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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-04-22, Page 15GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, APRIL. 22, 1987—PAGE 15 eature ACU BY LOU -ANN HOPE 'A Mohawk College occupational therapy student is on her way back to the classroom following a six-week work clinical place- ment in Goderich.. - Cathy McGav•n, a third -year student, in the Mohawk -McMaster occupational a therapy (OT) program in Hamilton, arrived in town March 9 for Goderich's first OT placement .for college -university students. MrGavin was instrumental in establishing the placement program at Community Psychiatric Service in Goderich. The four-year dual college -university pro- gram requires its students to participate in a .total of six different six-week placements in the second and third .years of the. program: McGavin, who has previously interned at the Crippled Children's Centre in St: Catharines, St. ,Joseph's' Hospital in Hamilton, Wingham District Hospital, and St. Joseph's Hospital in London, was looking for a fifth placement when she realized that Goderich had established the Community Psychiatric Service under the direction of 'Jay Daymond, herself an occupational therapist. Representatives of Mohawk College's OT • program contacted Daymond regarding the possibility of establishing a placement pro- gram at the service. Daymond then con- tacted the Board of Governors of Alexandra Marine and General Hospital who approved' • the internship program for senior level students at their January meeting. Prior to returning to her in -class studies this week, 21 -year-old McGavin took time to -discuss, occupational therapy and the misconceptions people have abqut the field. ' DEFINING OT Occupational therapy. It's a term many. people hear but few know about. For McGavin, occuaptional therapy is a way in which she can help people with a' wide range of problems. • "People get the idea that OT is the same . as physiotherapy. But it's not. The biggest question asked is 'what is the difference'," McGavin said, explaining that OT deals with both the physical and. psychological ' disabilities while physiotherapy tends to ,look at only the physical dysfunction. "Physiotherapy focuses more on a • specific disability whereas OT looks' at how the disability affects everything the person does; Occupational therapy is unique in that it deals with both the mind and the body — the •psychological and .physical com- "ponents;" she,said'. While the two fields of study are different,. McGavin noted that occupational therapists can work 'closely with physiotherapists if they choose to work in a physical setting. "They (occupational therapists)" branch according to whether they want to work in a physical or psychological setting," she ex- plained, adding that they work in teams with social workers, nurses and doctors. .. The goal of occupational therapy, as defined by McGavin, is "tomaintain, pro- mote and improve a person's overall funs - 04 Dry Extraction C Carpet Cleaning Hassle Free System That Removes Deep Down Dir Plus The Spots & Spills *No wetting or soaking, no drying time *No protectors under legs *No resoiling residue remains *No carpet damage *furnitur'e left in room undisturbed SUPERIOR MAINTENANCE SERVICE LUCKN0W 5N1-2918 tae Winghant bookings avttilablo at THE DECOR SHOPPE 357-2002 .Twin City School of , Hairstyling r, - Waterloo, Ont. *Hairstyling •Barbering •Ear Piercing Make-up .rl 55 Erb St. East 5 i ,a X63® Monday o Friday ttItotttiot rdcti^f Yffitito aloin ° *with her FEATURE REPORT tion which has been disrupted because of a health or life crisis." This is done firstly by assessing the person's needs and then establishing a treatment plan. "The goal of the occupational therapist is to facilitate the return, to normal function of the patient either through, psychiatric or physical rehabilitation." Occupational therapists are focused on providing assistance to individuals or groups to gain or regain their ability to func- tion throughout life. "Occupational therapists, teach every day living skills to help the person get back to doing those things again which can be upset by a variety of reasons either emotionally