Making the Most of Your Summer as an OT Student
JoAnn Fox, Eastern Virginia Career College
It’s that time of the year. The summer season brings a relaxed vibe to life as longer days, partnered with summer nights, promise to provide an opportunity for fun leisure activities. While some OT students are afforded a summer vacation, some of you are preparing to embark on fieldwork. Your fieldwork time allows you to lay off the textbooks a bit and get your feet wet out in the “real world.” It is a great time for you to focus on growing as a professional. Whether you are off during the summer weeks or transitioning to your fieldwork II site, summer is a season of change for the OT student. You very well may find yourself with some well-deserved free time this summer; however, it is important not to allow the time go to waste, forget recently learned and valuable information, or allow yourself to sidetrack too far from your academic mindset. A little R&R is well deserved by the time summer arrives, but sometimes too much fun makes it even harder to get back to the school grind after your time off has come to its inevitable end. So here are a few tips to keep yourself on track over the summer break.
Take Time to Reflect on Courses You Have Completed Thus Far
Pull out the syllabi from the classes you completed over this last school year. Are there any areas you can use a refresher on? Do you have study guides and PowerPoints you can look over again? Make a list of topics you want to review, then create a timeline of areas you will review each week over the summer. As you begin each week you can further break down your study plan to points to review each day. The more prepared you are for your study session, the more efficient and effective your review will be.
Make a Study Schedule, and Stick To It!
It is important to take some time every day to devote to your studies—keep that habit! Use your review timeline to plan the content of your study sessions. As you begin each week, break down each day into the specific topic(s) you will focus on that session. Dedicate a quiet, distraction-free place to facilitate an effective review. Try setting a reminder on your phone during the day. You don’t need to spend hours every day poring over textbooks and old notes. Even 15 minutes a day can help to refresh previously learned material and commit it to your long-term memory. It is important to keep the habit by reinforcing it every day!
Are You Ready For Next Semester?
I know, I know, not exactly what you want to be thinking about right now. It is inevitable folks—the next set of classes will begin soon. So, take a day or two to look over what’s in store for you in the coming semester. Get yourself organized with the materials needed for the upcoming classes. Create your binder(s) and make sure you have all required course materials. Do you have access to the syllabi? If you are feeling extra proactive, pre-read the first few chapters of your new textbook(s).
Explore & Experience
Is there an area of practice you are particularly interested in, or in which you would benefit from extra time? Look into local outreach programs in your community. Call around and offer to volunteer. You can gain valuable experiences, learn new skills, and hone the skills you have. It is a fantastic opportunity to network. Remember, volunteer time always looks great on a résumé!
Take Some “Me Time”
You are working extremely hard to become a rock star practitioner, and that takes a lot of dedication, hard work, and time. Give yourself a well-deserved mental health break! Go out with friends, chill by the pool and soak up some vitamin D, watch a movie you may have missed because you were too busy reading course material, and visit family. You deserve it. It is important to take time for you, otherwise you very well could run yourself ragged and wind up burned out before the next semester even begins.
JoAnn Fox is a mother of two living in Orange County, VA. Prior to OTA school, she worked as a nurse and still maintains her license as a LPN, but chose to pursue occupational therapy so that she could have more hands on, one-on-one time with people. She is passionate about OT and the amazing impact it can have on people’s lives. She enjoys reading, being outside, and spending time with her family.