Occupational Therapy
Day in the Life
Hi, my name is Marisa Guardino and I am a second-year OT student at Salus University! I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Scranton in Human Resources with Minors in Business and Philosophy.
I knew I wanted to change from Human Resources to OT because I wanted to switch into a career within healthcare that was creative, holistic, and individualized to each patient. I chose to pursue my education at Salus due to the diverse experience that the professors/faculty bring to the classroom. Each faculty member teaches the specific practice area of OT that they work in, so they are able to present many real-world examples while lecturing.
I was drawn to Salus because the campus is located so close to a city, which means there are numerous opportunities for possible fieldwork locations. I love being a student at Salus because of the collective mindset of the student body. Being that Salus is only offers programs within healthcare, every student seems to have a desire to help others. At Salus, I am a member of the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA), Pi Theta Epsilon (OT Student Honor Society), a graduate assistant for admissions, and a tutor to the first year students.
I'm in the middle of my final didactic semester at Salus. We are wrapping up the lecture portion of the program. During this final semester, I am completing my third and final Level 1 fieldwork at the Mercy School for Special Education working with children 6-21 years old.
This is what a typical day looks like:
6:30 a.m. - I wake up, get ready by packing up my supplies and any requirements I have for lab that day, and make a quick smoothie before I head out for the day.
7:30 a.m. - I carpool with my roommates to Salus.
8:30 a.m. - I go to the Hafter Center to get in a quick workout with some classmates before class.
9:30 a.m. - We typically start classes at this time. The first class is usually a lecture class. This semester we have been starting our mornings with either Leadership and Management, Theory and Practice in Geriatrics, or Theory and Practice for Mental Health and Community.
12:30 p.m. - The entire class breaks for lunch! Sometimes I use this time to meet with members of group projects/papers.
1:30 p.m. - We enter class again. This is sometimes a different class from the morning or it's a continuation of the class from the morning but we are in the lab rather than the classroom. Our afternoon classes this semester are Behavioral Health, Applied Tenets III, and Theory and Practice in Geriatrics - Lab.
3:30 p.m. - I wrap up classes for the day. I stay on campus about twice a week after classes to complete my shift as a graduate assistant. On days that I am not working, I go home immediately after class.
4:30 p.m. - I complete any required course work for the week, type up my notes from the day, or begin studying for any upcoming exams.
6:30 p.m. - I take my afternoon walk to make sure I get some steps in for the day.
7:30 p.m. - Dinner time!
8:30 p.m. - I wrap up my day by watching a tv show (at the moment, I'm rewatching Gilmore Girls for the 100th time!) or reading my book.
10:00 p.m. - Bed time!