or physically," McGavin said. This is done in a variety of ways which include the following: by adapting the person's work or home en- vironment; development of training in a variety of work; counselling, coping and adapting to the effects of the illness or disability; and promoting a healthy lifestyle. The balance between the person's occupation and leisure time is also studied "to make sure a ,person gets a' balance of working or pr eductive activity and also has the opportunity to experience leisure ac- tivities which promotes a healthy overall being." MOHAWK-McMASTER OT 1111$OG.RAM McGavin' entered the Mohave -McMaster occupational therapy program after graduating from Grade 13. at Seaforth District High School three years ago. She was one of only 28 students accepted' into the now four-year program. This year (1986:87), there were 1,200 ap- plicants of •which only 28 are accepted," McGavin said. This number whittled down to 80 through a testing procedure, high school marks and an autobiographical letter from each of the applicants. The 80 ap- plicants are then granted interviews.' From the interviews, 28 people are offered admis- sion to the program. McGavin noted in'her class ;only five of the 28 people were•Grade 13 graduates and that most of the other students had already cons pleted' a degree in' something else before entering the. OT program. The OT program at Mohawk College benefits from McMaster University in that some of the courses are taught at the univer- sity. Students are registered at Mohawk College although the program is called the Mohawk -McMaster OT program. . McGavin noted the program is 33 months in length, that is 11 months for3 years, at Mohawk College. Upon completion of the third year, the graduate is issued a diploma in' occuaptional therapy. However, the graduate must then complete a one year program, at McMaster .University which upon completion, garners him a Bachelor' of Health Sciences degree.in OT. . STUDENT SUMMER 'TRAVEL COUNSELLORS The Town of Goderich in conjunction with the Southwestern Ontario Travel Assoc iation seek~ student summer travel counsellors to work on a variety of tourism & promotion activities. The base of operations is the Visitor Information Centre, 59 Victoria Street, South hut these posi- tions also involve work away from the bureau including setting up and staffing outdoor visitor information booth plus helping to promote and work oncommunity events such a, The Canada Day's Celebration lune .'25 -July 4 and Goderich's 160th Anniversary, Tiger Dunlop „Days, Iuly 31 -August 3. Weekend work k involv- ed. Counsellors work 40 hours per week. Duties inc lude Travel Counselling, Promotion & Researc h work, Bus Tour Guiding. Qualific ations: 1. App'lic ants should enjoy dealing With the general public on personal basis and have exc client communication skills. 2, Fxperienc e in tourism, rec rcatit)i, public relations, or marketing, gained Through educ a - tion, previous employment or volunteer posi- tions would he a definite asset but is not nee essarily required. t. Applic ants must he between 15 and 25 years of age. If your hat kgfound meets these requirements please torward your resume by 430 p.m„ Wednesday, May 6 to: Town of Goderk h ' Tourism Office 57 West Street, Goderich, Ont. N17A 2K5 Phone: 524®6600 f stu.y first two are three day a week placeinents with two days of in -class studies. The final second year placement and all, three third year placements are full six-week placements. Prior to coming to Goderich Community Psychiatric Service, which represented her fifth placement, McGavin interned at a nummber of places with a variety of respon- sibilities. She was placed at the Crippled t Children's Centre in St. Catharines followed y a placement at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton where she dealt with renal dialysis patients. At Wingham District Hospital, McGavin was in contact with stroke patients and was also involved in a developmental program. for children with learning or physical djsabilities, and at St, Joseph's Hospital in" London, she worked with patients in acute psychiatry. Here in Goderich at Community Pyschiatric• Ser- vice, McGavin worked as a counsellor in helping