GRE: Everything you need to know

I feel like this picture above is the perfect example of how we feel about the GRE or Graduate Records Examination. The GRE is required for a lot of graduate programs, from accounting and MBA programs to the sciences (PT, SLP, PA, and fortunately OT). Now, when I was looking in to OT programs, there were actually some programs that did not require the GRE. And there are some pros and cons to consider when thinking before taking the GRE and applying to those schools that do require it. I’ve made up a list below:
Pros to taking GRE:
- If you’re a good test-taker, it could be a positive addition to your application
- If you’re GPA or experience/volunteer/shadowing hours are below the minimum, it may give you that extra look you need to be considered for an interview/admittance
- The GRE test scores are applicable to a lot of graduate programs, so if you change your mind on OT, you can use the same scores to apply for other programs (good for up to 5 years)
- Some programs require it, so you don’t have a choice
Cons to taking GRE:
- The costs
- The test itself (as of October 2016) is $205.00. Register through https://www.ets.org/ to order your test
- For qualified individuals, you can request a GRE fee reduction where you only have to pay 50% of the test price. Here’s how:Â https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about/fees/reductions
- Study materials can range all the way up to thousands of dollars (not kidding)
- The test itself (as of October 2016) is $205.00. Register through https://www.ets.org/ to order your test
- Energy and time invested in studying for this test may require you to study for months prior to taking it (I took 3 months to prepare)
- Â Having to wait for scores to be received (verbal and quantitative reasoning scores are immediate but analytical writing portion takes about 10-15 days)
- Some OT schools don’t require the GRE as a pre-requisite so look into your programs of choice before taking the GRE!! Here is a list of those schools (as of 2015):Â https://ainsleydiduca.com/grad-schools-dont-require-gre/#OT
So if you’ve gotten this far and know that you won’t have to take the GRE for your specific program, you can stop reading, not because I don’t â¤ď¸Â ya, but because the rest of this post will be going into my experience in preparing for the GRE and actually taking the GRE, since the programs I applied to did require it. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the general setup of the test:

I started studying for the GRE at the beginning of July in 2016 and took the exam on October 13th of 2016. This gave me a little over 3 months to study for the exam. My study schedule consisted of 3-5 days a week studying. I’ve never been the type of person who was academically inclined. I’ve always had to put in hours of studying into any class and subject to succeed. With that being said, I’ve never been the type of person who dedicates all day every day of her summer to study for a test, either. Didn’t I tell you in my “about me” that I was going to be honest and transparent with my entire OT experience đ ? I can honestly say I believe a healthy balance of work and play is necessary for simply the sake of peace of mind. And for me, I know that if I can put in the hard hours of studying and handle business, the play will come. I know everyone is different and some are willing to put in those study hours day and night, so more power to ya! I genuinely don’t see myself as a machine, I see myself as a body, mind, and spirit that needs release and output. So my advice to anyone taking on the GRE is to find a couple of days or even a couple of hours in the midst of your studying to do something that takes you out of study mode. Get an iced coffee, call up a friend, take a walk, binge watch Netflix in your bed, cook a good meal for yourself. Just find something that can brings you back to reality. This grad school thing is important but enjoy the ride! You’re not guaranteed tomorrow so live in this moment and treat yourself every once in a while.
Study Material #1: Kaplan Textbook
I still remember it like it was yesterday. I had gone to Barnes & Noble with my mom and bought the Kaplan GRE prep book, which included 6 practice tests. There was a wide variety of brands and study tools (from CDâs to notecards and even GRE prep books for specific portions of the test). I had purchased some Kaplan study materials to study for my ACT back in high school so I had trusted the accuracy of this brand.
Cost: $40-$50
Where to purchase: Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, most big chain bookstores, Kaplan Website (https://www.kaptest.com/gre ), but cheapest source will be Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Kaplan+GREÂ . Keep in mind, the score guarantee (talked about below) is not included unless you buy study materials from the actual Kaplan website at full price.
