatients who are often quite ill. It was a great environment for learning about medical conditions because there are a fair number of reasons that the kidneys can malfunction (for lack of a better generic term). Many clients in that department have renal failure that is secondary to another illness; common culprits include diabetes and hypertension. So, I enjoyed reviewing medical charts to get an idea of medical history!

In terms of what occupational therapy does with clients in this setting, we are commonly referred for assessment, treatment and discharge planning around functional mobility and safe transferring. We would always conduct an initial interview and assessment that looks at a person's ability to carry out their activities of daily living, and that gets a sense of their home environment (physical and social), including any supports or equipment they use. Treatments are usually to do with getting a person mobilizing safely, so determining their needs, prescribing equipment when appropriate, and helping them learn to use it. So, for example, if a person had been ill in hospital for a while they may have lost some standing strength, endurance and/or balance. In this case we may determine that they would be helped by a rollator, so we would loan one from the OT department and get it adjusted to the person, and then train them with it's use. In this kind of case we would often have the PT accompany us as well, so that she can simultaneously do some physical training with the person (perhaps having them walk a bit or do some stairs). Assessments are generally physical and functional, but we also can do cognitive assessments if there is suspicion that there may be a deficit that makes certain activities unsafe. Examples of cognitive assessments include the Modified Mini-Mental Status and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Of course, if a more profound cognitive deficit is suspected and the person is 65 or older, then a referral would be made to geriatrics to do a more detailed assessment. Other assessments of function can also include Kitchen and Bathing, which can also give a lot of insight into a person's cognitive and affective status. Finally, as a part of discharge planning, home assessments are sometimes required in order to anticipate what needs a person may have upon discharge and to get the needed supports/equipment in place.

As with any accute medical floor, patients are often not in the ward for very long... either they get better and are discharged home or they get mostly better and are discharged to another level of care (such as to rehabilitation in order to improve physical condition before returning home). Because of the short duration of stay and the fact that our clients are often quite ill while they are on our ward, the OTs scope of practice is a bit narrower than what it might be in other settings. However, I will also say that it's a good thing it is! My preceptor is kept very busy because of the high number of referrals she receives.

My preceptor, as I've already mentioned, was really great. She was quick to introduce me to all of the team members on the unit and to include me in all aspects of her job. She gave me a lot of opportunities to interact with clients directly and to participate in assessments/treatments when appropriate. It was everything that I hoped for from a first training exposure to the profession!

So... do I want to work in this setting when I graduate? Maybe. There are certainly a number of benefits to being in a hospital in terms of support and resources. I also really enjoyed the direct collaboration with a whole team of allied health care professionals (such as PT, SW, Pharmacists etc...) and the fast pace makes the days fly by! Plus, because I have an interest in all things medical (having been raised by a nurse who is interested in all things medical) getting to read the charts and have that information be a part of the bigger picture when working with a client is pretty cool. However, the downside is definitely the limitations in terms of time with a client and what you're able to do with them in that time. Still, it's definitely an option I'm keeping open.

And just like that... my first term is almost done! Just one exam left to write and then it's home for the holidays for me!!

Call for Contributors!!!

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the things I'd like to do in this blog is to post about the experiences of other students. And rather than me telling the story second hand what I would really like to do is have other OT students submit entries of their own that I'll post on their behalf, or link to if the poster happens to have a blog of her/his own.

Here's what I'm looking for:

- regular contributions, or one-offs! No pressure, no commitment.

- post anonymously, with a pseudonym, or take credit for your contribution... totally up to you. However, I would like for each person to disclose what school they attend. The purpose is so that students considering OT after us have a chance to see what different programs are like so that they can find the best fit for their own needs.

- Possible topics: Anything related to being an OT student... whether it's classes, research, placements, being on a committee or part of the student association, volunteer work, juggling grad school and the rest of your life, financing grad school, etc... Just be sure you don't breach any confidentiality rules, especially when talking about placement experiences.

- posts are meant to be informative, so be honest about the good and tactful about discussing the bad. It's also not meant to be a competitive thing... as in, my school's better than your school. I want it to be a resource that future students can refer to when trying to make admissions decisions.

Plus, when it comes right down to it... I personally would really love to hear about some perspectives and experiences other than my own! I'm curious about what the similarities and differences will be! And after all, we may be in different programs now but we'll all be colleagues one day.

If you're interested or have any questions, please email me at OTSweetPea@gmail.com.

