OT Students Interaction Topic 2: Challenges encountered as a Student

Maria Nicole Sombillo

Hi Alyssa! I know how hard it is to be away from your family because I am in the same situation as you. But as time goes on, I learned to cherish more these little moments that I get to spend with my family. I learned to treasure them more. I learned to really put my whole presence and attention when I am with them. So when I only get to spend the weekends with my family, I live in the moment, I seize the day 🙂

avaguila1 wroteHi again! I am Alyssa from UP Manila. I would like to share to you some of the challenges I face as a student.

Before entering college, I already have heard a lot of stories that tell how stressful college can be. Somehow, I was already preparing myself for all the challenges I was about to face. But then, no preparation is enough for you to be really ready and equip for tertiary education. I realized when I was already starting college that, before, I only thought about getting myself ready for my classes and how difficult all could be. I wasn’t able to prepare myself for all the other things that come with college life. It may not be obvious for some but I really had a hard time adjusting. During the first 2 or 3 months of my first year college, I was always sick considering that I am not that kind of person who easily gets sick or even have colds. It was really hard to study especially when I was not feeling well.

Another challenge, I continuously face up until now is being away from home. I have to live in a dormitory for my entire college education because I can’t handle commuting every day from Manila to Batangas. This was a big step for me. I am away from my family and the comforts of our home. My mom wouldn’t be around to help me with my food, laundry and other stuff too. I also had to learn to manage my money. If before, my only problem was how I will study, now, I have a lot of other stuff I am responsible of. This requires me to build a good time management and budgeting skills.

Now, what is college without its huge amount of lined-up exams and project submissions? Sometimes, I just don’t know what to do every time I would look at my schedule and see all those exams scheduled one after the other. I admit that I haven’t built a good studying habit and this adds to my stress. Now that I am in my second year and almost all of my subjects are already major subjects, the difficulty of the lessons plus these scheduled exams really gives me a hard time.

But despite of all these challenges, I know that this journey will be worth it.

Byeul

Hello, everyone! Again, I'm Byeul Kim from the University of the Philippines Manila.

I'm pretty sure most wouldn't contest that stress and workload are a few of the major aspects a student faces. Personally, I'm really challenged by the classes we are taking, especially since I'm not always able to catch up when lessons are explained in a fast pace; so, I have to do my best to catch up and review. As OTs, we must try to portray having an occupational balance. I try my best to achieve this, especially with remembering to take some time to rest and have fun, aside from studying.
But outside the classroom, the main challenge I'm encountering as an OT student is its publicity - here in the Philippines, at least. Many still do not know what we do. They usually mistake it to be the same with PT. As a 2nd year student, I'm still learning the ropes on how to explain OT to others in the best way I can, in a way that they easily understand it and hopefully get to appreciate it. I had an experience wherein our neighbor asked me what we do - she even thought that it involved a bit of surgery that we had to open up a body. I was really overwhelmed with this, which means to say that OT in our country really has some catching up to do.
One thing that worries me at times is what if I won't be able to achieve the goals I set for someone in therapy. I feel like it'll really bring me down. However, I try my best to keep a positive outlook and remember that this is exactly why I'm doing my best to study and appreciate my degree - to help others appreciate the little things in life in the simplest of activities they wish to perform everyday. The next few years will prolly be the most important for me as of now, since I'm pretty sure OT is something I'll be doing for a long time (even if I decide to pursue other fields).

Hoping to hear from everyone real soon! 🙂

Byeul

Hello, Ito! Thanks for bringing up the issue. Hopefully, it won't be a hindrance for us to continue having a discussion here. Reading everyone's thoughts is really interesting and of great help.

gvyrastorza wroteHello everyone. Ito here from the Philippines. I don't have a lot of time, so I just want to address a simple yet possibly problematic issue for us OT students in regards to using this forum as a means of interaction and correspondence.

I have just discovered around the forums bots and spammers. Now, as young as the forums may be, I see this as a threat to us OT students in using OTION as a way to connect.

It may not seem like a big problem, but I as an OT student see this forum as a very important tool for all of us to share our knowledge, experiences, and resources with each other. I will post again some other time, but for the meantime, I bring up this small (as of yet) challenge.

Byeul

Hello there!
In the Philippines, diversity isn't really OT's main concern. Our #1 dilemma is that there are only a few OTs in our country and many are still unaware of such profession. Another thing is we are trying to spread OT to the many provinces in our country, in order to give our services to those places where there are only very few or even none OTs. 🙂
Looking forward to hear more from you!

- Byeul

shmays wroteHi Pauline! Thanks for continuing student topic threads. One of the more challenging and rewarding aspects of my program at the moment is diversity. In the US, OT is not a diverse profession (e.g. racially, by gender). Classmates and I are currently in challenging discourse on how demographics within our program and profession affect the research produced, the work we do, and the people we serve. We're working on diversity and health equity task initiatives at the moment, but I would love to hear how other OT programs across the globe are tackling issues of diversity, inclusion, and health equity.

KawJemilyn

Hello there! It's me, Jem!

I remember when I was young, my parents let me go to bed at 9:30PM; at that time, I must finish all my assignments and reviewed my subjects for tomorrow's classes. As time passes by, 9:30PM became later and later, until now, 1:30AM seems normal to me. I thought it was just me alone because I need to balance academics and extracurricular activities, but I then discovered, most of my classmates are the same with me. The challenge for me is not getting to sleep when I feel sleepy already; I get to struggle opening my eyes wide in the middle of the night, reviewing or preparing notes for the next day. I also blame myself for getting distracted with social media, yes! I tend to scroll through my Facebook news feed when I rest in between study time (sometimes, I forgot to time myself and tada! Time wasted). Still, I try my best in controlling myself and balance my time.

I used to play piano and attend piano class during Saturdays since I was in kindergarten, it never stopped; but, as soon as I started college, especially during majors this year, I didn't get the chance to visit our music room anymore (it is located in my old school) because I need to catch up with academics, other extracurricular activities and part time job. To my friends who really know me, I am really clingy to music. Not having a chance to touch the piano makes me sad and depressed and what I do to compensate is to at least hum or sing songs everyday so that music won't feel like a stranger to me.

Although I'm deprived of some occupations that I love, I still cheer myself up because I am enjoying the subjects that we're taking for BS Occupational Therapy. Yes, the subjects are hardcore, make us lose our occupational balance, but I still believe that these will really be worth it. I'm kinda thankful for having OTion discussion room as our activity for an subject because conversing with different people makes me happy too! (Yay! You make me happy!)

Do you have some feels with what I have mentioned? Feel free to share them with me! 🙂

- Jem

KawJemilyn

Hey Phoebe! Take good care of yourself! We can't afford being absent for even one day, right? Haha! I always make sure that I bring a big bottle of water to school because water is so important to health. Try taking rest in between classes, even 5 minute-nap helps restore energy!

I bet another struggle of being in the urban is transportation, especially when we commute. We always hope that our dismissals wouldn't be at rush hour or else we would literally cry waiting for the next transit train to come and bring us home. Studies have shown that commuting takes up a larger percentage in the stress factor of students who commute. I agree with this because I more stressed in commuting than in doing my tasks in academics.

Well, as future Occupational Therapists, we need to find ways in handling our own stress and stay positive just like how we will find interventions in the future for our clients. Here's a simple tip from your fellow commuter: I don't stay late after class, unless other prior commitments, so that I could catch up the early transit home!

We can do this! Hope to hear from you! Take care!

- Jem

pgcruz4 wroteHi! I’m Phoebe Cruz from the University of the Philippines Manila.

As a college student I expected that there would be loads of requirements, assignments, examinations, or things simply known as stress. Stress is not a foreign word to me especially when I entered university. Stress has always been a part of my life. It’s not uncommon to us students; even so, I think it’s unhealthy. I’m already in my second year and I realize now how important it is take care of my health. I used to be a very active person; I do physical activities with ease. Today, I find it difficult to move my body ardently because now I get tired easily. I cannot afford to sleep early at night because I need to finish my requirements. I travel far every day and it gives additional toil in my body. I never get the chance to eat healthy food since there are only fast foods around the university. I try to do exercises and even dance, but I feel like my body would give up whenever I do them. The doctor said that my immune system went down. Now, I get sick easily when I get poured down by little rain. Sometimes, I feel like vomiting while in class, and the previous week, my mouth had mouth sores and I had sore throat, I really had a hard time eating.

I know how important the requirements and exams are in school, but I don’t think it is right to sacrifice our health just so we can finish our academic responsibilities. Now, I learned that we, especially students, need to know how to manage our time and balance our tasks. If we wanted to have both good grades and a healthy body, we need to use our time wisely.

Even if I don’t join in a lot of orgs, I still find it very helpful for me to have a good time with my fellow blockmates, my second family. It wasn’t bad for me to have fun with them because they keep me sane.

Occupational therapists should know how significant balance is in our lives. I realized how I should not just be aware of this fact but I also have to take this into heart. If I wanted to become a prolific OT in the future, I need to give utmost importance to the health and well-being of a person.

KawJemilyn

Hello there!

These issues are interesting and controversial at present. I think I can share with you the things that I know with the said topics.

In the Philippines, majority occupational therapists are predominantly in Pediatrics; but in our college, our professors encourage us to divulge into different fields under occupational therapy or even those interdisciplinary with occupational therapy and occupational science. They believe that divulging into different interdisciplinary studies is a good way in improving the occupational therapy per se.

Another issue in our country (related to OT) is the inclusion of occupational therapy services in the PhilHealth coverage. PhilHealth is the national health insurance program in the Philippines which can be accessed by all Filipinos. This program aids Filipinos to access in different health services with financial assistance depending on their socioeconomic status; moreover, it is also responsible in putting up different clinics and insurances in different community settings all over Philippines. With what we have learned, OT advocates are amending the Republic Act 9241 to include occupational therapy services in the PhilHealth coverage since people with disabilities of lower socioeconomic status couldn't afford occupational therapy service.

