Nat in the Hat: OT Adventure in Nashville

Although it's been a couple of months, I still wanted to post about my trip to Nashville for my first occupational therapy (OT) conference (April 15-18)!

For those of you who do not know, occupational therapy is a health profession that sees power in the act of everyday living. Occupational therapists help individuals to engage or re-engage in the everyday activities (occupations) that bring meaning to the individual. You could see an occupational therapist after an accident or unexpected health difficulty, after surgery, after a diagnosis of a chronic condition, or when your child is diagnosed with a condition. Specific occupations vary depending on the individual, however, they include categories such as self-care activities, home and family management, work, education, leisure, social participation, play, rest and sleep.

How occupational therapy actually looks in practice varies depending on the setting. Some common places where you may work with an OT include: in a school system (particularly with kids with autism or special needs), in a rehab setting in a hospital or clinic (after surgery, injuries, etc), in a facility for older adults, in mental health facilities, in your home, in the community (health centers, health programs), and more. As Ginny Stoffel (American Occupational Therapy Association President) said at the conference:

"A life of meaning turns around rates of suicide and depression. That is what occupational therapy's distinct value is: helping people to engage in the things that are meaningful for them."

I am not sure what type of setting I want to work in after completing my graduate degree in OT, but the conference was wonderful, energizing and inspiring! Here are some pictures and tidbits about the trip, starting with exploring Nashville and ending with the conference itself:

About to board for take off from Boston

Exploring Nashville

Broadway (one of the main streets in Nashville)

Nashville in the morning is a surprisingly quiet and still city. Around lunchtime people begin to come out of the cracks, and Broadway begins to fill. In the evening people are everywhere, and at night it becomes difficult to walk on the sidewalks because it's so crowded. Every bar and restaurant on Broadway has a different group of live musicians playing, not to mention all of the people playing on the streets. In the evenings after the conference we enjoyed going to different music venues and hearing people play. In Nashville there is music for everyone--every bar has a different style from everything from rock, blues, pop-country, jazz, to honky-tonk.

Gorgeous Mardi gras masks that we found. At least I assume they're for Mardi gras. I can't think of what else they'd be used for.

Katie, my classmate and favorite travel buddy

Me & Katie

Funny picture of Katie

Katie and I were the only students from our school to attend the conference together, although most of our teachers attended. We stayed at a cute little hostel about a 15 minute walk from the conference center. We lucked out because it turns out we are perfectly suited for traveling together. We like to have a vague plan, but go with the flow. We both wanted to spend our free evenings exploring Nashville and listening to music. We have very similar tastes in country music (I'm super picky when it comes to country music). And we're both foodies. When we travel, we love to try new food.

On a side note, the real reason I took the above photo of Katie was to capture the man with the guitar in the background. His cat is sitting contentedly on his guitar and there is a sign hanging from the guitar which reads "free pet therapy sessions". Lovely.

OK, this may look gross but it was DELICIOUS!!! This was my favorite meal of the whole trip: fresh macaroni and cheese, fried okra, BBQ chicken, and fried green tomatoes (not pictured)! We chose the restaurant somewhat randomly (a hostel worker recommended a few different restaurants in East Nashville), and I'm so glad we did because it was soooo good! I have been wanting to try fried green tomatoes since I read "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe". They surpassed my expectations. They were seriously so good that I want to try making them at home sometime!

Glimpses of Nashville

Pedal Tavern

Katie and I got a kick out of this pedal tavern we saw. Neither of us had ever seen anything like this before, but it appears to be a popular fraternity activity in Nashville. This photo does not do it justice. The vehicle is completely powered by pedal, so the customers drink alcohol and pedal. There is a driver of the tavern, and a bar tender who keeps the customers happy with jokes, alcohol, and drinking games. Crazy.

So pretty and green after the long Boston winter

Another shot of downtown

On our way to hear some good music!

Katie

The Music

The Constitution Inn

This wonderful bluegrass band is called the Claire Lynch Band. It was my very favorite band of the trip. The first night we were in Nashville we made friends with the hostel workers (one of whom was quite smitten by Katie despite knowing that she has a boyfriend). Anyway, they invited us to come with them to this wonderful place, The Constitution Inn, which is their favorite music venue in Nashville. It had a nice mix of ages there, and people were there for the music (rather than the drinking like some places on Broadway). The band was fantastic! The lead singer/guitarist, Claire Lynch, was soooo cute, and the music was so fun! I really like bluegrass, and we had a fantastic time watching them play.

Robert's Wild West

Every night Broadway is filled with music. Every bar lining the street has a different band, so it's easy to find music for everyone. We particularly liked Robert's Wild West, so we went on two different nights to hear different bands play. I don't know the name of this band, but they sure were a lot of fun!!!

Trolley Tour of Nashville

Our Trolley Bus

The Country Music Hall of Fame

The Country Music Hall of Fame was the first Trolley stop. It was one of the funnest museums I have ever been in! Here are a few picture glimpses into what the museum contains:

Bills from famous performances

I sure wish I could get a suit like this for my brother Brad!

Johnny Cash Album

One of Johnny Cash's guitars

An original Dolly Parton dress (that's for you Grandma!)

Mmm this would be an amazing suit for Brad too!!!

The inside of our Trolley

Next Trolley stop was the Ryman Auditorium, also known as the "Mother Church of Country Music". This is where sooooo many famous country singers performed!