I'll be glad to hear from you any time!

:)SweetPea

Now What?

I've been giving some thought lately to what the purpose of this blog has been and where it is headed. Although it started as a personal account of my journey, one that I hoped future students considering occupational therapy might find useful, it quickly became a vehicle for sharing information with my fellow applicants (and now classmates/colleagues!!). And it was very useful at the time. We all had questions, anxieties, were striving for the same goal... and I enjoyed finding the information and sharing it with others! It made me feel like I was contributing something to my community of fellow students, and subsequently made me feel like I wasn't going through this process alone. That was the wonderful gift that all of you have given to me.

But now we've reached our goal and the sorting hat has placed us each in our respective houses (to use a not necessarily related Harry Potter reference, lol). The first stage of our journey to becoming occupational therapists has come to an end. And so, I think it's also time for this blog to make a change. I will still be trying to keep on top of the information we students need, and I'm happy to share it with my classmates. I just think that there are better venues for doing that... like in person, or via email, or even on facebook.

So, where am I going with this thing then? What am I going to blog about now?

I think I'd like to redirect this narrative back to my original purpose... to document my personal journey to become an occupational therapist. Although it may seem a bit narcissistic at first glance, it is not my intention for this to be an exercise in navel gazing. When I was considering my own options one of the BIGGEST aids that gave me insight into the OT profession, and what I would be getting myself into if I decided to pursue a Masters in OT, was the blog of another student. Many of you may also have read Karen's blog Occupational Therapy Students BeLOnG. She began documenting her own journey when she started her Masters program, and it was by sharing her experiences... in class, in placement, and personal... that I was able to see what the reality was like, and therefore able to start visualizing myself in that role. I am so grateful to her for sharing her personal story in a very public way!!! She has been an incredible ambassador for the profession to new generations of people who look to the Internet for information and insight.

But what struck me was that, as awesome as Karen's blog is, she was a lone voice. There were a few other blogs. Most of them are inactive. Some active ones are posted by professionals for other professionals, and they are great! But I'm not their target audience yet. So, my hope is that I can lend my voice to the chorus, and provide a Canadian perspective while I'm at it.

Furthermore (because I'm not one to do things the easy way, lol) I'm hoping to feature monthly guest-posts from students in other OT programs!!! I'll post a separate entry about this for those willing to be involved (send me an email if it sounds like you!). By doing this, my hope is that future students will gain insight about our chosen grad program and profession that gets them as excited and enthusiastic about the choice as we are!

SweetPea

Photos from the Open House at Queen's, May 2009

Images from the Queen's University Open House, May 2009.

The Rehab Sciences Building... also houses the clinical education centre for the medical, nursing and rehab programs.

Reception - The wonderful Laurie Kerr helping a visitor get signed in.

The dedicated Health Sciences Bracken Library - on the first floor of Botterell Hall.

The Stauffer Library - Main undergrad library

Porch of the Grad Club peeking through the trees. Famous for good pints and live music.

View from the 9th floor, on the way to the anatomy lab.

ACCEPTED AT MAC!!!

Woohoo!!
The ORPAS site is not updated (yet?), but one of my commenters suggested that I was incorrect about that and it won't be updated. What we all need to do is check the email account that we indicated on our applications.
Anyway... no news from anyone else yet.

But I got in at McMaster!!!!! Woooooohooooo!

SweetPea

p.s. I'm totally freaking out... I'm giggling, I'm crying, I have a smile that won't wipe off. This just feels so surreal. Probably because it's after midnight so I can't call any of the people I normally would to celebrate this news with. *happydances*

Decisions, Decisions

First, I would just like to say:
ONE MORE SLEEP!!!
And I know I won't be the only one who stays up way past midnight tonight to repeatedly check the ORPAS site in case they update early! (although I recognize that it's not likely)

So the thing that's on my mind lately is:
If I get more than one offer, how do I choose?

I thought I knew which program I wanted to get into, but the more I consider the options the more I see how each of them has advantages. In the end I don't think that one is better than another and I'll be thrilled to get into any one of them. But that makes the decision even harder in some ways. There is no clear singular choice, only equal but different choices.

So I'd like to ask... and I sincerely want feedback from others if you're willing to share... how are you making your choice?
Is it based on features of the program?
The university? City?
Is your choice based on practical considerations?
Or maybe personal and emotional ones?

Please comment with the program you will choose/have chosen and the reason you selected it.