Lastly, our main problem in the Philippines right now is not mainly on diversity but on the scarce population of occupational therapists present in the country. At present, the ratio of occupational therapists over the total population in the Philippines is 0.3:10,000. Only 3 OTs per 100,000 people who may or may not need service from OTs. Given that the Philippines is a beautiful archipelago with more than 7,000 islands, many islands can't reach for OT services since there are no occupational therapists present in their community.

As OTs, we not only have a hard time explaining to people what OT is, but we also need to study and discover different solutions to the national and even, individual problems that we are experiencing right now.

We can do this! Feel free to ask and comment about my thoughts!

- Jem

shmays wroteHi Pauline! Thanks for continuing student topic threads. One of the more challenging and rewarding aspects of my program at the moment is diversity. In the US, OT is not a diverse profession (e.g. racially, by gender). Classmates and I are currently in challenging discourse on how demographics within our program and profession affect the research produced, the work we do, and the people we serve. We're working on diversity and health equity task initiatives at the moment, but I would love to hear how other OT programs across the globe are tackling issues of diversity, inclusion, and health equity.

K.V.Rivera

Hi guys it’s me, Keith!

Occupational therapy here in the Philippines is still a growing child. It has a lot potential to one day help a lot of people, but right now, it can only do so much. Studies here found that there are around 0.3 Occupational therapists for every 10,000 Filipinos. This may be due to the fact that many others don’t really know much about the profession. I myself only learned so much because I have classes on it. I couldn’t tell you how many times I had to explain to my family that the “occupation” in Occupational therapy did not automatically mean work, and that occupation could be anything that we find meaning in that fills our time. And while I love the fact that I could spread as little awareness that I can, I always have the feeling that I could, and should, do more.

I think that I wouldn’t be too far off to assume that a lot of college students from all over the world experience a lot of trouble during college years. I find that my main issue would be managing my time wisely for my subjects and using what little time I have left for leisure, not doing it the other way round. I suffer from a very common syndrome among student called “procrastination.” There are days when there are no assignments and I would just spend the time surfing the net. I then cram everything at the last second, producing a par output at best. Occupational balance is something taught to us and it’s really ironic that I myself don’t practice it. I guess I really should revamp my study schedule.

Another thing that I’ve had a problem with would be living the semi-independent life. I’d be the first to admit that I lived a sheltered childhood growing up. So the transition between being fully dependent on my parents (meals mostly 🙂) to basically only depending on my parents financially and emotionally was a pretty big step. From having to make sure my allowance would fit meals for the entire month, to having to regularly clean the condo on my own and not just doing it when asked by my parents, the first few months were really a struggle for me to adapt to. Thankfully now as a second year student, I have gotten into a sort of groove of doing things.

The last one that comes to mind would be one that many others also experience. I got from seeing my family every day for about 15 years to being able to see them only on the weekends. Technology has helped so much in this aspect since I could still speak to them every day, but nothing really beats the warmth you get from spending time with your family (and having some of my parent’s amazing cooking 🙂).

I guess the best advice that I would be able to give anyone who experience the same as me would be to think that you can do it and push through. It may sound cheesy but that’s how I’m going about in life right now. We just recently learned about the need for drive in performing occupations and how important it is that it’s not just you who would motivate yourself if you couldn’t do it on your own. It’s not bad to need help, everyone does at one point or another, and never should asking for help be a sign of weakness. So if you can’t stand on your own, find your support, and believe in yourself so that one day you could stand on your own.

I’d love to hear any thoughts (and tips) you guys may have! 🙂

myungderp kiddo

KawJemilyn wroteHello there! It's me, Jem!

I remember when I was young, my parents let me go to bed at 9:30PM; at that time, I must finish all my assignments and reviewed my subjects for tomorrow's classes. As time passes by, 9:30PM became later and later, until now, 1:30AM seems normal to me. I thought it was just me alone because I need to balance academics and extracurricular activities, but I then discovered, most of my classmates are the same with me. The challenge for me is not getting to sleep when I feel sleepy already; I get to struggle opening my eyes wide in the middle of the night, reviewing or preparing notes for the next day. I also blame myself for getting distracted with social media, yes! I tend to scroll through my Facebook news feed when I rest in between study time (sometimes, I forgot to time myself and tada! Time wasted). Still, I try my best in controlling myself and balance my time.

I used to play piano and attend piano class during Saturdays since I was in kindergarten, it never stopped; but, as soon as I started college, especially during majors this year, I didn't get the chance to visit our music room anymore (it is located in my old school) because I need to catch up with academics, other extracurricular activities and part time job. To my friends who really know me, I am really clingy to music. Not having a chance to touch the piano makes me sad and depressed and what I do to compensate is to at least hum or sing songs everyday so that music won't feel like a stranger to me.