patients cope and adapt to, the ef- fects of an illness or disability and pro- moting a healthy lifestyle: . Cathy McGavin, an occupational therapy student from the Mohawk -McMaster program in Hamilton, has spent the past six weeks on a clinical experience internship at Community Psychiatric Service in Goderich as part of her studies. (photo by Lou -Ann Hope I a "Occupational therapists teach everyday living skills thelp the person get back ,going these things again which can be upset by a variety . of reasons, either emotionally or physica11y" Although the program in which McGavin is enrolled is the only college program, oc- cupational , ccupational, therapy programs are also ,taught at the -University of Western Ontario, . University of Toronto, Queens University, McGill University or University of Ottawa, The program's course of study is varied,, *Gavin noted. Courses include "inten- sive" anatomy, sociology, psychology, psychiatry, phsy' 151y, management courses and small- roup learning sessions in which clinical roblems ranging from paediatrics to geriatrics are discussed. . In the second and third year of the pro- gram, the students are required to complete a total of six internship placements at various facilities. There are three placements in the second year of which the MANY OPPORTUNITIES "There is a big job demand in all areas of OT right now so you are pretty well guaranteed work in whatever area you live in," McGavin said. For example, occupational therapists can work on school boards as c'onsultaiits to pro- grams and school at,cess bility for. han- dicapped children "' enrolled in ...normal' schools ( Bill 82) ; they can work in jails do- ing vocational training ; -in genet al.hospitals . with stroke, accident, and spinal cord pa- tients; in psychiatric hospitals and institu- tions;' and with home care. McGavin noted - that .,this is only a few of the many area whefe .occupational therapists can be employed: In Goderich, there 'are no occupational therapists that deal with the physical aspect of the field. However, there are two occupa- tional therapists' in Goderich who deal 'with the psychological side of the field, namely Joy Daymond;- director" of Community' Psychiatric Service, and Mike Moriarty, an occupational therapist at Aleiiandra. Marine-' and General Hospital who works "in the psychiatry unit. '• "To date, there is not one .('occupational` therapsit in Goderich " who', works in physical rehabilitation," McGavin said. CHALLENGING OCCUPATION McGavin has one year left'in the Mohawk - McMaster OT program before she can enter the full-time workforce which she tis looking forward -to. "It's a very interesting career for people ,who are interested' it) working with people and enjoys a challenge. There is also a wide diversity, of- jobs which provides an ever changing role 'that we can . develop for ourselves." shesaid:,• With McGavin's rsearch in finding a clinical p'lacerhent which can be used by other students, and with the approval of the hospital board and Joy Daymond; Goderich can look forward to -Other students travell- ing to this town to hone their skills.as tomor- row's occupational therapists. . THE FIRST.SHIPMENT „Io ,111nr\\ GRAND VOYAGERS , ('n(Ir'11 .,,iwi I 11111' llltt'ron rn(101 trills I, 1xA\t'1 2-1986 DODGE ARI ES' L/E nlrxlr'I� In,uleri \\ oh r'\tr,rs thew fro jrnv mileage (,res \\,lrr,ult \•rlur Ills))('( tint) Eton' \nu her\ ,rt)\ ( $919500 2 -BRAND NEW DODGE RAIDERS -4 \vhec'I (Inv(' u1111t\ wagons' \v,111,11)11' \\Ith r'rthl'r ,lutrlm,ltlr tr,allsr11Iss1Orl O1 t shl'('(1 Plus nl,rnv other hewn, 1lr'no• 1983 CROWN 'VICTORIA - SQUIRE WAGON 11,1),(1 1111. Ir,,, nulr',rir', lusur\ equipped. t,in111\ ?L!r) noel. �n 1 .1sn1L1hlr' nllrf April 28, 1987 8:00 p.m. McKay Hall, Goderich Elizabeth Rochester, ASA! Family Life: 4 Fortress of Well Being Refreshments Served Everyone Welcome Sponsored by the Baha'i community 1985 BUICK SKYLARK LIMITED. ,1 (line. Whirled with lu\ur\ options int 'rifling ,nr r nnrhtlnnln}; ‘Ic'e' this inn ow, nor Inv\ niilt',tgr' r ,1r • f x,tenried y\,lrr,lnt\ ,n,ul,lhlr+ ,•pr'r 1,11 Y• Ricui $949500 iitio the Nor ne heart at aune LYMOUTH H Y LE LTD. "$heke hander with the Homo o9° the Great Dent"