I wish the best of luck to everyone!
Good, bad or ugly... at least tomorrow the wait will be over!!

SweetPea

Admission Offers, Provisional Acceptances & Waitlists, Oh My!

In doing my research and reading for this blog I do a lot of hunting around the internet and integrating information from different sources. I keep track of where I get most of my information, but in cases where the info is repeated a number of times on different sites in different ways I sometimes lose track. This is what has happened with the admissions information and now that I've found some conflicting information it's a problem.

A couple of posts ago I stated that:

"If you get in at one place but waitlisted at the place you really wanted to get into, you can provisionally accept the one you got and then there will be an option you can select that will keep you on the waitlist of the 2nd institution. However, I think all provisional acceptances need to be made firm by June 5th. Or maybe it's the 12th? They'll tell you anyway."

I know I didn't make this information up... but I can't find the original source where I read it. The ORPAS site does note a June 12th deadline for provisional acceptances to become firm acceptances, but does not explain what that means. To make matters worse, I've since read this little tidbit of information posted in a 2007 document from Queen's:

"If an applicant accepts an offer from another Occupational Therapy Program through ORPAS, that applicant will in effect be taking themselves off the waitlists for any other OT programs. Alternatively, if you accept an offer from Queen’s occupational Therapy Program, you will not be eligible to remain on the wait lists of other Occupational Therapy Programs. Since there is no provisional acceptance to the OT programs through ORPAS as of 2007, you will need to respond to only one offer. When you accept the offer you are agreeing that other OT programs will cancel your application as you have firmly accepted an offer of admission. If you have applied to physical/Physiotherapy (PT)programs, your application to PT may remain active."

So, if you find yourself in this situation... you are waitlisted at the university you really want to get into, but accepted at another university... read the instructions in the packet carefully with regard to how you should proceed. And, I'm sorry if my previous post caused confusion for anyone.

Less than a week to go now! And I'm freakin' out! Fortunately, the course I'm TA-ing starts this week, so that will provide me with a little bit of distraction at least. It just feels like there's been SO much build up... and everyone I know who applied to a non-rehab program has already found out where they'll be next year. :(

Here's hoping this week goes by quickly and that Friday brings good news!!!

SweetPea

Interview Prep, Part II

Now that I've come down off of my scholarship high, it's on to Interview Prep Part II: Stuff you should know about Mac. I'm going to say right up front that most of this information is available right on the McMaster rehab webpages... and that's exactly where I've pilfered it from! But some stuff is also word of mouth, reputation type stuff. So read on...

First things first... McMaster's program is based around a pedagogical approach known as Problem Based Learning. The Mac webpage on this topic sites 4 articles that you can go and read if you're really curious. And if you have no idea what PBL is and aren't sure about how/why it differs from other pedagogical approaches then you probably want to read up on it. If you've taken some education/learning/memory classes then you're probably familiar enough to judge whether it's right for you.
I'll come right out an say it!! Just because it's right for McMaster doesn't mean it's right for YOU. Not everyone will excel under this approach, so know yourself well enough to decide if it is best for you. In the end you want to get into a program that will help you to succeed. If you do better with the more linear knowledge-then-application model, using lectures and seminars/assignments, then consider other programs as your first choice instead of Mac.
Now on to the details...

McMaster uses Problem Based Learning because evidence has shown that it is a better way to learn for most people. This approach is based on research that indicates:
- Knowledge is best remembered in the context in which it is learned.
- The acquisition and integration of new knowledge requires activation of prior knowledge (for all you Psyc majors, remember back to your cognition and memory classes!)

What does this mean? In a nutshell, if you learn something while trying to do it you draw on your current knowledge/skills, figure out what's missing, get info to fill in the blanks, and get the job done. Then when you go to do that same task again, you'll be better able to recall how you did it, what skills/knowledge you used, what worked/didn't work. Plus there's this whole idea in psychology about "priming"... where just being in the same situation automatically activates the parts of your memory that have had to deal with that situation before. This is a really, REALLY, simpled-down version of why PBL works... but I hope it helps for those who just want to get the gist of it.

What makes PBL different from other teaching styles isn't so much why they use it as how it's done. Walton and Matthew (1989) describe the 7-Steps of the PBL Tutorial Process (and my layperson version of each step is in brackets):
1. Identify the problem. (Hey group - here's your case study/scenario for the lesson)
2. Explore pre-existing knowledge. (Group info sharing about what we each know regarding aspects of this situation)
3. Generate hypotheses. (Brain-storm about possible causes of problem/solutions to problem/what the heck is going on in this case study).
4. Identify learning issues. (What knowledge is the group lacking to fully understand/deal with the scenario?)
5. Research and self-study. (Go get info - divide and conquer)
6. Sharing and discussion of new knowledge and insights. (Bring back info to group and examine situation with addition of new knowledge)
7. Assessment and reflection on learning. (How did we do? Did we figure it out? Did we work well as a team? What were our team/individual strengths and opportunities change?)

You'll notice that there's no lecture or expert "giving" us answers. There's also very little independent work. You succeed or fail as a team. But there's also lots of room to be creative and to synergistically (is that a word?) build off of one another! I like team work, so GO TEAM!

What else can be said about PBL?
Features of PBL:
- Integrated curriculum, not separate courses.
- Organized around problems, not disciplines.
- Emphasizes development of cognitive skills (learn how to learn) as well as the acquisition of knowledge (learn stuff you need to know).
- Can meet personal needs based on prior knowledge and experience.
- Allows independent study that you can tailor to your learning style.
- Allows integration of information from many sources (no drawing lines in the sand around "my" discipline and "your" discipline. it's all fair game!)
- Gives you the skills to deal with future problems.

So, other than PBL, what should you know about McMaster?!?!
- They are known for having a really diverse range of placement opportunities.
- They offer the Northern Studies Stream that up to 50% of each class can participate in over the course of the program. (and for anyone who's never been to Northern Ontario... you should definitely try to go!! It's the most amazing place in the world. Not that it's a single place... but you catch my drift ;)
- Although we're all applying to a professional Masters program, McMaster has an excellent reputation for research in the field of Health Sciences. You may not want to be a researcher, but you do want to be an evidence-based practitioner... what better place to learn than where they're doing the research?! Who knows, you may even catch the research bug :)
- Because they publish a lot of research, you may want to check some of it out! Key search terms are the McMaster Lens and C.O.P.M (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure) for starters. Then there's lots more depending on your personal interests.

And I think that's all I know!!
I hope this helps you get prepared... but remember that I don't know everything! I may be leading you astray... I've never done this before either, lol. But I do promise my intention is to help. Everything I put on my blog is the stuff I'm doing to prepare myself.
And tomorrow will be Part III: Self-Reflection. Easily the hardest part (is that an oxymoron?)! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm having a heck of a time articulating myself in a way that doesn't make me sound like a walking cliche. *sigh*
SweetPea

Interview Prep, Part I

Okay people!! Less than a week to go!!
Have you figured out why you want to be an occupational therapist yet?
Have you decided what you're going to wear to your interview?!
Have you taken a passport sized photo of yourself (in your interview outfit) for your file?!?!
If not, DON'T PANIC! Just grab a towel ;) <-- (Nerdy reference for the day, likely to be appreciated only by those who read/watched Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, lol.)

There's still ample time to get ready, so don't sweat it too much. Odds are that you have already put a lot of thought into this career choice before you put out the up to $500 in application fees. And you've done a lot of research in order to write your statements for the application package to other universities! So at this point, it's all about getting focused on what's important, refreshing your memory about what you know, and nurturing a sense of calm confidence.

So, in Part I I'm going to refresh your memory about some key points to do with the profession of Occupational Therapy.
Then, in Part II, I'll review some of the McMaster specific issues to remember.
And then I might tack on a Part III: Questions to encourage self-reflection. We'll see how it goes. :)

Part I: Key Points about OT
(all content appropriated from other sources, primarily from the CAOT website)

The Profile of Occupational Therapy in Canada (2007) identifies seven main roles for an occupational therapist:
1. Expert in enabling occupation.
2. Communicator
3. Collaborator
4. Practice manager
5. Change agent
6. Scholarly practitioner
7. Professional

What the heck do they mean by each of those terms?? Good news... you can download a copy of the Profile where they define each. For a quick overview, scroll down to page 28 of this document.
Some questions you may want to ask yourself are:
- What personal characteristics do I have that will help me be good at each of these roles?
- Describe an occasion where I have exhibited each of these characteristics.

From Enabling Occupation II: Advancing a Vision of Health, Well-Being and Justice Through Occupation (Townsend & Polatajko, 2007), there are five essential elements of occupational therapy practice (this goes with #1 from the list above).
1. The presence of an occupational challenge
2. The possibility of solutions that enable occupation
3. Client-specific goals/challenges/solutions and client-centred enablement
4. Multi-disciplinary knowledge base
5. A reasoning process that can deal with complexity.