Although I'm deprived of some occupations that I love, I still cheer myself up because I am enjoying the subjects that we're taking for BS Occupational Therapy. Yes, the subjects are hardcore, make us lose our occupational balance, but I still believe that these will really be worth it. I'm kinda thankful for having OTion discussion room as our activity for an subject because conversing with different people makes me happy too! (Yay! You make me happy!)

Do you have some feels with what I have mentioned? Feel free to share them with me! 🙂

- Jem

ヽ( ・∀・)ノ

Hi Jem-Jem! This is Leanne, your fellow univ-mate!

Woah, just by seeing the load you carry daily, I can't help but marvel at how you could balance all of these; but then, there's always a factor that must be sacrificed, which in most of our cases, is sleep ( ಠ_ಠ). What struck me the greatest about your post was the way you found an alternative route just so you could rekindle your love for music constantly, even in the littlest of ways (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و.

You know how Filipinos say, "kung ayaw may dahilan, kung gusto parating merong paraan," which just means that if you really like something, there are tons of ways to get it, just as much as there are excuses if you actually don't. I love how that speaks so much of OT, from the viewpoint of a student, all the way to that of a practicing clinician's. A lot of us struggle in the course of our studies. Some of us cannot help but think twice whether OT is really the profession we wish to pursue. In the end, most of us really learn to love it and all its aspects. We find ways (ಠ‿↼) to make things work, even at times when things seem to be crumbling down. As for clinicians, it is a must for them to find the best intervention, to be creative, to improvise, and to find alternatives,
just like what you did for music ♫꒰･◡･๑꒱.

(◕ฺー≦)/

There will always be drops in our journey. And it is a given that things will never be easy, especially for us OTs. But when everything isn't going our way, and when gulps of caffeine seem to be the only thing binding our stuff up
(눈_눈), we look back to the reason why we're doing all of these *sees flashbacks of Purpose and Meaning Lecture* (◎_◎😉

Let's keep hustlin' because we all know it's gonna be worth it.

(*・∀-)☆

P.S. these emoticons are actually called "Jemoticons" because they're supposedly "Japanese Emoticons" haha

esc501

RichardIrvin wrote
esc501 wrote
shmays wroteHi Pauline! Thanks for continuing student topic threads. One of the more challenging and rewarding aspects of my program at the moment is diversity. In the US, OT is not a diverse profession (e.g. racially, by gender). Classmates and I are currently in challenging discourse on how demographics within our program and profession affect the research produced, the work we do, and the people we serve. We're working on diversity and health equity task initiatives at the moment, but I would love to hear how other OT programs across the globe are tackling issues of diversity, inclusion, and health equity.

Hello :-)

I am currently on a masters course in the UK. I have moved from another profession, and one of the main difficulties I had was explaining to people what I was doing, and people viewing it as not a good move to make - mainly because they misunderstood was Occupational Therapy is about. When explaining it, I have found that people want a quick answer, and that can be hard as I found (and still do find) it good to give examples. It as got a bit easier as I have started the course, because I am becoming more sure of what it is all about. I try to include what occupation means, and talk about working with people who, for various reasons, are finding it difficult to do the things they need or want to do. Followed by a few examples. I'm not claiming this to be the best way, and it has been difficult!

Practical things like moving house, money etc have been difficult, but that was helped by planning before I decided to move over to this course.

Interesting what you say shmays - we have also been talking about the lack of diversity on the course! I know the course does interview and accept international students, but I wonder if it is something to do with who is applying for the course in the first place, and why it isn't a very diverse selection of people who want to apply. I'm sure there are deeper issues here regarding that...perhaps to do with education, stereotypes, aspirations. We have just submitted our research proposals, and I was very aware, as you say, of mine being yet another piece of research from a white, middle-class, Western woman...(!)
Hi! My name's Richard. I'm from the Philippines. Like you, I have a difficult time explaining to others what OT actually is. People here often associate occupational therapy with physical therapy. I often use the analogy "PTs teach clients how to move his legs, but an OT teaches him how to dance." One of the difficulties of studying OT here in the Philippines is that OT not being that well-known and that some people don't really know what we do. Prior to studying OT in UP Manila, I tried to explain it to the people who ask me what it is, but I ultimately fail. Now in my second year studying OT, I got a lot better at it. I feels great to have someone understand OT when I explain it! Also, another problem is advocacy. OT advocacies are always overshadowed by other advocacies and sometimes, it's eventually forgotten. As a solution, my college tries to encourage us to be aggressive advocates. Our class projects often involves us posting stuff on facebook or sharing publicity materials on social media sites.

These are some of the problems of OT in the Philippines. I am interested to learn what OT challenges the other countries face and how they deal with them. Hope to hear from you guys soon!

I like this analogy, thank you :-) And I agree, when you speak to someone who does understand OT it is exciting! (and a relief...!) We've also been encouraged on our course to think about how we define OT to different groups of people and make an effort to do it well when we are talking to the public and other professionals. Sometimes easier said than done, when you get a blank look but they carry on talking, so you dont feel you can say "do you actually know what I do then?!" ;-)

shmays

gvyrastorza wroteHello everyone. Ito here from the Philippines. I don't have a lot of time, so I just want to address a simple yet possibly problematic issue for us OT students in regards to using this forum as a means of interaction and correspondence.

I have just discovered around the forums bots and spammers. Now, as young as the forums may be, I see this as a threat to us OT students in using OTION as a way to connect.

It may not seem like a big problem, but I as an OT student see this forum as a very important tool for all of us to share our knowledge, experiences, and resources with each other. I will post again some other time, but for the meantime, I bring up this small (as of yet) challenge.

Hi Ito, thank you for bringing up this issue with other forum members. As the forum moderator, I will try my best to delete spammer posts as thoroughly and frequently as I can! We hope you continue to utilize and enjoy this space, spam free. 🙂

gvyrastorza

esc501 wroteSometimes easier said than done, when you get a blank look but they carry on talking, so you dont feel you can say "do you actually know what I do then?!"

Hi Ellen! I completely understand this. The past weekend, I had a small conversation with my grandfather regarding OT. It kind of shocked me to learn that after a year, he still thought that OT was more involved with work (as in, occupations meaning professions). It was easier to explain it to him, however, than to many people I have come across previously. I made another topic regarding this, although it hasn't seen much activity. I've deleted it since it seems rather redundant now that more discussion on it has come up here. I'd like to hear

Byeul wroteOur #1 dilemma is that there are only a few OTs in our country

KawJemilyn wroteAt present, the ratio of occupational therapists over the total population in the Philippines is 0.3:10,000.

K.V.Rivera wroteStudies here found that there are around 0.3 Occupational therapists for every 10,000 Filipinos

Although I myself know this, it's still a rather shocking bit of statistics to think about. To all my fellow Philippine OTs in the forum, let's work to change that. After all, it's all about giving service to all the people who need it, and seeing the quality of life many Filipinos have in this day and age, I can say we're really needed in our country.

RichardIrvin wroteI guess the confirmation message and the password OTION sends to our e-mail account are sufficient enough against these spambots.

Well, I suppose so. Although just the fact that a few were still able to get in is a bit worrying.

KawJemilyn wroteAnother issue in our country (related to OT) is the inclusion of occupational therapy services in the PhilHealth coverage. PhilHealth is the national health insurance program in the Philippines which can be accessed by all Filipinos. This program aids Filipinos to access in different health services with financial assistance depending on their socioeconomic status; moreover, it is also responsible in putting up different clinics and insurances in different community settings all over Philippines. With what we have learned, OT advocates are amending the Republic Act 9241 to include occupational therapy services in the PhilHealth coverage since people with disabilities of lower socioeconomic status couldn't afford occupational therapy service.

After scanning some other websites, I've found that people from some other countries can benefit from OT through extended health care policies. This page, for example, states that. However, it also states that not every insurance company includes OT to possible benefits. However, I do believe that here in the Philippines, we deserve to have OT covered in PhilHealth, especially since it's a national insurance company that aims to provide universal health coverage.

shmays wroteI will try my best to delete spammer posts as thoroughly and frequently as I can!

I've noticed that said spam post is gone. Thanks Chloe! I'll probably try browsing the forum every now and then to check on any possible spam posts. Just because you're the forum mod doesn't mean you need to do all the work! 🙂

To everyone else here, I've noticed that most of the talk has been around student problems. As an OT student, I can say I've more or less been able to balance out school work with personal time. I can finish requirements on time while still having time for myself. I've noticed that one thing shared by most of you is having to sacrifice some of your occupations (sleeping, personal activities like hobbies) for academic life. I don't know if I'm really one to say this, but I'm confident that eventually you'll all find a sort of balance to it. I haven't, but I know I'm getting there. We can do this, everyone! 😃

Ivanna Co

Hi! Ivanna here.

The difference between high school and college requirements and exams threw me off track. I was not able to develop good study habits in high school, merely studying a few hours before an exam because I can still get by with good grades. However, I discovered tertiary education is on a completely different scale. Nowadays, I must study at least a week in advance to be able to comprehend the lessons taught.

People most often respond with a blank stare whenever I answer my college course is occupational therapy. They assume that it is the same as PT. Enlightening them gives me satisfaction knowing I can correct some of their misconceptions as well. It is sad to discover that the reason why OT is not widely-known here as the common people cannot afford the long-term service of one. Illustrating them with this saying. "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime" made them able to grasp the value of an Occupational Therapist.

Another problem I deal with is when people find out that BS OT is a pre-med course. They immediately assume that I want to become a doctor in the future. I find that being an OT is already a big contribution to the community, and the scarcity of finding an OT is already a problem in the Philippines.

