Attending the 2012 AOTA conference was absolutely a great experience. Having the event in Indianapolis was perfect. Being fairly new to this city, I do have to admit that this city does a fantastic job of hosting events. Having the opportunity to meet various occupational therapy students and practicing clinicians from across the country was remarkable. Everyone I came across and spoke to was so encouraging and positive; and trust me I am not easy to impress. It was comforting to see the sheer excitement and candid expressions from everyone involved in this coming together of the minds.
It all began with the opening ceremony, having a huge hall filled with staff, students and clinicians was awesome. Before the ceremony we got to meet Mayor Ballard, who was kind enough to come by and chat with us for a few moments. There was a dueling piano act that opened up and played everything from Elvis to Lady Gaga; that really got everyone up and moving. After the opening ceremony I had a chance to check out the expo hall and let me say….WOW, there was so much to take part in and see. I stopped by a bunch of booths that were advertising cutting edge pediatric tools and others which were advertising new assistive technology. I also collected my fair share of freebies. I also had a chance to attend a session on the Occupational Therapy Centennial Vision. I learned a great deal from hearing New York’s Senator Kennedy (who is also an occupational therapist) speak about doing more to advocate for our profession. There were several other speakers that discussed adaptive and assistive technology, which I found to be really interesting.
The highlight for me personally was having the chance to be a part of the alumni reception. Since many UIndy alumni came back, it seemed like a family reunion. The banquet hall has filled with people laughing and remembering the fun times they had at the University of Indianapolis. Reflection is important in the world of occupational therapy, so as I look back on the 2012 AOTA conference it is an experience I definitely needed at that time in the semester and an experience I will never forget. Hopefully next year I can attend the 2013 AOTA conference in San Diego.
-Michael K. Agyemang, ATC, OTS (First-year MOT student)
University of Indianapolis, School of Occupational Therapy
Have you ever been, or considered going, to Belize to provide professional service or as a service-learning student? During the past 3 years, I have fallen in love with my “adopted second home," and have had the privilege of taking several of our MOT and UIndy pre-occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) students and a couple of School of Occupational Therapy faculty there with me on a yearly basis to provide brief OT intervention. This summer I am ever so excited to be teaching Seminar in International Practice, which will allow me and my co-trip leader, Krannert School of Physical Therapy faculty member Dr. Bill Staples, to take 5 postprofessional OT and PT students, 5 DPT students, and 2 OT/PT guests to Belize for 2 weeks in July for service-learning and service-provision activities with a wide variety of Belizean partners. One of the really neat things about these trips is that we are pioneers in most senses of the word (although we do stay in air-conditioned accommodations!), as there are currently no practicing OTs (that I’m aware of) and very few practicing PTs in Belize.
Belize is a developing country, who just won her independence from Great Britain in 1981. As a fairly new nation, she is working to develop sustainable infrastructures, and take care of her people, who comprise a mix of rich cultural backgrounds and lifestyles (including people of Mayan, Mestizo, Asian, Lebanese, Mennonite, Indian, and Creole descent, along with many “ex-pats” who have emigrated there from the U.S., Canada, and Europe). The national language is English; although of course there are those who primarily speak Spanish or one of the Mayan dialects. Belize is truly a beautiful country, with her numerous ruins, caves, beaches, and other “tourist attractions”, but what really brings me back there time after time, and makes me long to be there once I return home, is the openness and friendly, welcoming nature of everyone whom I’ve met there—all are so appreciative of our therapeutic and service-related gifts, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to us.
When I went on my first spring trip there in 2009 as a co-trip leader of a student trip, I worked to gather oral histories from residents of a retirement center in San Ignacio. The following year I took 3 MOT students back with me to the same facility. Last year, we grew to 8 MOT students, 2 faculty, and a school in addition to the retirement center. This summer, we will partner with the original facilities plus 2 additional retirement centers, another primary school, CARE-Belize (which is like our first-steps, serving children from birth to school-age), NaRCIE (the National Resource Center for Inclusive Education), for school-aged children, a karate club, 2 local physicians, and a hospice nurse providing home care in San Ignacio and Belize City. Whew! The word is out! But I believe we are up to the challenge, despite limited resources—we have brave hearts, after all!
As I boarded the Megabus in downtown Indianapolis and headed to Chicago to attend the 2012 Combined Sections Meeting (CSM), I reminisced that this time last year, the Blizzard of 2011 hit Chicago and left many people and cars abandoned and stranded on Lake Shore Drive. I was sure hoping the weather would be mild during CSM between the dates of Wednesday, Feb. 8 - Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. The ride was thoroughly delightful, napping a bit, browsing the internet, and taking in the sites of the wind farms in northern Indiana. Upon arriving at Union Station, downtown Chicago, it was quite a walk in the brisk Chicago wind, to the Hard Rock Hotel. The check-in was interesting, as it was a challenge to hear what the receptionist was saying over the loud rock and roll music playing in the lobby. It was then time to take the hike down Michigan Ave to the Hilton where on-site registration was taking place. The hotel lobby was all-a-buzz with many familiar faces and old friends to catch up with. The shuttles were running full-force from the hotels on Michigan Ave to the McCormick Place Convention Center, several miles away. The convention center was enormous, and the Chicago Automobile Show was going on at the same location as the APTA conference. 
Pre-CSM Pediatrics Section Essay Contest - Winning Essay
I had the opportunity to travel to China, along with fellow 
In my mind, one of the most amazing sites was the terra cotta warriors of Xian. These warriors, along with horses and chariots, were built during the 3rd century BC by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China in order to protect him in the afterlife. First unearthed in 1974, these more than 8,000 warriors are part of the largest active archeological site in the world. The army of warriors consists of various military ranks such as generals and archers. Although the bodies of each rank are shaped the same, each of the warriors has unique facial characteristics. Imagining the time and resources that were part of their construction at that point in history was mind-boggling. As these warriors are being unearthed, they are rarely found intact, leaving the archeologists with a rather daunting, jigsaw puzzle!
The city of Shanghai, the largest city in the world, was also intriguing. Shanghai was our shopping day, allowing us to explore two distinctly different settings. We started with shopping in the “old city,” with narrow streets, laundry hanging from above-the-store apartments, and open air markets. From there we traveled to the metropolitan area of Nanjing Road, the world’s busiest shopping streets. This area, known for its high fashion and upscale shops, provided us with a NikeTown Shanghai and a much needed trip to a Hershey’s store. The day finished with a riverboat tour, with the opportunity to view the colorful Shanghai nighttime skyline.
The ISSL was hosted by the Ningbo Institute of Technology, a sister university to UIndy. Although a highly interdisciplinary conference, there were physical therapists there from Wheeling Jesuit University and South Africa. Students who were majoring in English at NIT served as volunteers to help us find our way around. Many of these students will travel to UIndy to finish their English degree, so were full of questions about life here in Indianapolis!
Although we saw some amazing sites, it was the smaller cultural experiences that I believe will be the most memorable. We were faced with new kinds of foods, drinks, and toilets (yes, I said toilets!) at every turn! I became quite skilled with chopsticks and am proud to say I tried duck, un-boned fish, and many unknown vegetables (Julie won the prize though with the crocodile intestines!) However, despite these different experiences, in many ways it was the ‘sameness’ that struck me the most. Watching a mother interact with her child, seeing school children on a field trip, and tracking an older adult trying to cross the street, really emphasized to me how much we all share. 
When I began teaching at the University of Indianapolis in 1985, I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams that today, 27 years later, I would be: checking E-mail and responding to student question via a Smart phone, accessing some of the greatest lectures from some of the most prominent experts in the world via the Internet, teaching Online classes with students from all over the world from the comfort of my home, talking and actually seeing students via Skype as we discuss class projects, or reading blogs and wikis as a way of keeping current in my field. I was even very surprised to find an updated version of the original Bloom’s taxonomy that incorporates the aspect of digital resources. 
Faculty members, Kristi Hape, Jennifer Fogo, and Candy Beitman, traveled to Belize and supported the practice areas of geriatrics, pediatrics, and community based practice with eight Level I MOT students. They completed home based visits with wheelchair modifications, community mental health, community retirement center, early intervention, and school based interventions within the emerging area of OT practice in Belize.
The first week of graduate school was a lot to take in. We got a list of all of our assignments in the first two days, and then dove right into learning. There is an extensive amount of information we are going to learn, and multiple assignments we will have to complete. I was a little overwhelmed the first few days, but by the end of the week, I started to see how the classes are relevant to becoming a physical therapist. All of the long hours of studying ahead seem like they will be worth it.
“Move Forward” is more than a slogan regarding the concept that “Physical Therapy Brings Motion to Life.” In Indiana, it is the goal of physical therapists to become acknowledged for the exceptional care that they have been providing to their patients for numerous years. Currently, Indiana is only one of two of the United States that does not allow direct access to PTs, or the ability of any patient to freely choose to see a physical therapist without a referral from a physician or other healthcare professional.
I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend APTA's Combined Sections Meeting (CSM ) 2011 in New Orleans, LA as a student physical therapist! During the weeks leading up to CSM I had no idea what to expect, and tried to plan out a schedule of all the lectures and activities I wanted to attend. However, I never could have expected what I was about to walk into on day one! Even the night before attending the first day of CSM, it felt as if physical therapists were taking over New Orleans!
My experience at the AOTA Student Conclave was better than I could have ever imagined. Ten University of Indianapolis occupational therapy students represented our school at the conference in Louisville, KY. We did all those things one would expect at a conference: networked with other students and practitioners, conversed with exhibitors about job prospects, and attended many informative sessions on topics such as fieldwork, areas of practice, and passing the national exam… However, the most amazing thing, for me, was the boost in confidence I received. I am more confident that I will be an outstanding entry-level OT, that I am entering an amazing profession, and that I am gaining an excellent education that is preparing me very well for the field I am about to enter.
Thinking back to my first day of Physical Therapy school, I never could have imagined what the next three years had in store for me. I imagined sitting through countless lectures, and practicing newly acquired skills with my classmates, but never in a million years did I anticipate working with actual patients until my first clinical rotation. Here at the University of Indianapolis, we have a group called the Community Patient Resource Group, or CPRG. This group consists of individuals from the community that have the conditions that we study in PT school, and they come into our classroom on a regular basis to allow us to see how the conditions really affect people as well as to grow comfortable working with actual patients. 
In the first year and a half, we have had several CPRG visits throughout the curriculum. We have been visited by individuals with stroke, Parkinson’s disease, orthopedic concerns, and now individuals with prosthetics. I am so thankful to attend a school where they focus on preparing the students to work with patients prior to their first clinical rotation. 
My first week in graduate school here at the University was really a great experience. I was impressed with the parking lot and the convenience because it was right in front of my School. I attended one class to the other and occasionally found myself in the wrong class, which could have been because I was overwhelmed with the amount of information that was given to me. I began to realize that graduate school was not going to be like my undergraduate program because a lot is expected from me, such as research. The faculty members were really friendly and constantly asking how I was doing with managing school and family life (I have three kids and drive from Muncie every day to school). Another thing that struck me was the teaching method in the School. Professors not only teach verbally, but they bring in guest speakers, as well. The guests speak about a disease or condition that they have that relates to the topic of discussion; this gives us a realistic approach to what we are discussing.
Hello! I’m a first year graduate student in the Occupational Therapy Program. I am from Ohio and was very unfamiliar with the area and was very nervous to start this new chapter of my life. I was lucky enough to find roommates through the MOT program. I live directly across from the University with three second-year OT students and one other first year student. So, not only do I have less than a five minute walk to campus, but I started off already knowing people which made the transition much easier. Although the stress level in our house can get high, we always have someone to turn to because we are all going through this together.
My attitude about going to graduate school was negative. I was nervous about beginning a new school and worried about how I would fit in. The first week at the University of Indianapolis changed my attitude 100%. My professors were all helpful and positive which let me know I was going to be just fine. My advisor walked me through everything I needed to know and answered all of my questions. The things that stand out at this school are how organized the program is and how friendly the staff members are. Everyone wants you to succeed, and that is a great feeling!
Driving back to Indianapolis on the evening before the first day of my second year as a DPT student, I had butterflies in my stomach; I was so excited! Only eight weeks of class until we go out and show the PT world what we can do on our first clinical! Walking in to Martin Hall on Monday morning, it was so nice to see everyone's smiling, familiar faces. I saw my professors and administrative assistants I had grown close to over the last year in the halls. Walking into the classroom it was like I was home again, seeing all of my classmates who I had grown to know so well and had grown so close to over the last year of classes. We have been there for each other, and will be there for each other for the next year and a half on....
As a member of the next generation of physical therapists, I am very encouraged and enthusiastic about the direction that the APTA is taking the profession.
CSM as an elected member of the Student Assembly Board of Directors (SABoD) was one of the best experiences I have ever had.
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