Phew! Looking Back Winter '13

Winter semester (otherwise know as the semester of a million group projects) was a busy one! I think the hardest thing this semester has been coordinating everyone's schedules to meet and get things get done.

Favorite things this semester:

Audiometrics -
*Presenting hearing conservation and ear anatomy to a 1st grade class. They were AWESOME!! I loved this experience so much and the kids loved it too.

Aphasia -
*Ummm... pretty much the whole darn class, but if I had to pick a couple of favorites I'd go with the aphasia observation that I did in Royal Oak and the AAC assignment I did at the Apple Store. I can't rave enough about this class. The prof of this class is a great teacher and I've learned a lot in this class. This is definitely emerging as an area of interest. :)

Diagnostics -
*Though scheduling has been a big issue with our clinic diagnostic, I really enjoyed this experience a lot. It was great to finally get some hands-on experience with standardized tests and work with a client!
*My observation at the Autism Collaborative Center - the SLP there is a graduate of EMU's SLP grad program and it was great to observe another alumni from my school out in the field. (First EMU alum I observed was up in the U.P. at Marquette General Hospital for some of my 25 hours of observation for my post-bacc.)

Early Intervention Language Disorders -
*This class has spent a lot of time on the back burner and has felt like a lot of review, but I've enjoyed some

Summer '13 and Fall '13

Signed up for classes today and I'm already excited to dive into all new stuff!! The first half of Summer I am taking Dysphagia and Motor Speech Disorders. In the Fall I'm taking Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders and Fluency Disorders.

I am also supposed to take Clinic I over the whole Summer semester, but now it looks like I will be taking it in the Fall instead. It's the only class I haven't signed up for yet and I will find out for sure on Monday if I am taking it this Summer or if I am taking it in the Fall. Taking it in the Fall won't affect my graduation date and though I can't wait to dive right into clinic and get a client (or two!), at the same time it would be soooo nice to have half of the summer off. Kind of a last big break before pushing through to the end. **UPDATE - I'm definitely taking Clinic I in the Fall so that means I will have the second half of the summer OFF! I will be

#springbreak13

So it's my spring break... it officially started Thursday night after work at 1pm and so far it's involved a lot of sleeping in, netflix and retail therapy, but that's about to change. Starting today, this is my opportunity to get a crapload of stuff done! I am continuing my crazy busy February into a crazy busy March, but things will slow down again after the 13th. The week after spring break is ridiculous: 2 exams, 1 group presentation, possible retake of the clinical readiness test, 2nd half of my group diagnostic with report write-ups and assessment scorings that go along with it. After the 13th I can breath again.

First up this week, I have two exams to study for that will happen the Monday and Tuesday after we get back from break (thank you professors!) and I have twelve chapters to read for one of those exams... yikes! Quizlets and study guides will be my friends this week.

This week I am also going to Royal Oak for an aphasia observation. It's an aphasia group that has 2 clients with fluent aphasia and 2 with nonfluent aphasia. I only need to observe a fluent aphasia but I am very happy that I will also have the opportunity to observe a nonfluent one as well. I'm really cutting it close with this

Full Speed Ahead!!

February has been BUSY so far and it doesn't look like it will slow down for a long while yet. Just had my first exam in aphasia and though it was a bit challenging, I think (I hope!!) I rocked it. Will find out for sure on Tuesday. This is definitely my favorite class this semester and I'm learning a lot. I'll have another exam in aphasia at the end of this month... only 2 weeks of lecture on that one!  

Next up is my clinical readiness test (CRT) on Monday, which is a test I need to pass with an 85% or above in order to take clinic this summer. It's offered twice, so if I don't pass it the first time I have a chance to re-take it again next month. Here's to hoping I pass it the first time! I've been studying for it over the past couple of days and have been neglecting studying for my 1st audiometrics exam which is the day after I take the CRT. I will be power cramming for that exam after I take the CRT... can I do it?! I can dooo it! Also this month in audiometrics, I will get to bring in J and practice a hearing screening on him as well as immitance

SLP and the Great Aphasia Search

I'm taking aphasia this semester and it has captured my attention completely. One of our class assignments is to complete an observation of either a treatment session (individual or group) or attend a meeting of an aphasia support group. I love that we have to do this and have begun the process of tracking down SLPs in my general vicinity who work with clients who have aphasia. A great resource I'm starting off with is Find a Professional with ASHA's ProSearch. I've already sent off about 6 emails today and I've heard back from 4 SLPs, though no sites secured as of yet... just one possibility (no patients with aphasia on her caseload atm but keeping my contact info and will let me know if that changes) and a lead from an SLP to a site that she observed at when she took this class (Emich alum!). I still have a bit of time and I can expand my search area, but I'm off to a good start!

Ready... Set...

I'm excited to get back into the grad school groove, but I have to admit I wouldn't have minded another week off before starting.  I had a great winter break!  I went on road trips to see family in WI and upper MI, I overindulged in lots of delicious food (my mom and J's mom are superb cooks!), and indulged in lots of sleepsleepsleep.  There were also many netflix marathons and of course a lot of time wasted spent on facebook, twitter, and pinterest. A lot of laziness all around!  

And speaking of laziness, after the new year I decided to get more active and participate in the #ASHAFit13 challenge and incorporate other exercises into my daily routine.  I have been so focused on school and studying these past couple of years that I have been completely neglecting my body... and it's starting to show.  I've never been a super active person to begin with, but while living overseas I walked EVERYWHERE... now, it's get into my car and go.  And when I have any down time from school and studying, I have DOWN TIME.

When I saw the #ASHAFit13 challenge on twitter, I became motivated and today was my 6th day of getting my arse into shape.   I've been pretty sore since starting, but once I get moving and I've done a workout I feel AWESOME! I'm glad I started this before I went back to school... I will stay focused.  Exercise is supposed to be good for the mind too!

Now it's back to school time so there will be no more exercise talk on this blog beyond this post.

No more excuses.  

I'm off to my first class of Winter '13 so... ready... set... goooooooo!

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All signed up!

Just finished registering for Winter '13!!  Overall, this has been a good semester but I feel like a lot of it has been review with just a little bit of new info thrown into the mix.  This next semester has a bit more meat to it!

-Diagnostic Methods: Assessment of Speech and Language Disorders in Children

-Diagnosis and Treatment of Audiometric Disorders

-Early Intervention for Speech and Language Impaired Children 

-Aphasia

I'm really excited about Aphasia!!