Although having to study for majority of my waking hours is very tiring and stressful, knowing that I will be able to use the information that I have learned for my clients someday gives me the will to endure through this hardship. In addition, my blockmates are there to support and encourage each other to do our best.

etalas

Hey Phoebe! The person who explained to me what OT is contributed to my false expectation that college would be easier than high school. She's right, the way she defined OT is what really OT is but she forgot to inform me that though our profession (someday) would be easy and enjoyable, the path we have to take to be there would be hard, (in UP, very hard hahaha). Like you, in the beginning, my physical and mental health were not able to adjust that easily. The first month we entered college, I got sick and was diagnosed to be STRESSED and that I needed to take a one-week rest. That was first in my whole life and I did not expect STRESS to cause that much pain. That's why this year, I decided to take rest from playing volleyball since it demands much time and energy.

You and my mother share the same idea: to prioritize health over academics. She always reminds me to take enough rest, sleep, and food 🙂 She doesn't care if I fail exams as long as I'm healthy. She won't get mad at me for failing exams but if I get sick, she will surely get mad. She also threatened me before that if I get sick again, she would pull me out of UP and bring me back to our province.

Yes, we as future occupational therapists, must include mastery of occupational balance to one of our biggest goals. 🙂

pgcruz4 wroteHi! I’m Phoebe Cruz from the University of the Philippines Manila.

As a college student I expected that there would be loads of requirements, assignments, examinations, or things simply known as stress. Stress is not a foreign word to me especially when I entered university. Stress has always been a part of my life. It’s not uncommon to us students; even so, I think it’s unhealthy. I’m already in my second year and I realize now how important it is take care of my health. I used to be a very active person; I do physical activities with ease. Today, I find it difficult to move my body ardently because now I get tired easily. I cannot afford to sleep early at night because I need to finish my requirements. I travel far every day and it gives additional toil in my body. I never get the chance to eat healthy food since there are only fast foods around the university. I try to do exercises and even dance, but I feel like my body would give up whenever I do them. The doctor said that my immune system went down. Now, I get sick easily when I get poured down by little rain. Sometimes, I feel like vomiting while in class, and the previous week, my mouth had mouth sores and I had sore throat, I really had a hard time eating.

I know how important the requirements and exams are in school, but I don’t think it is right to sacrifice our health just so we can finish our academic responsibilities. Now, I learned that we, especially students, need to know how to manage our time and balance our tasks. If we wanted to have both good grades and a healthy body, we need to use our time wisely.

Even if I don’t join in a lot of orgs, I still find it very helpful for me to have a good time with my fellow blockmates, my second family. It wasn’t bad for me to have fun with them because they keep me sane.

Occupational therapists should know how significant balance is in our lives. I realized how I should not just be aware of this fact but I also have to take this into heart. If I wanted to become a prolific OT in the future, I need to give utmost importance to the health and well-being of a person.

etalas

Most of the posts already included problems related to explaining OT to other people, managing time, balancing occupations, being away from home, etc. I don’t know if I’m weird or what but I find having an occupational lens challenging. I’m not even sure if I already developed it but it feels like I already had. All I know is that with occupational lens, you perceive all (without exceptions) person’s action as a product of some other actions. To make it easier, you believe that with any action (bad or good), there is a reason behind, so you have to understand it. At first, I thought that it made me a better person since I’ll no longer be a “judger”. But as soon as I experienced it, I found it challenging. I always say to myself that understanding them is not equal to ignoring their mistakes but I always end up ignoring. I’m not always ignorant, there are times I forget wearing those ‘’occupational lens’’ and the result is my natural self, very straightforward. I always end up regretful. Maybe the reason why I find those kinds of situations challenging and quite frustrating is that I’m just a 2nd year student who is only about to take few major subjects.

Please let me know if you are also experiencing the same challenge as mine so that we can share experiences with each other. 🙂

cetalastas

Hi! I'm Cathy from the Philippines. One of the major challenges encountered by OT students in the Philippines is the unfamiliarity of the people of the profession. Most of the time, after I answer when people ask me what’s my course, their next question is either “What is that?” or “It’s like physical therapy right?”. To enlighten them, I just explain the difference of OT from PT by telling them, “A PT will enable the child to hold the pen and an OT will teach the child how to write using the pen”. By using this answer, I am able to explain them the difference of an OT from PT. With that, I still feel that our profession is not well advocated and is not given much importance as that of the other profession that is well known. Being an OT student, these unfortunate scenarios serves as an eye-opener for me that as a future OT, I should be one in advocating and promoting our profession. To be able to do this, it is important to us not only to preach the beauty of the profession but more importantly, we should promote it through actions because what OT could do to improve the quality of life of a person is what keeps the profession alive and appreciated by people. As OT students, we should be the voice of our profession and through simple actions, we should help to give quality to the lives of the people.

Being an OT student here in UP Manila, I have a very heavy workload. The occupational balance that our profession gives importance is still not evident in my lifestyle because of the tedious amount of work that needs to be done every day. Almost every week, we have exams. With that, I am unable to do some of the occupations that I love doing such as watching movies and traveling. However, through having a positive outlook in life, I just think of these exams and the things that I have to do as an obstacle that I should pass through to be able to do what I want to do for a lifetime which is to help people through my profession.