Likes: The beginning of the book explains the layout of the test and what to expect as well as giving great tips on how to approach questions you donât 100% know the answers to. It comes with a long list of the most popular words used in the GRE verbal section and their definitions. Verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning concepts were very similar to the actual test. The book is a good source to annotate and write notes in (especially in the reading portion). Keep in mind, you wonât be able to annotate in the actual test because itâs computerized, but this tool may be helpful study tool for people who like textual material. If you buy (at full price) a Kaplan study material through their website, there is a “score higher or money back” guarantee. For those who registered for a Kaplan online class and didn’t score higher on their GRE, Kaplan will allow the student to take the class over again for free.
Dislikes: Since the actual test is computerized, this prep book isnât good at preparing you to take the test in a computerized setting. 1/3 of the test includes an analytical writing portion and itâs hard to practice this portion with the Kaplan GRE Prep book, since in the real test setting, you would be typing on a computer and not writing down on paper. The book I bought did come with online help but it was kind of limited for the 3 months I needed study material for. However, there are personalized online options on the Kaplan website where you are assigned a private tutor. With that being said, the Kaplan online classes range from $599-$2199.
Overall rating: 3.8/5.0
Kaplan offers a lot of services from online tutoring to live classes. My overall rating is based solely on my experience with the book. It was very helpful because it tells you everything you need to know about the GRE. It goes into detail about the layout, the types of questions (regular and trick questions), how to use time usefully, and the quizzes and practice questions are pretty accurate to the actual test. However, I think it is essential to practice taking the GRE on an actual computer, where it is timed and you can know how to navigate throughout the test using the computer modules. Studying concepts on paper is fine, but if you donât acquaint yourself with the general flow of the test, it may cause hesitancy and unsureness during the test, consequentially becoming a distraction to the deep focus you will want to have on test day. You want to have full confidence the day you take your test, so being familiar with the front and back of this test will help you become that much more prepared. Kaplan does offer an “Official Test Day Experience” where you go to a testing center and take a full mock test. The cost is $150 but it’s a helpful resource to get a sense of the full test experience if you are willing to cough up the change. Here’s the link to register:Â https://www.kaptest.com/gre/gre-practice/gre-official-test-day-experience
Study Material #2: Magoosh
About a couple of weeks into studying for my GRE, I paired up with my best friend who was also preparing to take the GRE at the time. I asked what she was using to study and she told me, Magoosh. I had never heard of it but she showed me what it was and how it worked. She let me use her account login and I was AMAZED.
Cost:Â
Where to purchase:https://gre.magoosh.com/
Likes: Magoosh is an online based study tool, which is synonymous to the actual GRE test setting. It offers up to 3 full practice tests in both the 1 month and 6 month packages (including all 3 sections: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing). The full-on practice tests were extremely helpful in knowing what to expect on test day as well as becoming familiar with the timed writing section. It breaks up the verbal, quantitative, and writing portions of the GRE and goes into depth on everything youâll need to know about them. The study materials include, but are not limited to, video breakdowns, notecards, an online blog to ask questions, the 3 full length tests, 200 lessons, 1000 questions, and allows you to track your progress and predicted GRE score. What I love about Magoosh is that every single question has an explanation video. So for those questions that you get wrong and have no idea why, the video will break down the problem for you in detail (similar to Khan Academy on YouTube). The prices are extremely affordable when you compare it to other brands and similar services. There is also a 5 point guarantee, where Magoosh will give you a full refund if you donât at least score 5 points higher than your previous score.
Dislikes:Â Compared to the Kaplan book that I bought, Magoosh may seem like more money then you’re willing to pay. But if youâre on the edge about if Magoosh is worth the price, I can vouch that it is! Youâre investing in your future and no matter what program you want to go into, OT or not, the GRE will play a big role in that. Those extra 5Â points higher that you get over someone else makes you that much more competitive. The second downside to Magoosh is that it isnât one on one, so itâs not as personal as a tutor would be. You do, however, have access to email/contact an online tutor through Magoosh and they will normally respond within 72 hours. With that being said, most people donât hire tutors to help them study for the GRE but that is why my overall rating is .2 points lower than a perfect. You wonât have immediate answers like you would one-on-one with someone but Magoosh offers in depth explanations to all of their problems so it would be rare to have your questions unanswered in the first place.
