Journal #15: Death Penalty December 18, 2009

Although it doesn’t happen in our country, a social issue that worries me is the death penalty. This is a measure that leads to denying a person’s right to live very often wrongfully. The judiciary system is carried out by men who are not infallible. Many people have been found guilty of crimes they haven’t committed. That is why I personally do not believe in such a drastic measure. Another reason is because it doesn’t give the accused the opportunity to make up for his crime and to rehabilitate. There are cases where the death penalty is necessary because the person might be a threat to the civilization and there is no other solution, but other times it might be a way to commit a big mistake killing someone that is not guilty.

What will happen if they decide to kill a prisoner and then, when he is already death, they find the evidence of the innocence of that person? Are they going to give him back his life? Of course not; that is impossible. There are a lot of cases of people who has been in jail and then they are sent free because their innocence is proved. Death penalty is not an option. And if they want guilty people to suffer, they are not going to achieve it this way because once the person is death the pain is over. The best way is to help them rehabilitate even if they have to be stock in a place the rest of their life. But if we want a better society, we can’t do the same as they do. We can’t pay death with death nor blood with blood.

Journal #14: I just need to write again about this December 18, 2009

Sorry to write about the same topic, but I’ve done a research about it and I’m more impressed each time. I found some interesting arguments against abortion. The one that I liked the most is this one:

Some pepole argue that a baby before birth is not a conscious person, and because of that they justify abortion.

But now I ask them: is a person who is sleeping conscious?, or a person who is in coma because of an accident? So, why do murderers doesn’t simply wait until their victims are sleeping to kill them? that way it wouldn’t be a murder? We can’t justify this criminal act. A simply definition for murder it to kill another human. It doesn’t says to kill someone younger than 3 years, or an old lady, or someone inside his mother body. It just says a human…if that innocent life is not a human, what is it?an animal? Not. It is a beautiful and innocent life who could turn old one day if we let him/her. Let’s help people to understand this and to respect others’s right to live.

Something that amazed me and disappointed me is that someone who is pro-abortion, which means pro-killing an innocent person, has received the Nobel Peace Prize. Isn’t that ironic?

Journal #13: 2012 December 18, 2009

I felt the need to write about the 2012′s issue. I have heard so many people talking about the end of the world and worried because we have only to more years. But, what if you die tomorrow? what if you have a car accident? You never know when are you going to die, so why does it matter when is going to be the end of the world?

I’ve been hearing about the end of the world since 2000, and look at us….we are here! I really don’t know what’s the big deal of it.If you believe that this is not it you should be happy and waiting for that day. No one knows about the date but God; even Jesus didn’t know when the world  is going to be over. The important thing is to always be prepare because that way, when you die or when the world is over, you can be sure that you will be happy forever. Once your life is over there are no more chances. It’s never late until you die!

Journal #12: I can’t believe this! December 18, 2009

I obviously don’t justify crime under any circumstance. Even though this is my way of thinking, let’s suppose that we can justify that someone fought with another person because of revenge or defending himself. But what I heard on the news is none of the above. A guy shoot some kids that were just having fun and doing nothing wrong. Can you believe this?!?!?!

Like the police said, it is impossible to understand this. The oldest kid was just 15 years old. The others were like 11 and eight, or maybe younger. They were looking for iguanas someplace in Caguas. This innocent game turner into a race for their lives. They passed near some guy’s residence and he started running them and shooting like crazy. Thanks to God he couldn’t killed anyone, but he did injured them. One of the little boys said that he should be in jail so he can’t do the same to other kids. Isn’t that something abnormal? How can a man want to hurt some innocent kids?

This guy had been in jail before, why is he again in our streets being a threat to all of us?

My Multi-Genre Research Project:Health Profession: Occupational Therapy December 13, 2009

Prologue

Dear Reader:

When I first heard about this research project I thought about searching for something that really interests me. I am a little bit confused about my future; I’m not sure if I want to be a scholar psychologists or an occupational therapist. Right now I’m in my 4th year of psychology so I decided to do my project on occupational therapy because I have less info about it.

I designed my project in a way that helps you and I understand the importance of this profession. There is a big demand of occupational therapists in Puerto Rico; there are not much and there’s a huge necessity of them. The same occurs with speech pathologists.