Some things to note are:
- Demonstrate knowledge of these concepts in your answers about the OT profession.
- Emulate these characteristics in other responses... for example, in ethics questions demonstrate that your reasoning process appreciates the complexity of the given scenario.

Last, but not least, TRENDS! Those that affect OT and those within OT.

Current Trends Affecting OT:
- An aging population
- Increased awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities
- Higher survival rates from accidents and injuries
- Increased emphasis on health promotion and prevention to keep healthcare costs down
- Higher incidence of mental health and family problems
- Changes in working conditions, such as job stress and early retirement
- A more informed public, regarding health and health concerns.

Not sure how each of these applies to occupational therapy? Check out the CAOT position statements :)

Emerging Practice Areas in OT:
- Private Practice
- Home Modifications
- Assistive Technology
- Ergonomics
- Research
- Retail Business
- School Systems
- Long-term care settings
- Higher Education Programs

What do these trends have to do with your interview? Well, you need to be familiar with the profession and that means knowing what the hot-topics are! Again, I highly recommend reading the position papers to get a sense of the issues that current professionals are dealing with. Volunteer experiences are also invaluable... but try to connect your experiences to the larger issues they represent.

Okay... enough writing for now! I have to go and answer some of these question myself, lol.
But in the days to come, Parts II and III will follow.
Good luck in your preparation!!
And seriously... don't forget to take your picture :D
SweetPea

The Inside Scoop!!

Isn't it funny how sometimes life gives you just what you need, right when you need it?
I, like most people, have a lot of facebook "friends" who are people I know casually through activities or organizations that were once important to me, but who I don't actually hang out with or talk to on a regular basis. Fortunately for me, many of these people are awesome and I'm lucky to know them!

One such person, who shall remain nameless, participated in MMI interviews last year, got into the program s/he applied to, helped her/his school with the organizing of MMIs this year, AND was willing to take some time this evening to chat with me about what to expect!

Of course, the details are all very confidential... I couldn't ask about scenarios or questions or anything like that. But all the same s/he had some great suggestions from an insider's point of view and I will be eternally grateful for his/her kindness!!

Here are some of the things s/he had to say:

• You can't really prepare for the MMI. It's intended to put you off balance and force you to think on your feet. They don't want your canned answers, they want to see how you do under pressure.
• Having said that bit about you can't really prepare... it is really important to know yourself! Spend some time reflecting. What are your strengths/weaknesses? Why do you want to be an OT? Why do you want to get into this program in particular?
• Then just try to relax and go with the flow. Be yourself! Let the assessor see who you really are, in all your awesomeness :) You can't fake being something you're not, so trust that who you are is exactly what they are looking for and let that shine through.
• If you leave a station feeling like you messed up... shake it off and move on!! The next person won't know that you just stuck your foot in your mouth at the last station unless you walk in all flustered like you just stuck your foot in your mouth at the last station, lol. Remember: you will be evaluated on your overall performance, not on one assessment alone.
• Try not to be too rigid in your thinking. Yes, they want you to take a side on an issue and defend it sometimes... but do so in a way that shows you can consider other points of view.
• Don't wear black or blue. Everyone thinks of these two colors when they are getting dressed in their serious interview clothes. But at the end of the day when the assessors say to each other "Hey, what'd you think of that person in the black suit?" They'll be like... "Dude! There were 100 people in black suits!" Instead, go with a nice brown or grey. Accent with a little color. On the flip side of that... don't be TOO memorable. You don't want to stick out like a sore thumb.

And that was about it, as far as tips went!

Now, for what to expect:

• You don't have to stand there and talk for the whole 8 minutes *phew*! You'll walk in, introduce yourself (unless it's a scenario where you're acting out a scene), then sit down and talk. Give your full answer, but don't ramble just to fill time. They have questions to prompt you if you finish early and there's no penalty for being prompted... it's the quality of your answer, not the duration that counts.
• Most people don't sleep the night before their interview. Don't worry about it. Everyone else will look like a zombie too ;)
• The best thing you can do for yourself is to relax and not over-think it. The MMI is designed to reveal who you really are, what your attitude is like, whether you're a good fit for the program. So, let them see the best, optimal you! Try not to be the dry-mouthed, anxiety ridden, trying to figure out the "right" answer you. Be fabulous-you!