Overall Rating: 4.8/5.0
I know a lot of people on the internet may get something from the company when posting a positive review but this is NOT the case with me. I took the GRE last year and my honest opinion after using Magoosh to study is that it was astoundingly helpful in my preparation. I, with no doubt, can say that had I not used it to study, my score would not have been as good. I say this because the questions and concepts on Magoosh were spot-on similar. The wording, the common diction, and level of difficulty were all so comparable to the GRE. Because of this, I was familiar with the types of questions I saw on the real test. That sort of comfort plays a big part in doing well because you already have the stresses of trying to do well on test day; seeing those similar questions makes it a little less stressful. If youâre still unsure if Magoosh is worth the money, you can search for different problem breakdowns they have on YouTube. Here an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1G0E9j3Q7I
Tips and tricks before taking the test:
Study materials worth it?
I found both the Kaplan and Magoosh study materials useful in their own ways during my preparation for the GRE. There are a lot of reliable study sources out there such as ETS, Kaplan, Magoosh, and many others that create GRE prep books and online services in all different colors, shapes, and sizes. I know the GRE is expensive, let alone the materials you debate on using to study for it. I think the preparation IS worth it. Despite my own experience, there are cheaper options available. But like I said before, look at the GRE as an investment in your future.
Study environment:
I believe your study environment is so important in your preparation. Find a place outside of your house/apartment and put the phone away. Just getting away from any temptations of eating, turning on Netflix, taking a nap, or checking your Instagram feed. With that being said, wherever you end up studying, take BREAKS. Mine were about 15-20 min every 2.5 hours. But weâre all different so that might mean that you need to take breaks more or even less often. Give yourself time to get in the âzone,â though. Itâs hard to do that when you see your phone light every 15 min. Youâd be surprised how much youâd get done in one sitting without your phone in sight. I know studying isnât necessarily fun but you can do more with less.
Find a study buddy:
It doesnât need to be someone who is studying for the same thing as you. But getting with someone else can be a good thingâit was for me. I know some of us prefer to study by ourselves but my scenario was just ideal because my best friend was studying for the same thing as me. Nonetheless, having someone to study with can help you stay motivated and you can hold each other accountable to set a time and date to study.
Know your top 4 schools:
Immediately after you submit your last answer on the GRE **and before you even see your test score** you have the option to send your results to 4 schools for free. Before going in to take the GRE, I would at least have your top 4 schools in mind so that you can send your scores to them while it’s free. Any recipient after you list those 4 schools will cost you about $27 for each school. It doesn’t seem like much but trust me, it adds up quickly.
Week of the test study tips: https://magoosh.com/gre/2016/last-minute-gre-tips/
Quick tips and tricks for test day:
- Make sure you’ve visited the testing center before test day
- Eat a good meal!
- Bring a jacket
- Get there at least 30 min early to calm your nerves. Last thing you need is to be stressed out because you’re late
- Use the bathroom
- Make sure your keyboard and mouse are working, immediately
- Ask the proctor any questions or concerns you might have and clear the air/head
Quick tips and tricks during the test:
- Remember it is timed. Don’t rush but keep your pace in mind and always be aware of the time
- If you are stuck on a problem for more than 30 seconds, skip it. The test allows you to go back to previous problems within that section, so utilize that
- The test is “designed” to get harder the better you do. If you feel like the test is too easy, don’t let it freak you out! They have their logarithms and we don’t know the extent to them so just keep your head up, you’re doing great!
- If for some reason you have extra time, always go back and check your answers. I know this seems elementary but I’ve made dumb mistakes that I never would have caught had I not gone back and checked. That doesn’t mean second-guess your previous answer. Second-guessing yourself tends to change your right answer to a wrong one. I’m talking about those little errors that we all make sometimes in our calculations or answer choosing. Some of the answers will look very similar so be careful before you just select the first one you see.
- Have confidence in yourself! Don’t let one hard question off-set all the studying and preparation you’ve put in. There are varying difficulties in all of the questions. Just take your time and if you feel like one question is throwing you off, skip it and come back!
- ***Answer every question!!*** A wrong answer does not subtract from your score. The right answers are what add to your score. That means if you don’t know an answer to a question, at LEASTÂ guess. You shouldn’t leave any questions blank!!
Helpful sources that aided in my study prep:
https://crunchprep.com/gre/2014/27-proven-test-day-tips-to-ace-gre
http://www.thespeechblog.com/how-i-use-gre-magoosh-to-prep-for-the-gre/
https://magoosh.com/gre/gre-study-plans-and-guides/
https://www.discoverbusiness.us/education/online-mba/resources/gre/
Did you use similar study resources in your GRE prep? If not, what worked for you?
OT, the âoccupationâ that no one knows about
First off, I want to say that it’s my 24th birthday, today! đđđAnd if you’re already bored with this blog, at least you’ve gotten the jist of this post. Nah, but really, the best is what follows this message!: âŹď¸
Iâve only just begun the journey in being able to say Iâm an OT student. And although itâs only been a total of about 5 months since I got accepted into a program and I have yet to even start my program (1 month and counting!!) Iâve had to explain this passion of mine about 108 times. Family, friends, coworkers, random strangers at Publix, the list goes on. Iâm actually quite grateful to have gotten this extensive practice in sharing that my career wonât be involving helping others get jobs. And honestly, thatâs what I believed this field entailed when I first heard the words âoccupationalâ and âtherapyâ in the same sentence, so I donât blame those who donât have the slightest idea as to what it really is. However, myself and others were not completely wrong with their idea of OT. It does indeed, entail occupations or âjobsâ, just not the ones we spend thousands of dollars in student debt to achieve đ. I have provided my own definition of the title âoccupational therapyâ as well as other sources I believe describe the field clearly, below:
How I define OT:
Our âoccupationsâ are any task that we perform throughout the day. For a child, it is playing with toy cars or dolls. For others, it may be gardening, driving a car, walking a dog, doing one’s makeup. Needless to say and sometimes overlooked, these occupations (big and small) are what give our lives purpose and when we lose our independence to perform these tasks, it can cause an emotional, psychological, physical, and a sometimes spiritual toll. That is why the entire person is taken into consideration when helping patients reach their goals. Occupational therapy is the holistic approach in which an occupational therapist uses creative, efficient, and meaningful therapeutic exercises to help elevate a personâs independence, ability perform daily tasks, and overall quality of life.
Who can be an OT? (The down and the dirty):
I know I promised positivity in all of my posts. But before pursuing this career, you really have to be honest with yourself. We ALL have unique traits that serve a greater purpose in this life. I think there are a lot of qualities that can make up a good OT but I believe there are four essential qualities that are paramount in this occupation and you should carefully consider these four when deciding if this career is for you. These are the four puzzle pieces that I not only believe are foundational in OT, but build off of one another. Plus I figured it’d be a nice tool for all you visual learners out there đ:

Compassion:
Why did you become interested in OT? Was it the decent annual income, the title, making your parents proud? Although, you should be conscious of energy/time invested vs. salary and making your parents proud is understandable, THESE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH REASONS!!!!!!!
These are REAL-LIFE people you will be working with. People who have emotions, many times struggling with depression and lacking m(ot)ivation to carry on. People who have ambitions and goals in life but feel like they donât know how they can achieve them. People who want to be seen as capable and useful. You CANNOT pursue this profession if the very reason youâre pursuing it is not to work ceaselessly to help others have a quality and satisfying life. Not just for the sake of your patients, but for the sake of your own happiness in your chosen profession. You have to have a big heart for people and their happiness to take on this profession.
Creativ-(OT):
Man, oh man. Creativity is absolutely required in this field. Iâve seen it utilized first-hand SO many times in my shadowing experiences. A patient comes in and they are NOT cooperating with the treatment plan you gave them. Maybe its too painful for them, their environment doesnât work with it, or maybe they even donât have the drive to follow the plan you gave them. OTâs have to be creative in understanding the goals the patient has, their passions, their environmental and social means, and be creative enough to connect them all to form one efficient plan for their patient. In my experiences shadowing, OTâs would have to go back to the drawing board almost every visit, making small changes in their means to treatment, becoming better adapted to their patient. The type of creativity required sometimes means doing your grocery store shopping and buying a cereal that comes in different shapes and colors because it might be a good sensory tool for one of your patients. Creativity and OT come hand-in-hand because sometimes the most non-standard tools are the most effective ones. Unfortunately, you wonât have that handy manual to follow in times of need. You must be have the mindset that requires you to think outside the box.
Patience:
This characteristic is essential in OT because like I stated before in âCreativ-OT,â you will have to be able to have the patience to understand your patientâs pace in the goals they are trying to achieve. Appreciating the fact that each patient is remarkably different in their own ways. What treatment plan worked for one patient with Erbâs Palsy (paralysis of arm due to damaging of brachial plexus nerves), might not work for the next patient. You must be able to comprehend that a lot of times you wonât have immediate answers but you must be willing to find the answers. Sometimes sessions are only an hour long and you have to be able to practice your diligence in critical thinking. Your patients will be relying on you and may voice their emotional distress on you. Can you work under pressure? That is a must in this field. Understanding that sometimes your patients wonât have âpatienceâ and you will often have to exhibit perseverance and be their rock. It is one of the key characteristics in understanding the holistic nature of this field.
Communication:
In the field of OT, you must be ready to talk with not only your patients, but other team members in your workplace, as well as outside allied health care professionals (PTâs, SLPâs, MDâs, PAâs, NPâs, RNâs, etc.). But of course, patient communication is the most important of them all. Establishing patient rapport is so important in the effectiveness of your treatment plan. Without it, how can your patient feel confident that you truly care for their well-being? Clear and honest communication is something that, as a health care provider, you must practice to gain the trust of the patient. With my experience in finishing my bachelorâs degree and taking classes like public speaking, I can confidently say that patient interaction is entirely different. I say this because after I graduated, I was hired right off the bat (blessed) to be a research/clinical assistant for a year. My job was to bring patients back from the waiting room and talk with them and their families before the doctor came in. Sometimes lasting 20-30 min, Iâd be in the patientâs room collecting information regarding the patientâs health history, their current injury/concerns, and answering any questions on matters I was educated to answer. Although classes like public speaking can get you more comfortable with speaking in front of others, it does not properly equip you to talk with a patient one-on-one. There’s no rehearsed script or powerpoint. It’s something you have to be willing to practice with fellow colleagues, friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers. I got better at it, as you do with any skill you practice, but having that strong foundation in being able to clearly communicate to the patient in these type settings is so important. I say this because there were definitely times where the patient was NOT happy due to their waiting time or their treatment expectations not being met or whatever else kind of reason that isn’t your fault. Had I not been the type of person comfortable in talking and asking the patient how I could help, the situation could have resulted badly and it would have fallen on not just my shoulders, but the clinics. Of course, there are those immediate nerves and uncertainty, but you must be able to talk with your patients in an understanding (even when you donât understand), patient, and concise way.
Your patients will have this set idea of all they want to accomplish and being able to sit down with that patient and be straightforward in what you two can accomplish together is imperative. As nice as it may seem in the moment to tell your patient that you can give them the ability to fly around the world at 5306 mph, imagine how depressing it would be for them to come to the sad reality that you canât make them a superhero. Clear and HONESTÂ đ.
Below, Iâve listed some websites that really helped me understand what OT was all about!
https://www.aota.org/Conference-Events/OTMonth/what-is-OT.aspx
http://chan.usc.edu/about-us/os-and-ot/what-is-ot
https://www.ithaca.edu/hshp/depts/ot/faqs/whatisot/
https://gottabeot.wordpress.comÂ
http://mamaot.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Most-Important-Things-You-Need-to-Know-About-Becoming-an-Occupational-Therapy-Practitioner2.pdf (long document but pages 1-4 will give the general concept of OT)
https://collegegrad.com/careers/occupational-therapists
***I hope this helps out anyone who is interested in pursuing this career. If you have any questions or requests for future topics, drop them below!***
xoxox Meg
Who Am I?
Honesty and transparency are two values I would like to uphold in all of the information I put out in this blog. Most of us use the internet to solve our problems and to find answers to questions that we feel we can’t get on our own. The internet is an extremely valuable source. With that being said, it’s so easy to find yourself going in circles trying to find real life advice and truth due to all of the sources out there, many coming from monetary influence. That is why I want this blog to be one in which my viewers can trust is a direct correspondence with my journey in becoming interested in OT, my OT application process, my current experiences in OT school, and lastly any topic in which curiosity arises within the realm of OT. I remember, not too long ago, I had a million and one questions about OT– how to even start, what to add to my application to become more competitive, how to interview, what sources I could trust, how to pay for grad school, the list is endless. My hope is that this blog can serve as a helpful tool to all people, regardless of age, who are interested in OT. For any questions at all, never hesitate to ask and I’ll do my best to answer! đ.