Of all the things that I do, the most important and most satisfying is eating dinner with my family. Even though my parents and sister are miles away from me and my brother, they make sure that they video call especially if we are about to eat dinner. In that way, we are able to talk with each other and share stories of what has transpired in that day. Thus, eating dinner, enables me to relieve my stress and to remember what inspires me not to give up.

cetalastas

Ivanna Co wroteHi! Ivanna here.

The difference between high school and college requirements and exams threw me off track. I was not able to develop good study habits in high school, merely studying a few hours before an exam because I can still get by with good grades. However, I discovered tertiary education is on a completely different scale. Nowadays, I must study at least a week in advance to be able to comprehend the lessons taught.

People most often respond with a blank stare whenever I answer my college course is occupational therapy. They assume that it is the same as PT. Enlightening them gives me satisfaction knowing I can correct some of their misconceptions as well. It is sad to discover that the reason why OT is not widely-known here as the common people cannot afford the long-term service of one. Illustrating them with this saying. "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime" made them able to grasp the value of an Occupational Therapist.

Another problem I deal with is when people find out that BS OT is a pre-med course. They immediately assume that I want to become a doctor in the future. I find that being an OT is already a big contribution to the community, and the scarcity of finding an OT is already a problem in the Philippines.

Although having to study for majority of my waking hours is very tiring and stressful, knowing that I will be able to use the information that I have learned for my clients someday gives me the will to endure through this hardship. In addition, my blockmates are there to support and encourage each other to do our best.

Hi Ivanna! Just like you, I also experienced difficulty in adjusting to college especially with the amount of work that needs to be done. I thought that my study habit in high school was effective but then when I was in my first year of college, I found out that it is not the appropriate study habit that will enable me to get good grades. Now that I am in my second year, I have to study a week or two just to be an effective and efficient student. However, with the increasing amount of work, I am unable to do it. Hopefully, when times comes, I will able to fully adjust to the workload and learn how to have occupational balance. Also, it seems that most of us experience the different responses of people who are unfamiliar with our course. It is a very saddening but I hope that all of us, as OT students could share the beauty of our profession in our own ways.

cetalastas

Hi, Nicole! I am really amazed of the outline you have created to explain Occupational Therapy. In my opinion, the outline you have made can really enlighten people about OT. Before I just give them simple examples just like your example in differentiating OT from PT and I think after some other time I tend to ask myself if I was really able to explicate OT to them or I just gave them a piece of a puzzle. So with your outline, I think I will be able to tell people and explain well to them the OT profession. On the other hand, just like you, of all the things that I do, the most satisfying is when I spend moments with my family. Definitely, I am a family-centered person and I always make sure that I allot time for them.

Maria Nicole Sombillo wroteAs a student, I am having difficulty in managing my time efficiently, especially in my studies. For the next 2 weeks, we are scheduled to have 2 exams per week, and that's not all. We also have requirements and projects to pass. As an OT student, we have an idea of the concept of occupational balance, but ironically, I, myself, find it difficult to have and maintain that balance. My occupations are always "too much" for me. I feel that in able to have that balance, I push myself too much or too hard, I overwork and maybe exert too much effort, and not knowing if that's a good or a bad thing.

A past challenge is when my dad went to California to work there. As a child, I'm not that close to my father for we always see him only online, when we do video calls. I also remember that every year at our school, on recognition day, I've always wanted my father to be the one to put the medal on me, but he seldom goes home at that time. 🙁 But as I grew older and understood better the reason of my dad to work abroad, I came to appreciate him better, the sacrifices he did for our family for us to have a better life. I know treasure more the moments we spend together as a family when he goes back. And the situation is better now because he makes sure to go home twice a year 🙂

How do I explain what OT is? I was asked a lot of times by a lot of people what OT is, what OT's do, and the difference of OT and PT. I developed an outline on how to explain it to them. First, I tell what the meaning occupation is. Then I give examples of occupation. Then I tell what the OT's focus on, examples of fine motor skills, examples of illnesses/diseases and what OT's do to intervene. Then for the difference of OT and PT, I tell this scenario (told by my brother who is also an OT student). For example, a basketball player had an injury. A PT makes sure that the player will be able to walk again (include other gross motor skills), but an OT makes sure that the player will be able to play basketball again. 🙂

It is difficult for me to balance my commitments, but these are what I do. I write them. Like in a planner. So I will know that to do on that day. I also put them in order to know what I'll do first. But before all of that, I also make sure first if I can really commit to that, if not, I have to turn that down. As of now, the occupations that I do are the occupations that I want to do. And if I don't want to do that occupation but I needed to, I try my best to find enjoyment in that occupation. Maybe an occupatiom that I can't do, but I sort of want to do is watching TV shows. Because in where I am currently staying, we do not have a TV installed, so I can only watch TV shows on weekend (when I go home).