I hope that this helps you to be the best You you can be on interview day!!

(Hopefully) Your Future Classmate, SweetPea

High School... just like I remember it.

So, I went to a local high-school to give a presentation to a grade 11 Psychology/Sociology/Anthropology class about majoring in Psychology. I actually covered two classes in back to back periods.
The first group was pretty good. A lot of them were quiet, but a handful of people asked lots of questions and all of them were clearly interested and engaged. Actually a lot of their questions had nothing to do with psychology at all and were more about what's university like, how do I decide between college and university, etc... I was happy to talk about whatever they wanted to. It was for their benefit, so I thought it was probably best to just roll with whatever they wanted to talk about.
But the second class... talk about a tough crowd!!!
One guy, who was sitting right up front (!), fell asleep and wasn't even pretending to be listening. Everyone else seemed to be half listening, but mostly not. And no one asked a single question. Lucky for them I'm chatty enough to fill the gaps, and I just basically was like "This is what the other class asked me, and here's what I told them..."
Anyway, it was two painless hours and if it helped one of them by easing their fears of the unknown then it was well worth it. Plus, the two teachers were thrilled. They gave me a really nice Thank You card, along with a coffee mug that has the school's crest and a gift certificate for Tim Horton's!! I wasn't expecting anything so I was absolutely thrilled.

And, since this IS my occupational therapy student blog I feel that I should at least mention something OT related... here it goes:

In about one week (give or take a few days... they're kind of fuzzy about it) I'll find out if I got an interview at McMaster!!! Incidentally, my thesis is also due in one week :s *freaks out*

Wish me luck on all counts! I'm going to need it. :)

SweetPea

The agony of the wait...

Our applications were due to ORPAS by January 9, 2009.
The soonest I'll hear anything about my prospects will be at the beginning of April, when I'll find out whether I've made the cutoff for an interview at McMaster. Interviews are the 24th, 25th and 26th of April, 2009.
After that the soonest possible date to hear from any school about acceptance/rejection is May 15th, 2009.

Le cry! :'(

It's just such a looooooooooooong time to wait to hear anything. My university courses will be long finished by that time. I'll be packing to move... with no idea where I need to move to. Like, not just haven't lined up an apartment, but don't even know what CITY to look for one in!!!
I'm sure this must be the same agony that every applicant goes through, but it doesn't make it any easier. I feel I've got a very good chance of getting into at least one program... but there are no guarantees in life. And what the heck will I do if I don't get in?!?! *hyperventilates*

This spring heralds big changes for me... graduating and moving. But the unknowns about essential things like where I'm going to live and whether I need to find a job in this terrible economic climate (which I'll need to do if I don't get into the OT program - summer employment is already lined up but is contract work) are making me feel all barfy inside. :x
All this anxiety is making it really hard to focus on the last of my thesis and coursework... which is never good. It's like a big anxiety snowball that keeps building steam.

LE CRY!!! :'(

Okay... I'll stop now. I know this entry will just seem like a big whine-fest... but I think this experience of waiting and uncertainty is a significant part of the student-applicant process.
If you're applying in a future year, be forewarned.
If you're in the thick of it with me this year, send me a message! I'd love to commiserate with someone, lol. :)

SweetPea

Admissions Interview for McMaster Occupational Therapy - The Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI)

In my asking around about the admissions interview for McMaster I got a second hand account of the process. The sister of a classmate attended the interview two years ago and summed it up simply as "It was weird!" O_o This made me even more curious to find information.

Although I'd been unsuccessful in finding specific information online about the admissions interview for the Masters in Occupational Therapy program (actually, an MSc (OT) program), I was not deterred. When I dug a little further I found that the McMaster University medical school pioneered a new approach to admissions interviews that has since been adopted by many other schools, in a variety of health sciences disciplines. This approach is called the Multiple Mini-Interview or MMI. If you look it up there's a ton of available research on it. And if you were expecting a traditional interview but got this instead, you would definitely walk out thinking "That was weird"... so I think it's a safe assumption that this is the kind of interview us OT applicants can expect as well. And, while I don't like assumptions generally, I think this one's a safe bet. The rehab programs fall under the umbrella of the Faculty of Health Sciences, so it makes sense that they would use the same interview format that is favored by other degree programs in the department. And barring any revelations between now and my interview date, educated guesses about what to expect are all I have!

I won't go into great detail about the MMI, because there is readily available information about it online. I even found a "Training Manual" for interviewers that you can check out!