This blog will also serve as a personal journal of mine– I know what you’re thinking, “where have I heard that before đ.” But in all actuality, I formed this website for âđźÂ reasons. First, I love to write and feel as if I’m decent at it. Writing is a beautiful way of expressing oneself. I have always been extremely sensitive to my experiences and writing has been an outlet in which some of my experiences have modeled as a form of guidance to those in similar situations. Secondly, the internet is HUGE. Like I said before, my journey into getting accepted into my MOT (Masters in OT) program was a long process and required a lot of time and energy. A lot of my questions were answered with google, google, and more google, but the information was inconveniently scattered and some of it false. I am completely aware that I won’t have ALL of the answers to the questions that arise in the community. However, my goal is to bring both my passions for writing and researching into one consolidated informative website in which people can refer to while on their journey in pursuing OT.
So now that I’ve introduced my purpose of this blog, I guess I’ll talk a little about me. I’m just ya average, “claiming to have no time, yet creates blog,” 23 year old girl đ. 24 in a few days đđťđ. My dad is white and my mom is Japanese, which makes me a mud-blood. Originally, I’m from Enterprise, AL and moved to đđźÂ Montgomery, Al now living in đđźÂ Birmingham, AL. I guess Alabama  just can’t get rid of me. No, but seriously, I’ve tried to leave and I’m always called back to this magnificent state đ. I started playing soccer when I was 5 years old at the recreational level, then club, high school, olympic, division-one collegiate, and semi-pro level (in that order). I was blessed to have accepted a full-ride scholarship to play soccer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) for 4 years. Occupational Therapy was most definitely not something I started pursuing my freshman year of college but I knew I wanted to have a career in healthcare so I majored in kinesiology and minored in psychology. I finished my B.S. degree in the Spring of 2016. I applied to âđźÂ occupational therapy programs in the Fall of 2016 and got interviews to both. These programs were UAB (Alabama) and the University of St. Augustine San Marcos (California). Due to financial reasons, I decided to turn down the interview to the University of St. Augustine. This was BEFORE my interview with UAB so essentially all of my đĽ’s were in one basket đł. After interviewing with UAB, I received the â¨GLORIOUSâ¨Â phone call telling me I was selected to have as seat in their MOT program. And that leads me to my next and final section of my “about me.”

Always “hearing” of who God was growing up, I never knew what being in a relationship with Him actually felt like. I went all in with my faith in Jesus Christ on November 6th 2016 âď¸. Since then, I’ve made the vow to make Him first in all that I do and ask Him to guide me, daily. I will bring positivity, hope, and love in every single one of my posts. People of all walks are not just welcomed but invited to my page and should be assured that I will never force my faith on any of my viewers. However, I do want my viewers to know that He is my source and what gives me the strength to have gotten this far. He gave me the reassurance when I had doubt in pursuing this career path. He gave me hope when I didn’t feel “good enough” to be admitted into a program. And He has also given me the confidence, knowledge, and motivation to pursue this career with all of my heart. He has given me more than enough proof that this is the path for me and I will talk more about that later in posts to come. Nonetheless, I pray that all of my viewers receive the same empowerment during their own journeys.
P.S.  : I will be starting my Master in OT program at UAB on August 28th of this year đ¤đź. It’s a 2.5 year program and I will be blogging a l(ot).
Much love!!âđź
****Follow me on the gramsiez**** Â Â Â ![]()
Personal: search username đđźÂ meg.ncollins  or http://instagram.com/meg.ncollins
ANDDDD for OT-related posts only: search username đđźÂ proudtobeot  or http://instagram.com/proudtobeot
(((((FYI my proudtobeot IG currently has no posts yet but I just created it so coming soon đ¤ ))))
Welcome! My name is Megan and I will be starting my Master’s in Occupational Therapy program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in August 2017. It is a 2.5 year program and this blog will contain everything from my application to OT school to my current experiences in the OT classroom. I will also be covering topics that cover my on-going research in this field and other topics that arise in the community.  I am filled with passion for occupational therapy and I’m PROUD to have pursued this career.