Being an occupational therapy student at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) has been a great experience. OUHSC is located in Oklahoma City (OKC) and in Tulsa. I attend OUHSC on the Tulsa campus and both campuses have instructors who teach by distance education. Being distance education, students view an instructor from the opposite campus via a TV monitor and if a student has a question they press a button in front of their seat so that the camera can focus on the student asking the question. This approach to teaching was difficult to get used to during the first semester of the program however there are many qualities to being a student on the Tulsa campus. The Tulsa campus is much smaller than the Oklahoma City campus, which has allowed me to really get to know all of my classmates and instructors on the Tulsa campus. I have also enjoyed our class trips to OKC and I have been able to get to know my OKC classmates and instructors. I enjoy the feeling of knowing many colleagues and friends in the city.
Another interesting quality of OUHSC is that both occupational therapy students and the physical therapy students are comprised into one rehab sciences class. We share many classes together along with having class specific to our discipline. I believe that this method of teaching has given me more insight and great respect for my PT colleagues. This method had helped me distinguish my role as an occupational therapist and how both disciplines can closely work together in a multidisciplinary setting to work towards a common goal for the patient. Graduating from OUHSC with this method of teaching has given me a head start into appreciating my colleagues who I will be closely working with.
The Occupational Therapy Program at OUHSC is a three year program with the last year consisting of mostly fieldwork experience. I am finally in my final year of the program and I find it unbelievable how much I have learned and can apply to my fieldwork. Although the past two and a half years seemed torturous at times, I appreciate the hard work I have put into the program and I am excited to become a newly graduate with patients I can truly call my own.
- Amanda