Midterms, Time Managament, and Orangization!

 

 

         Thank goodness, midterms are over! This semester is by far my most challenging and demanding yet. Between working at my clinical full time and attending classes 3-4 nights a week it was difficult to find time to study. I tried to study on the weekends, my nights off from class, before class, and on my lunch break at my clinical. I would even try to record myself reading my notecards or talk out what I could remember to myself while driving (every moment counted). What helped me the most was having a study group the day of my exams. I met with 4-5 girls in my cohort. and went over our entire review. This gave us the chance to talk things out and share how we remember things with each other. After all, we all learn differently!

       I am proud to say I survived getting a brand new case load and midterms all in one week. Now the biggest challenge of all ...............waiting for my grades lol. 

 Graduate school has forced me to master my time management and organizational skills , without either of these I would lose my mind.

Here are some time management and organizational tips that help get me through!

• Write everything down in your planner! My planner is my life. I spend an hour at the start of each semester going through my syllabus's and writing everything out.
• Color code classes. All my classes are color coded by highlighter in my planner. Then I take it a step further and even buy binders to match.
• Plan!!! plan out time to study for exams, work on presentations, and homework.
• Give yourself a break! Breaks and rest are a must otherwise your brain will go into overload and you will be fried.
• Files will be your best friend! I make files on my computer for every class I have every year (ex: research or second year of grad school). This makes it easy for me to find and keep track of things.

These are just some things that work for me. Feel free to comment below with what works for you, maybe I can learn something new =)

 

Until next time!

-Jessica 

Passing the Praxis, Studying for Comps, & My FINAL Semester

This summer was extremely hectic and over whelming as I spent 40+ hours at my last clinical rotation at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Center, completed three classes, and studied for the Speech-Language Pathology Praxis.  The Praxis was the task I worried about most, knowing I needed an 81% (162/200) on the exam in order to receiving a passing score.  I studied almost every day for a month and periodically before that.  I am lucky to have had such great professors because most of my studying was a review.  

I encourage SLP students to purchase the Advanced Review of SLP book, which is basically a comprehensive review of all things speech.  It also comes with several practice praxis tests on a flash drive.  This book is pricey, but if you are as NSSHLA member, a discount may be available.  Although this book is very helpful for review, the questions are very concrete and rarely assess your ability to apply the information.  ETS, the company who creates and administers the test, has one revised Praxis practice test, and several old practice Praxis tests.  The Advanced Review of SLP also has several online tests you can purchase.  This purchase is strictly for practice tests.  These are excellent tools to use when studying for the test and gauging what you need to focus on when studying.

Unofficial results are displayed on your screen, but you are warned that the score is subject to change.  Test takers have to wait for the testing window to close and a few weeks before official scores are reported.  After a grueling three weeks, I received my scores and OH I PASSED on my first try!! :)

My recommendations:
- Don't start studying just a few weeks before.  This isn't a test you can "cram" for.  You need to know the information in and out and have to be able to apply your knowledge.  Plan your weeks out to review the chapters, take practice tests, and revise from there.
- Find a study buddy.  You don't need to study with this person or these people every time, but I found it extremely helpful to "talk it out" with my friends and learn how my friends were understanding or remembering the information.  It is always good to have a new perspective, especially with difficult material.
- Take A LOT of practice tests.  This will allow you to find out where you are having difficulty on the tests.  Most of the practice tests break down your incorrect answers, so you are able to focus on what you are having trouble with.
-  Study often, even for ten minutes a night.
- Review your class notes, not just the Advanced Review of SLP book.  I printed all of my midterm and final study guides and outlined important information.
- Trust your instincts.  Time your practice tests so you are able to gauge how much time you need to acutally complete the test and check your answers.

Advanced Review of SLP Book (with flashdrive)

After taking the Praxis, I had about two weeks off before I needed to get ready for my next and FINAL semester of graduate school.  My final course is Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations in Speech Language Pathology with Dr. Hernandez.  It is an interesting course delving into different cultures and how this will effect treatment, diagnosis, and counseling of these clients and their families.

At this point in the semester, a little over half of my cohort is about to take our comprehensive exam.  This exam is administered by Stockton's program and must be passed in order to graduate, unless the student has chosen a thesis route.  Because I spent so much time this summer studying for the Praxis, I feel that this has prepared me for the comps, but I do plan on studying and reviewing throughout October and early November to prep for the test.  I am happy I chose to take the comps rather than completing a thesis because all the studying I completed over the summer for the Praxis overlaps with the studying I am completing to take the comps.  Additionally, I was unable to decide on a subject to study for a thesis until later in my graduate career, past the deadline for a thesis proposal.  Upon completing the comps, I have just a few weeks left in the semester and will officially be done with my graduate career at Stockton University.  Here's to many more hours of studying for the comps while finishing my last semester as a MSCD student and working as a full time speech therapist.

Wish me luck!
- Kaitlyn

Psychiatric Hospital

It's been awhile since my last post. I felt the urge to share with you my experience at my first level II fieldwork. I was placed at a psychiatric hospital. This is what I wanted. I had hoped for this placement before I began OT school. When I found out I was placed at this hospital, I cried because I was so happy. A few weeks later, I found out my placement within the hospital. It was the forensic unit. This meant for the next 3 months I would be working closely with individuals with a mental illness and a legal status. This included sex offenders and murders. Wow. Just typing those words leave me feeling heavy. I was terrified because this was completely out of my comfort zone. This pushed me to my edge. I tried to keep an open mind but it was hard. I still remember my first day- I was so afraid. I remember being starred down, all the inappropriate comments and the men towered over me. I felt like fresh meat in a wild jungle.

This placement turned out to be the most influential experiences of my life. I can't even begin to explain all of the things that I saw. It was like nothing I could have even imagined. Some memories I wish I could take away.

What I really want to speak of is what these patients taught me. They generously shared so much of their life with me. They expressed what its like to be so disconnected from society, what it's like to hear/see violent things that you wish would stop, what it's like to feel numb, what it's like to have no support, and what it's like to live everyday with fear and shame.

It is innate for us as humans to want to feel connected. Therefore, disconnection can be a very dangerous place. 99% of my patients had a horrible upbringing faced with abuse and neglect. It is no surprise that they are disconnected from themselves and society. And yet, it was obvious that many desired that connection. They wanted to be seen, heard, and valued. I as a therapist held space for that. As a result, I quickly became very connected with my patients. I was authentic and openly shared my story with them. A story that I never had enough courage to share. But I too wanted to feel connected. This created space for vulnerability and some patients shared their darkest moments. It made me realize that by showing my own vulnerably allowed others to have the courage to be vulnerable too.

When I truly got to know my patients, I realized that deep within them is a good hearted soul that got lost along the way. I greatly enjoyed my time with them and cried when it was over. They have endured some pretty shitty things and continue to do so. Living in a state psychiatric hospital may be one of the hardest things. But living with a mental illness is even harder. They are brave and courageous. They wake up everyday and continue to live. I commend that.

They changed my perspective completely. They are humans. I see them as my equals and do not define them by their legal status.

I will leave you with this- next time you are about to pass judgement ask yourself- how can I judge this person without even knowing their story.

Peace & love, M

Fun times in Dysphagia Class!

This semester in Dysphagia we are learning more than I could have ever imagined. My favorite part about this class is how hands on it is. Every week we are doing some form of a lab whether it is oral mechanism exams, bedside dysphagia evaluations, working with thickeners (honey, thin, nectar, and pudding), or learning to listen for a proper swallow. This is very beneficial as we get to practice on each other and develop our confidence as clinicians. (Be sure to scroll down for pictures).

In addition to our in class labs, we are completing a Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Training. This is a program designed to teach students/speech-language pathologists how to read modified barium swallow images. Let me tell you, this is just as challenging as it sounds lol………………………thank goodness we have a great teacher! At the end of completing this training we will receive a certificate of completion. Not only will we will have a strong foundation is modified barium swallow studies but, we will be we will stand out even more in terms of future job interviews. 

I hope everyone is having a great semester! Please do not hesitate to post comments or email the graduate school account at Gradschool@stockton.edu with any questions. Simply make the subject Grad Blog, I will be more than happy to respond =)

-Jessica 

Playing a game called "guess what thickener you chose". We were asked to first, pick a cup and fill it half way with out drink of choice. Second, stir it for about 1-2 minutes. Finally, drink it/play with it using a spoon to determine which consistency it was. 

        Professor Cassel performing an Oral Mechanism exam on a student from cohort 4. 

Two students from cohort four practicing an oral mechanism and bedside dysphagia evaluation.