Occupational therapy is a very important profession because it deals with disabilities that people can have that prevent them to do their daily tasks; they help them be as functional as they can. A lot of people are discriminated because of some disabilities; they lose job opportunities, they are left behind, their rights are taken away, among others. That’s why I want to be an occupational therapist, to help all these people to have a normal life. There are a lot of conditions or disabilities that have solutions if they are treated on time. That’s why I would like to specialize myself with kids, to make sure that this impairments doesn’t prevent them to develop correctly and to have a functional and normal life.

The best of this profession is that it is not directed to one kind of person; you can work with kids, adolescents, adults, and elderly people. It doesn’t only help people in one dimension; it deals with a physical part and a psychological part too. I can choose from dealing with kids with motor impairments to help psychologically wars’ veterans.

I hope to achieve what I want with this project: to know more about this profession and its importance. I hope you like it!

María Fadhel Alvarez

INTRODUCTION

 

Occupational Therapy is the medical treatment of people with physical, emotional, or social problems, using purposeful activity to help them overcome or learn to deal with their problems (Collins English Dictionary).

Occupational therapists help patients improve their ability to perform tasks in living and working environments. Therapists work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling condition. Occupational therapists use treatments to develop, recover, or maintain the daily living and work skills of their patients. The therapist helps clients not only to improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also to compensate for permanent loss of function. The goal is to help clients have independent, productive, and satisfying lives.

Occupational therapists may work exclusively with individuals in a particular age group or with a particular disability. They can work with children individually or with small groups. Other occupational therapists work with elderly patients. These therapists help the elderly lead more productive, active, and independent lives through a variety of methods. Occupational therapists also work with individuals who are dealing with alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, eating disorders, or stress-related disorders (Occupational Outlook Handbook). They can work in a variety of places such as: community centers, education establishments, GP practices / primary care hospitals, housing associations, client homes, industrial and commercial organizations, prisons, residential and nursing homes, social services and council departments, schools, charities and voluntary agencies.

I chose this topic for my multi genre assignment because this is what I want to be in a future: an occupational therapist. I think it is a very important profession because it helps people to improve a lot of aspects in their lives and to be more productive persons. A lot of people give no much importance to persons that have disabilities, but in my case, I want to help them the best I can so they can continue their lives in the most functional way possible.

In my Multi-genre Research Project I will be presenting information about occupational therapy in a variety of genres. I chose the genre of an interview to show a little bit about how someone became an occupational therapist and what kind of stuff she does in her job. A wrote a recipe for my second genre to show all you need to be a competitive occupational therapist, the education and the qualities that are necessary. I used my third genre, an illustration made in computer, to show some places where an occupational therapist can work. Finally, my fourth genre is a collage; it helped me show many things about what an occupational therapist does: the age groups with which they can work, the equipment they use, many therapies, and some qualities they need.

I hope my project can help you see the importance of this profession, as it helped me. Enjoy it!

 

First Genre: An Interview

INTERVIEW

Dr. Marilein Dominguez (Occupational Therapist)

 

1. Why you chose to be an occupational therapist?

“Well, I chose this profession because since I was a teenager I loved to baby-sit and to work with children. I was looking for a career in which I could help them, specially the ones with special needs. I worked many times in summer camps as counselor; it was challenging, but I enjoyed it a lot. I learned how much you can achieve with motivation, perseverance, adaptability and a little support.

Since I was in middle school my favorites subjects were the ones related to the human and developmental studies. I had big interest and ability in them; that influenced my decision to pursue a health related profession.

I started studying psychology in College because I knew that no matter what health related master I chose, it was going to help me. As years passed, I related the most with the occupational therapy career. I went to make some observations in a school for children with disabilities, and I saw an occupational therapist working with a kid. Since that moment I knew that I wanted to work like her. I finished my Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and then did mi Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in Rush University (Illinois).”

2. Do you have any extra certification?

“Yes, I have two. One is in Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests from the University of Southern California Department of Occupational Science and Therapy, and one in Assessment of Motor and Process Skills.”

3. Can you tell me a little bit about your career?
”I worked at the “Hospital del Niño” in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. I was in the clinical fieldwork, in the pediatric area, in medical and intensive care units and in outpatient programs for brain injury and sensory processing disorders. Then I worked with adults with brain and spinal chord injuries in “Centro Médico” in Río Piedras. Now, I’m working at Doctor’s Center Hospital in Manatí. I have been working there for three years with a variety of populations in rehabilitation, medical and outpatient programs. This is the one I like the most because I’m not working in just one area, and I work there with all kind of people.”