The most important things that I do now are sleeping, eating, and studying. The most satisfying are the times that I spend with my family and friends 🙂

pdregalario

cetalastas wroteHi! I'm Cathy from the Philippines. One of the major challenges encountered by OT students in the Philippines is the unfamiliarity of the people of the profession. Most of the time, after I answer when people ask me what’s my course, their next question is either “What is that?” or “It’s like physical therapy right?”. To enlighten them, I just explain the difference of OT from PT by telling them, “A PT will enable the child to hold the pen and an OT will teach the child how to write using the pen”. By using this answer, I am able to explain them the difference of an OT from PT. With that, I still feel that our profession is not well advocated and is not given much importance as that of the other profession that is well known. Being an OT student, these unfortunate scenarios serves as an eye-opener for me that as a future OT, I should be one in advocating and promoting our profession. To be able to do this, it is important to us not only to preach the beauty of the profession but more importantly, we should promote it through actions because what OT could do to improve the quality of life of a person is what keeps the profession alive and appreciated by people. As OT students, we should be the voice of our profession and through simple actions, we should help to give quality to the lives of the people.

Being an OT student here in UP Manila, I have a very heavy workload. The occupational balance that our profession gives importance is still not evident in my lifestyle because of the tedious amount of work that needs to be done every day. Almost every week, we have exams. With that, I am unable to do some of the occupations that I love doing such as watching movies and traveling. However, through having a positive outlook in life, I just think of these exams and the things that I have to do as an obstacle that I should pass through to be able to do what I want to do for a lifetime which is to help people through my profession.

Of all the things that I do, the most important and most satisfying is eating dinner with my family. Even though my parents and sister are miles away from me and my brother, they make sure that they video call especially if we are about to eat dinner. In that way, we are able to talk with each other and share stories of what has transpired in that day. Thus, eating dinner, enables me to relieve my stress and to remember what inspires me not to give up.

Hi Cathy!
I find it amusing that you mentioned the whole unfamiliarity of most people to our profession (or at least soon to be profession) here in the Philippines because I used to be part of those people. I don't claim to be an expert already at this point. When I enrolled for this course, I had a very vague idea as to how exactly our practice worked. You can say that I was part of the problem. Because of my inexperience and gross lack of knowledge, I cannot confidently claim that I am now part of the solution. The explanation you use to distinguish OT from PT, however, is something that I, myself, have used in order to spread the word. I suppose, like most (if not all) of us wish to establish our profession as a household name that no longer needs such explanations to be identified and distinguished. May we succeed.

I cannot agree with you enough regarding the hellish workload we are made to endure! I honestly laud you and most of our blockmates for being able to attain to some extent occupational balance. I am far far behind in that aspect. I doubt I'd ever catch up. Hahaha. Still, I agree that positive thinking can certainly work wonders. We just need to work hard and persevere. We'll get to the finish line at some point. I truly believe that. At least, I believe a day will come that I say those words without a hint of sarcasm nor doubt.

Regarding family matters, I can somehow relate to you when it comes to long distance relationships. My mother lives with me but I have an aunt and a cute little cousin who lives in Canada. I only see them once a year. And it's heartbreaking to monitor my cute cousin's growth from afar. However, like you, I treasure the moments we share. I pray that our families continue to flourish.

You have inspired me so much, Cathy. God bless and good luck to all of us!

-Pau

Ivanna Co

cetalastas wrote
Ivanna Co wroteHi! Ivanna here.

The difference between high school and college requirements and exams threw me off track. I was not able to develop good study habits in high school, merely studying a few hours before an exam because I can still get by with good grades. However, I discovered tertiary education is on a completely different scale. Nowadays, I must study at least a week in advance to be able to comprehend the lessons taught.

People most often respond with a blank stare whenever I answer my college course is occupational therapy. They assume that it is the same as PT. Enlightening them gives me satisfaction knowing I can correct some of their misconceptions as well. It is sad to discover that the reason why OT is not widely-known here as the common people cannot afford the long-term service of one. Illustrating them with this saying. "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime" made them able to grasp the value of an Occupational Therapist.

Another problem I deal with is when people find out that BS OT is a pre-med course. They immediately assume that I want to become a doctor in the future. I find that being an OT is already a big contribution to the community, and the scarcity of finding an OT is already a problem in the Philippines.

Although having to study for majority of my waking hours is very tiring and stressful, knowing that I will be able to use the information that I have learned for my clients someday gives me the will to endure through this hardship. In addition, my blockmates are there to support and encourage each other to do our best.

Hi Ivanna! Just like you, I also experienced difficulty in adjusting to college especially with the amount of work that needs to be done. I thought that my study habit in high school was effective but then when I was in my first year of college, I found out that it is not the appropriate study habit that will enable me to get good grades. Now that I am in my second year, I have to study a week or two just to be an effective and efficient student. However, with the increasing amount of work, I am unable to do it. Hopefully, when times comes, I will able to fully adjust to the workload and learn how to have occupational balance. Also, it seems that most of us experience the different responses of people who are unfamiliar with our course. It is a very saddening but I hope that all of us, as OT students could share the beauty of our profession in our own ways.

Hi Cathy!

I'm sure you will be able to eventually adjust to the workload and achieve occupational balance. As long as you always remember your goals, there will always be room for improvement.

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