Student Conclave 2011- Day 1

We left Radford right after I had my peds client on campus...I rode with three other people from my class and we got almost to the interstate when I realized I had forgotten my wallet back on campus so we had to turn back around so that I could get it. Ha great start to the trip! :)
We made it to the Charlotte airport safely though and in plenty of time :) We ate a small dinner at Chili's in the airport and hung out a bit before boarding the plane! This was my VERY first time on a plane so I was pretty nervous/anxious! I really enjoyed it though :) I kindof want to plan another trip just so that I can fly again!

Kalyn, Me and Mary on the shuttle to the airport

OT girls at the airport

Aaron, Kaley and Rosemary on the plane ready to go!

We got to the hotel in Providence at like midnight and we all were just exhausted and decided to call it a night.

On Friday, we got up and headed out to get coffee/brunch at Panera before exploring around a little bit.

all of us on Friday morning, pic courtesy of a local bus driver

After brunch we walked around the HUGE mall that was attached to our hotel- we went there at least once/day. It had everything...I just wish I had had money to spend =(
Around 1:30 we headed to the Rhode Island Convention Center - that was also connected to our hotel-  to check in and browse the exhibits that were open. There were about 50 health care companies there that had set up tables giving away pens, notepads, and lots of bags! We talked to pretty much all of them over the two days of the conference.
The first concurrent sessions were from 3:00-4:00..and 4 of us chose to go to one titled "Your Fieldwork, Your Future".

me, mary, kalyn and catherine at our first session

We thought it was going to be a great session since we are all thinking about our level 2's coming up this summer. It was quite what we had expected. They had 3 students, that I think were all in peds, a clinical educator and a physical therapist (?) who each spoke for a few minutes before opening up the floor for questions.
Here are the main points/advice I got from this session:
be culturally competent/sensitive
use clinical reasoning
build a therapeutic relationship with clients throughout the OT process
be aware of what is expected of clients (peds in school) and the developmental milestones
build alliances with colleagues
get a Frame of Reference quick reference book
start a binder/folder of  'go-to' tx activities to take with you at all times
take textbooks and class notes from relevant courses
NEVER BE AFRAID TO ASK A QUESTION
trust your education and what you have learned
practice good communication skills
have a good attitude
and keep your tx client-centered

Have any of you been on a Level 2 Fieldwork- if so, what is your advice ??

After that session, we headed to the Welcoming Ceremony where we heard from the president of AOTA and other members of the board...

our group at the opening ceremony reppin' Radford :)

After the welcoming ceremony we headed back to the hotel to get ready and head to the mall and dinner at PF Changs -it was my very first time eating there and it was deeelicious!!

I did take pics of our food, but I'll spare you :)
After dinner we headed to a local bar/lounge and hung out for a while before heading back and calling it a night.. Sessions started at 8:30 the next morning....but I'll save that post for another day :)