4. What do you do in a normal day of work?

“I divide my work day in clinical care and in research. First I work at the hospital in patient evaluation. I evaluate histories to identify possible problems of the patients that prevent them to do their daily life activities and to have a life as normal as possible. I have to analyze their activity’s performance to see if there is something affecting them.

Then I work in the treatment area, sometimes individually and other times in groups. In the group therapy sessions we work with the daily activities that the clients consider meaningful, with client centered therapies. Sometimes their performance skills and body functions may need to be restored to facilitate adaptative and independent performance. When I work individually, in direct patient care, the dynamic is other. During each session I teach the patient a self-care task like dressing, grooming or personal hygiene. I also work with the patient on a therapeutic activity like balance, coordination or a reaching task, or help them with a therapeutic exercise like upper extremity exercise with or without resistance, which is aimed at improving flexibility, strength and movement. The sessions are guided by short-term goals, which are determined by their long-term goals.

Some of the things I do are training for the people in charge of the patient so they can help them and understand the arrangements that need to be done, family meetings, and review patients’ status with other professionals. I have to document all patient information, evaluations, and interventions; that’s the tedious part.

Besides my job at the hospital, I’m working on a research testing children in drug treatment protocols for purposes of efficacy or outcome.”

5.  What do you like the most about your profession?

“Well, I like to relate to my clients; I like to get to know them, to help them get what they want. It’s very gratifying to share their happiness of achieving a goal. “

6. And what do you like the least?

“What I like the least is the paperwork and administrative duties. I know that it is very important to document everything about a client’s development, but it is a very tedious part.”

December 8, 2009

Second Genre: A recipe

Recipe: Competitive Occupational Therapist

 

 

Ingredients

 

Baccalaureate degree in a discipline other than 2.8 GPA(at least)

Occupational Therapy from an accredited university

Second Year English  6 credits

Sociology or Anthropology  3 credits

Human Growth and Development across the life span  3-6 credits

Human Biology I and II or Human Anatomy and Physiology   6 credits

Basic Statistics  3 credits

EXADEP   500pts (at least)

Master of Science in Occupational Therapy   67 credits

Fieldwork  24 weeks

Test offered by the Puerto Rico Occupational Therapy 1

Board of Examiners

Certification Examination of the National Board for  1

Certification in Occupational Therapy

Makes: 1 serving

Procedure:

1. To preheat the oven, complete a baccalaureate degree in a discipline other than Occupational Therapy in an accredited university

2. Mix the credits in Second Year English, Sociology or Anthropology, Human Growth and Development across the life span, Human Biology I and II or Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Basic Statistics with the EXADEP so you can enter thegraduate school to complete your master in occupational therapy.

3. In another bowl, mix the credits required for a Master of Science in Occupational  Therapy with the hours in fieldwork to graduate with the Master in Occupational Therapy.

4. Put together both mixtures and spread them in a 9×9 greased pan. Bake for 30min.

5. Stir together the Test offered by the Puerto Rico Occupational Therapy Board of  Examiners and the Certification Examination of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy to receive the occupational therapist’s licensure. Wait 30  minutes and spread it all over your master degree so you can work in the United States and Puerto Rico. Be as competitive as you can.

* For a better taste: Add Good people skills, imagination, patience, trust, and a real      desire to help people have a better life.

 

Third Genre: An Illustration

This is an illustration of some of the places where an occupational therapist can work. These are not the only ones. They can also work in : community centers, GP practices, housing associations, , industrial and commercial organizations, social services and council departments, charities and voluntary agencies.

Fourth Genre: A Collage

I used this collage to present that occupational therapists can work with any age group and with many disabilities. I used pictures of different therapies and equipment they use. Then I add some words showing qualities that are very important to be a good therapist.

Epilogue

Before doing my project I had an idea of what were occupational therapists and some of the basic things that they do. I learned a lot while searching information on my topic. Now I’m a lot more informed about all the areas and aspects of human’s development that occupational therapists deal with. I knew this was an important profession, but I never imagined that this profession includes so many areas of importance for having a functional life.

