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Arriving at school
Cognitive function test
Cognitive rehabilitation
As an occupational therapist, I provide cognitive rehabilitation to outpatients. Each patient receives rehabilitation 3 times a week over a 6-month period. In cognitive rehabilitation, patients learn in groups or they use PC software that helps enhance cognitive function, including memory, speech fluency, executive function and attentional function.
I sit next to the patient in order to assist with effective learning and gradual improvement toward the patient's goal.
Lunch
In the evaluation room
I measure the event-related potentials, or brainwaves, of a patient who's wearing an electrode cap and engaging in a task that involves cognitive function. After gathering the data, I'll be analyzing the results and reporting that analysis in a paper or at an academic conference. At 2:30 p.m., I sometimes join a group or the whole ward staff on patient rounds.
Introduction of new patients
The entire staff of the psychiatry and neurology departments are present at a meeting to share information on new patients. After the meeting, I take part in a session for learning about rehabilitation, statistics or mental disorders. I make efforts day in and day out as a researcher and an occupational therapist.
I intend to continue to specialize in psychiatry and psychiatric occupational therapy, so I need to develop myself as a researcher with knowledge and skills in neurocognitive function, functional imaging and electrophysiology as well as social function. I hope I can be of some help in applying the findings of basic research on physiology and neurocognitive toward developing new interventions or outcome measures in psychiatric occupational therapy. I also hope to build a bridge between clinical practice and academic research.
(Interviewed in May 2012)
Webpage of the Department of Psychiatry which this graduate school student belonged to