In a nutshell, the MMI is a series of 8 minute interviews that you will have at different "stations" with different interviewers. Before each interview you'll be given a topic to discuss or a scenario related to the interview for that station and have 2 minutes to prepare. Here's the quote about them from the McMaster website:
"During the MMI, applicants will move between interview "stations" in a 12-station circuit. Each station lasts ten minutes (two minutes to read the scenario and eight minutes of interaction). At each station, applicants will interact with, or be observed by, a single rater. The stations deal with a variety of issues, which may include but are not limited to, communication, collaboration, ethics, health policy, critical thinking, awareness of society health issues in Canada and personal qualities. Applicants are not assessed on their scientific knowledge."

Also, they don't note it here but they do in the training manual for interviewers... there are no right or wrong answers. What they want you to do is demonstrate communications skills, the ability to express an opinion and articulate your reasons for support. As well, the ability to see an issue from more than one point of view and empathize with others is taken into consideration.

For some people, this style of interview might cause nightmares. But for others (me included!) I'm excited by the diversity and the opportunity to interact with many evaluators, rather than being dependant on the impressions of a few people in a single interaction. I think the idea with this style is that each candidate is bound to flub a few and shine in a few but that, on average, the school will get a fair assessment of the applicant. Furthermore, you can't just give canned responses that are prepared in advance. You need to think on your feet, be a little flexible, and while you're doing that your true colours will show through. Fakers will be found out!

In my next few posts I'll put up a number of practice scenarios I've found. Feel free to discuss what you think they're looking for in the comments section!

I hope others found this as useful as I have. And, naturally, I'll post back after my own interview to confirm whether or not this is the style used for the OT Masters program.

SweetPea

Applying to MOT (Masters of Occupational Therapy) in Ontario

Convenience or Cash-grab... it depends on your point of view, but here in Ontario when you want to apply to an english-language Professional Masters program in Rehabilitation Sciences (aka physical therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology) you don't apply to the school. Instead, all students apply through a central application service called ORPAS.
http://www.ouac.on.ca/orpas/

Yes, you end up paying extra money for this application service in addition to the fees paid to each school you apply to, but there are some advantages too.

• You fill out ONE application.
• Pay ONE fee for all applications and transcript requests.
• Send in ONE set of transcripts (saves a little money compared to ordering multiples to be sent with each separate application).
• Send in ONE set of reference letters.
• Send in ONE Personal Statement/Letter of Intent.
• They confirm all the information you included in your application, and send you a verification report that lets you know whether all your transcripts/letters of reference made it in time. Individual programs won't do that for you.
• They forward all your info/documents to each program you apply to.

Now before you start to feel all warm and fuzzy about this one-ness you should know that beyond ORPAS the MOT programs get very... hmm... something that means the opposite of my made up word one-ness. What I mean is:

• Every program has its own entry requirements.
• Every program has a different way of evaluating applicants.
• Every program, though they share many of the same goals for program outcomes, has a different approach to pedagogy (aka how they will teach you the stuff you need to know).

So before you pick where you're going to apply, do some homework. You want to make sure that you're a competitive applicant for the program based on the evaluation criteria they use, and you want to make sure that the way they teach the program jives with how you learn.

A couple of "for instances":

• Most programs assess your GPA based on your last 2 years of study (or equivalent in course credits). However, Queen's assesses you based on the GPA of your entire undergraduate career! If you had a stellar 1st year, or a prior degree where you did well, then this is a real boon to your application. However, if you're like most people and your first year was a rough transition that is reflected in your grades then guess what? You may have a reduced chance of getting in at Queen's.
• McMaster's program uses a very different approach to teaching than the other universities. They use something called "Problem Based Learning", with very small work groups and more independent study rather than lecture or workshop based instruction. This approach might be your dream scenario or your worst nightmare. The point is to know what you're getting yourself into before you apply.

And now the two big mysteries in any application process...

1. What do they want you to say in your Personal Statements/Letter of Intent? (Everybody but McMaster)
2. What are they going to ask me in the interview?? (McMaster only)

The answer to both is, I have no idea!! I looked and looked and looked for information posted by other previous applicants giving hints or tips or don't-do-this stories. I found nothing :(

So... if there's anyone out there who has gone to the McMaster interview and wants to give people an idea of what to expect, send me an email!! I'll post your hints anonymously :)

As for the statements... I can tell you what they asked this year (see below). And if there's anyone out there who would like to comment on what sorts of things the admissions people look for in these statements, it would be most appreciated.