I’ve been thinking for a few months if I’m going to do my master degree in scholar psychology or occupational therapist. This project helped me to clarify what I want to do. I learned that occupational therapy not only deals with the physical impairments of people, but with psychological too. What else can I ask for? I have here a profession with which I can work both areas that I like. Another thing that I like is that I can work with people of any ages, even though I wan to specialize with kids.

When a professional told me that there was a huge necessity of occupational therapists and speech pathologist in Puerto Rico, I never thought that it was so serious. Now I understand the importance of this profession in the patients’ lives because it deals with almost everything that can affect or delay their daily functions, and because of this, their life.

The concept of Multi-genre was new for me. At the beginning it was hard to organize my thought and what I wanted to show, but once I started it helped me a lot. It is easier to show something than to write about it. Besides, it is more dynamic and entertaining. It is harder to get bored when you are seeing different formats, colors, etc. that when you are reading a bunch of sentences until you don’t know what you are reading anymore.

I feel accomplished because I learned more than I thought I would with this project. I hope my audience at least has learned the importance of this profession that few people know about. I used my genres to explain some of the basics aspects of it. I used the interview to explain the profession from the point of view of someone that is already in the occupational therapy’s fieldwork. With the recipe I showed what is required to be a competitive therapist. I made an illustration to show in a creative way the places in which an occupational therapist can work. And I used a collage to do a summary of some important details about the profession

I hope you have learned and enjoyed it!

 

References

 

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Occupational Therapists. Web. December 5, 2009.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. In this website you can find information about many professions. There is information about the occupational therapists’ work, training, qualifications, earnings, employment, among others. I used this website to gather information about what their work is really about and the training they need.

NHS employers. NHS Career. Department of Health. Occupational Therapist. Web. December 5, 2009.

NHS Careers is the careers information service for the NHS in England. They provide information via telephonic, internet, literature, among others. Here you can find information about many careers. I found information about the areas in which an occupational therapist can work and about the places in which they can work too.

 OSI-RCM. Portal of Medical Science Campus, UPR. Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. 2007. Web. December 5, 2009.

This web site of the Portal of Medical Science Campus, UPR provides information about all the academic programs they give there. I used it to gather information about the requirements to enter grad school and what you need to finish your master in occupational therapy.

 Rosenberg McKey, Dawn. About.com. Occupational Therapist:Career Planning.2008-09. Web. December 6, 2009.

This website offers information about many careers. I found here information what occupational therapists’ work is about and a definition of it. I found information about what they do in a day of work and the requirements that you need to become one of them.

 Hildenbrann Hanna. National Institute of Health Office of Science Education. Life Works. Web. December 6, 2009.

 This website offers information about a variety of topics. I found here an interview of an occupational therapist. I used this interview as reference to invent one to explain some points that I wanted to expose about the occupational therapy profession and abou what an occupational therapist really does.

Journal #8: Sad, but real. December 12, 2009

Just this week, an article in the newspaper talked about the tragic and sad death of a 19 year old university student who went missing for two days and was found near his home strangled with a rope.  Suicide is a taboo in our society but, sadly, it is every time more frequent.  As I read this article I think about the family, the extreme pain they should be feeling, friends, loved ones…The impact that this boy’s death had on his classmates could be easily seen. I think about all the life that was ahead of this boy, all the joy that he will never get to experience.

This is something that I think we’ll never understand. I think that neither the people that have thought of taking away their own lives understand this. Is it psychological? Physiological? How can a person have the courage to kill him/herself? It is very hard to understand, if not impossible. The only thing that I can say is that it one of the saddest things in life. A desperate person thinks that taking away his or her life the problems are going to go away too, but they are not thinking about what’s next. Neither are thinking about the people that they left here, their family, friends, etc that will suffer the consequences.  God gave us life and is the only one who should “take it away from us”. Everything has a purpose and an exit; ill prefer to find it here.We should try to help those people that are worse than us, that need someon to count with. We can change someone’s life and stop them from doing something crazy!

Journal #11: Rich or Famous? December 12, 2009

A friend once asked me, “If you had a chance to choose riches or fame, which one would you prefer?”  At a very young age, a girl doesn’t know.  A castle full of shiny diamonds or the sparkling lifestyle of a superstar; I wanted both.  However, now I ask myself the same question and really don’t know which one to choose.  If we get all the riches we can buy whatever we want; a jet that’ll take us to Europe, a condo on a private island with the best view, or even a hospital for the safe comfort of cared ones.  With all the fame, people would know you, follow you, treat you as an idol, and basically worship you.  But, at what point in this riches vs. fame discussion do we really know how much is enough?  Where do we learn to value and truly appreciate what we are given?

I ask myself this today and can’t really come up with an answer.  How much is enough? How rich is rich? How famous is famous?  Then again, if we think in all the people who are considered rich and famous and still are not happy doesn’t it make you wonder, do we really want to be both?  Would we still be bitter about the things we wouldn’t have, even if they had no material value?

I believe everybody gets what they deserve in the moment they need it, not want it.  We don’t always have to have exactly what we want because then we just wouldn’t appreciate those small things that make us big people.  As a matter a fact, we’re still that small girl or boy looking towards those riches and fame, knowing that what we strive for is what we aim to be, and what better way than to aim towards something that is full of moral riches and honest fame.

Journal #10: The “Matricula” December 12, 2009

It’s this time of the year again!  No, not Christmas, Final tests, or even last week of class.   This week is the week where students are given a day, a time, and… the race begins! Who gets the class?  Who gets the class with the best professor?  Who gets the best schedule? Who gets to have a schedule?  These are some of the questions UPR- Mayagüez students ask themselves during the week they have to make their “Matrículas”.

It’s like Christmas, only a little bit more stressful.  Everybody has a list with many colors of ink, all having different symbols and numbers.  Everybody wants their class, their professor, their perfect schedule.  Everybody wants to login to their accounts and find exactly what they’re looking for.  Unfortunately, things don’t turn out like that here.  Santa doesn’t come that early in December.

Very few times students can get their classes.  Athletes, band members, and a very small portion of the student body get the first day to create their next semester class schedule.  However, the other 90% of the population, they must truly pull their hair out and, literally, fight for their classes.  This process has been going on for years without further solution by the university personnel.  I believe somewhere along the line something has to be done.  But, for now, it’s this time of the year again, so sit back and try to be patient with next semester’s gifts.

Journal #9:“How Not To Be A Jerk During Your Next Fight” December 12, 2009

While looking over the MSN home page, I came across an article written by Karen Salmansohn titled, “How not to be a jerk during your next fight”.  I found it curious how this article seemed so familiar to any discussion or fight in a relationship.  Most people have this problem and seem tangled up in the many labyrinths of understanding what his or her partner feels or doesn’t and what to do and what not to do about it.

Salmansohn quotes Aristotle by saying: “Anybody can become angry- that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way- that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”  I believe this is true.  Most of the time we fight for no reason at all, at the wrong moment, using exactly the wrong terms, at exactly the wrong degree.  This article talks about how woman see, how men see fights, and how they can work together to put in what the author calls the “virtue of discipline” which can be a plus in any discussion, be a relationship or not.

I strongly recommend this article because it can help so much with patience as with realistic views on how to deal or undeal with arguments.  I believe little things can be dealt with and solved but many little things can build up and cause a much greater thing to occur.  For this reason, “How not to be a jerk during your next fight” is a plus for today’s society.

SEE ARTICLE:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/articleoprah.aspx?cp-documentid=22451125&gt1=32023

Journal #7: Reality TV *LIVE*! December 6, 2009

Today, while driving along the highway, I saw two cars parked in the emergency lane and couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing there.  As I would shortly understand, the situation would soon turn rather ironic.  Just a few feet away, a man sprinted towards another man while carrying a machete.  When he noticed he wouldn’t catch up to him, he genuinely and desisively threw the machete to the other man.  The machete flew directly to the grass, thankfully. My thoughts: amazement.  Luckily, the machete didn’t hit the guy, but  what really impressed me were the events that would soon follow.  The man, who was once the victim, picked up the machete (which had just missed him), and ran after the man who had thrown it at him, holding it up as if ready to give it some use.  My thoughts: run.  After noticing that the attacker would soon become the attacked, the initial machete holder ran towards his car and rapidly fled the scene.
The scene was one filled with chaos.  A woman ran behind the man which the machete had been thrown to, cars looked in amazement, and I couldn’t believe how truly violent these times can be.  My initial thought: the world seems to be falling apart.  Yeah, and to think that in Korea, violent attacks seem connected to words such as nuclear or massive; in the United States, violence is connected to terror or highly qualified guns; in Puerto Rico, daylight attacks with machetes… that’s a new one.