It's a gorgeous church/auditorium. Also be sure to check out my cool conference bag.

Inside the Ryman a catholic girl choir was performing. The acoustics were amazing!

Katie in the trolley car

Next stop was the Tennessee state capitol!

I promise the state capitol is in the background--it looks so small in this picture!

Here's a picture with our wonderful Trolley guide!

Our trolley guide was super great! He was a banker for 10 years and made a lot of money, but he hated his job. Finally he decided to quit and do something that he loved. Now he drives a trolley by day, and performs with his band at night. He LOVES both of his jobs and his life! He told all kinds of interesting things about the city, and he kept reminding everyone to get a job that doesn't feel like a job because we love it so much. And he called us the "Boston girls" (even though neither of us are originally from Boston, or even MA). :)

Nashville Parthenon

Yes, Nashville has a life-sized Parthenon replica and it was our next Trolley stop. Why? I don't know. They just decided to build it as part of their Centennial celebration. And they're really protective of their Parthenon. Katie accidentally almost offended a hostel worker when she made an off-handed comment about having seen "the real Parthenon in Greece". The lady quickly retorted, "Well I've seen the one in Greece too, and ours is the same except that it isn't falling apart!" Whoops...

The Conference

The convention center where most of the conference was held

The AOTA conference was amazing! It was seriously an OT dream. Although, it was a bit overwhelming at times. There were so many classes, poster sessions, activities, conversations, etc., going on all the time that it was hard to choose where to go.

My name tag

Bill Wong, OTR/L

This is Bill Wong, a wonderful occupational therapist who spoke to us during the meeting for the student delegates. Bill has an inspiring journey for becoming an occupational therapist after being diagnosed with autism and nearly failing out of graduate school. Bill is one of the most courageous people I have ever met. He recently spoke at Tedx about overcoming his autism diagnosis, which you can find here.

Poster Sessions

There were poster sessions every day of the conference, so during breaks from sessions we wandered around reading about different people's research. OTs are the nicest people you will ever meet. And they are so nerdy! I loved being surrounded by people who are so passionate about what they do--helping people to do the things they love to do.

Google Glass has many potential uses in the world of disability and therapy

Opening Ceremonies

Ginny Stoffel, AOTA President

Ginny Stoffel spoke about engagement, exploration, and empowerment. She said, "OT practitioners ask 'what matters to you', not 'what's the matter with you' ". She discussed helping our clients engage in occupation, as well as our responsibility as practitioners (or future practitioners) to engage professionally within our community.

Rosalind Wiseman, author of "Queen Bees and Wannabees"

Rosalind Wiseman, who is the author of "Queen Bees and Wannabees" which was turned into the movie "Mean Girls", was the keynote speaker. She spoke on how adults can help prevent bullying. Unfortunately I forgot to take notes during her talk. :(

Nashville at night

The back-up band from Nashville (the TV show)

The back-up band from the TV show "Nashville" performed at the presidential address & keynote speaker event. They also played for a fun party, the "Students Unconferenced" dance party. :)

Conversations That Matter

One of my favorite sessions of the conference was called "OT in the US Criminal Justice System: Education, Expertise". The speakers discussed the problems and challenges of our current model of criminal justice, and the importance of occupational justice (individuals have a right to engage in occupation). People in the corrections system have experienced a lifetime of occupational deprivation and have systematically lost opportunities to engage in a variety of meaningful occupations. They then discussed the potential of occupational therapy to make a difference in corrections. They discussed occupation-based interventions, and seven steps of developing an individual action plan to get involved in OT in criminal justice.

After the session was a "conversations that matter" discussion for anyone interested in criminal justice. People asked questions, shared tips, shared experiences, brainstormed solutions, and discussed potential outcomes of occupational therapy in criminal justice.

Some of the other sessions I attended included: "Cognitive Rehabilitation for Cancer Survivors: OT's Role", "Breakfast with a Scholar: Carolyn Baum and Florence Clark", and "The Wounded Warrior and the Art of Independence". The sessions were inspiring, and motivating. After a long semester and starting to feel burnt out from studying, the conference was just what I needed to get excited about my chosen profession.

Slagle Lecture: Dr. Helen Cohen Photo Cred: AOTA

One of my favorite parts of the conference was the Slagle Lecture, which is a prestigious lecture and award given to a prominent member of the OT community. This year's was by Helen Cohen, and it was amazing! She spoke on "A Career in Inquiry". She spoke about the importance of asking questions and seeking for knowledge. Here are a few things she said that stood out to me: "The process of inquiry is as important as the product." "Inquiry allows us to move forward." "Engaging in inquiry is an act of courage!"She talked about how having a career in inquiry means you never get time off because you are always asking questions. To help us develop a career in inquiry, she gave a few guidelines: 1. Be nosy and ask questions (especially of authority figures). 2. Asking those questions requires courage. 3. Join our state OT association, and attend district and state meeting to get involved and meet more therapists. 4. Start a journal club. She also gave us all homework: Look at the stars and think of the questions the famous astronomers asked, then go to work, ask questions, read, think, push the envelope, be courageous, be a little bit subversive in a professional way, and go change the world!

The Expo

The conference Expo is held every year, and hosts tons of vendors selling tools, books, and products relating to occupational therapy. It was held in a huge gym, and was really overwhelming, but fun. Katie and I only spent a couple hours wandering around there, because we didn't want to get lost or too overwhelmed. :) Here are some of the things we played with: