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be in the presence of so many like-minded students and practitioners made me really value this event as one
of my greatest experiences throughout my OT journey so far. I am well aware that within the OT community
there are many different views and ways of doing things, but to be faced with current practicing clinicians that
spoke of being evidence-based and occupation-focused was something that I always found few and far be-
tween at other education conferences. So, for me, this was a huge plus and really made me embrace that
the way I plan on practicing in a few short months is in fact supported by my OT community.
The first speaker of the day, Dr. Czuba, immediately resonated with me due to his view on adding
health and wellness into OT practice. I am currently working on my doctoral capstone, in which I am imple-
menting leisure programming for adults with intellectual disability. On a daily basis, I implement health and
wellness into my practice, and hearing evidence-based support of this approach was something that I really
enjoyed. Along with this, I feel that many of the resources that Dr. Czuba explored throughout his talk are
things that are great resources for me to use while finishing up my doctoral capstone. Dr. Czuba also really
emphasized the use of occupation in order to increase overall health and well-being; though some of his ex-
amples seemed so simple, they really did show the power of occupation. Dr. Czuba told us that his job was
to excite us about being at the conclave and to get us energized about entering the profession of OT. Follow-
ing Dr. Czuba’s presentation, I was counting down the hours until I returned to my capstone site and would
be able to share my knowledge with my clients!
As Dr. Glen Gillen began his keynote address, I was initially very shocked at his relaxed and easy
going nature. As a student, we are taught about so many of the large contributors to our field, such as Dr.
Gillen, and for him to be so humble and willing to present to us was an opportunity that not many occupation-
al therapists receive, let alone students; so, for me, this was a huge opportunity for me as a learner! I also
felt that Dr. Gillen’s presentation, “Choosing Wisely,” was one that really resonated with me. This is because
throughout my education and fieldwork so far I have struggled with my clinical instructors being supporters of
my interest in evidence-based practice. Maybe it is the nerd in me, but I have always strived to practice in a
way that allowed my clients to know the “why”. I feel that Dr. Gillen’s presentation really supported this “why”
mentality and allows me to be more confident in the way in which I plan on practicing in the future. As well, I
do believe that some of the topics that Dr. Gillen brought up were pro-
vocative, in the sense that they refute many of the techniques that cur-
rent practitioners are using. However, I felt that as a student and future
practitioner of this profession, this made me want to finish up school
and be able to really act as a change agent within our profession!
When it came to the concurrent breakout sessions, I had a hard
time deciding what sessions to attend, simply because there was such
a variety of options that appealed to me. However, due to the fact that I
will soon be graduating, I navigated my selections towards preparation
for graduation. With this goal, I attended the new OT panel, NBCOT
session, and the resume/interview preparation session. The OT panel
was unique in the fact that there were five practitioners from different
backgrounds who are all working in different areas of OT. The NBCOT
exam session was very thorough and educated me on all the ins and
outs of the exam, gave tips and tricks, and offered study suggestions.
Though this was an anxiety-provoking session due to the nature of the
topic, I did leave the session much more prepared for the NBCOT than
when I walked into the session. Finally, the resume/interview session
allowed us access to an HR professional, where I appreciated her un-
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Students and faculty from McHenry
County College OTA Program