Best of luck to all who applied this year!!!

SweetPea

Clearly describe your reasons for pursuing a career in OT and how your personal experiences and background have contributed to your preparation for this career choice (maximum 5000 characters). <-- note, that's characters NOT words. It's about a page in 10pt. Arial font.

Demonstrate your understanding of the profession of OT by identifying 2 current or emerging trends in Canada's healthcare system and discussing how occupational therapists are well positioned to play a leadership role on healthcare teams (maximum 5000 characters).

How'd I end up here?

It's true. I've started my OT blog before I even know if I'm accepted into an OT program. And, yes... I acknowledge that it may be a little premature. But I'm so freakin' excited I can't help myself!!

I chose Psychology as my undergrad because I knew that I wanted to get into therapy of some kind, but I wasn't sure what. Within this discipline, for those who actually want to work with people rather than just doing research on people, Clinical Psychology is the Holy Grail of Graduate Programs. So all through my Bachelors degree I imagined that Clinical was my goal (it being the hardest program to get into), I'd work my butt off, and then make an actual decision about what I wanted to do once I was a little more knowledgeable about the field and the possibilities.

When the time came, in September of my final year, to start picking grad programs/applying for scholarships/contacting researchers to work with etc... a curious sequence of events led me to the exact place I feel I am meant to be. Maybe that sounds a little kooky and dramatic, but whatev's... I do feel that OT is my true vocation. Anyway... here's how it went down:

• I wrote my GREs in August and got acceptable, but not out of this world, scores.
• I was advised by one of my Prof's and mentors that with my okay GREs and 87% average that I would not get into a Clinical program.
• My heart broke.
• I railed at the universe.
• On what planet is an 87% not good enough?!?!
• I moped.
• Then I said to myself "Self... what is it about Clinical that appealed to you? Maybe there's another way to achieve that goal."
• And I replied, "I want to work with people in a therapeutic capacity. I want to work in a health care setting. I am interested in research that addresses the mind-body connection and factors influencing health and happiness."

So, I went looking for researchers who were investigating the things of interest to me.

When I found a few, I read their papers and then sent them emails to ask if they were accepting students in September of 2009 and would they be willing to meet with me.

Now, as I'm doing this it is with a heavy heart. While I enjoy research and have an aptitude for it (I think I was the only person in my 3rd year stats class that liked it), what I wanted to do was help people. And my researcher friends would try and cheer me up with the argument that research does help people... and I know it does... but it always felt to me that it was sterile and removed from the actual helping bit. I wanted to get my hands dirty!

So one of the researchers I contacted did a lovely thing. She replied to my inquiry that she was not accepting new students, but that based on what I had written to her about the aspects of her research that interested me, I should contact her colleague Dr. XX.

When I looked Dr. XX up it turned out that she was at the same university, but in a different department... the School of Rehabilitation Sciences!! It was like a partition was taken away and suddenly there was this whole new world available to me!

As soon as I read the program description/mission statement/values it felt like I'd found my home. I was like the ugly duckling trying to find a Masters of Duckiness program who suddenly realized she was a swan! OT is a helping profession, it's in healthcare, they do research and practice, there's an incredible diversity in what an OT can do over the course of her/his professional life... and best of all, the profession's approach to wellbeing is that people find happiness through engaging in meaningful activities, which marries beautifully with the theories of Positive Psychology I personally subscribe to.

Since I discovered the program I've done a LOT of research, through websites and journals, on occupational therapy and everything I've read has only affirmed my initial reaction. It's even caused me to look back over the course of my life and realize all the many ways that OTs been there all along, without my properly labelling it as such. From the time I had a compound fracture of my leg and had help learning to do all my ADLs with a full leg cast, to the training I got on how to do ergonomic adjustments on the workstations at the call centre where I once worked.

I've applied to three Masters of Occupational Therapy programs to begin in September 2009, and not applied to any Psychology programs. I know this is what I was meant to be doing all along... I simply didn't know it, until I did. :)

Now, I post this entry just so that readers will know a little about me and my background. This was my journey. Yours may be different. One person's process is no better than an other's, so please don't judge. And maybe if you're in a good mood, while you're not judging me you'll also send some good ju-ju out into the universe for me that helps me get into one of the programs!!

Many thanks in advance for the success ju-ju!

Sweet Pea