Question of the day? WHAT AM I?

A $%^&*!# SPEECH PATHOLOGIST! Yes, yes I am. Received a dean's commendation for high achievement in my final semester of the course. Highest mark possible for research project extraordinaire with the lovely Nicole and Alyssa (and Deb Theodoros <3). Passed adult video exam, which was pretty much the key element in arriving at this moment. So yes, not sure how many times Jeremy has had to hear: "Guess what I am? A SPEECH PATHOLOGIST!" today...but...it probably has been more than once (and he only arrived at the Sunshine Coast around 2:30 pm, so it hasn't even been a whole day). So what is this picture of?

Two newly confirmed (tanned, but sun safe) speech pathologists, sitting in a rock grotto hot tub/spa thingy, drinking mimosas in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast to celebrate their awesomeness!

So, just in case anyone has been reading my blog and has no freaking clue what I'm talking about, this is what my CURRENT profession includes:

Speech and language pathologists provide a wide range of services, mainly on an individual basis, but also as support for individuals families, support groups, and providing information for the general public. Speech services begin with initial screening for communication and swallowing disorders and continue with assessment and diagnosis, consultation for the provision of advice regarding management, intervention and treatment, and provision counselling and other follow up services for these disorders.

• cognitive aspects of communication (e.g., attention, memory, problem solving, executive functions).
• speech (i.e., phonation, articulation, fluency, resonance, and voice including aeromechanical components of respiration);
• language (i.e., phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatic/social aspects of communication) including comprehension and expression in oral, written, graphic, and manual modalities; language processing; preliteracy and language-based literacy skills, phonological awareness.
• swallowing or other upper aerodigestive functions such as infant feeding and aeromechanical events (evaluation of esophageal function is for the purpose of referral to medical professionals);
• sensory awareness related to communication, swallowing, or other upper aerodigestive functions.

Multi-discipline collaboration

Speech-language pathologists collaborate with other health care professionals often working as part of a multidisciplinary team, providing referrals to audiologists and other medical consultants; providing information to health care professionals (including doctors, nurses, occupational therapist, and dietitians), educators, and parents as dictated by the individual client's needs.

In relation to Auditory Processing Disorders^[3] collaborating in the assessment and providing intervention where there is evidence of speech, language, and/or other cognitive-communication disorders.

The treatment for patients with cleft lip and palate has an obvious interdisciplinary character. The speech therapy outcome is even better as the surgical treatment is performed earlier.^[4]

Administration

Speech-language pathologists act as case managers and service delivery coordinators as well as manage clinical and academic programs.

Healthcare

• Promote healthly lifestyle practices for the preservation of communication, hearing, swallowing, or other upper aerodigestive disorders.
• Recognizing the need to provide and appropriately accommodate diagnostic and treatment services to individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and adjust treatment and assessment services accordingly.
• Advocating for individuals through community awareness, education, and training programs to promote and facilitate access to full participation in communication, including the elimination of societal barriers.

Research

• Conduct research related to communication sciences and disorders, swallowing disorders, or other upper aerodigestive functions.

Training

• Educate, supervise, and mentor future speech-language pathologists.
• Educate and provide in-service training to families, caregivers, and other professionals.
• Train, supervise, and manage speech-language pathology assistants and other support personnel.
• Educating and counseling individuals, families, co-workers, educators, and other persons in the community regarding acceptance, adaptation, and decisions about communication and swallowing.

Working environments

Speech and language pathologists can work in a wide range of settings. The clinical environments include both public and private hospitals. As part of the support structure in the education system working in both public and private schools, colleges, and universities. And some community support services in community health and day centers, and the judicial and penal services such as courts, prisons, and young offenders' institutions.^[5]

Subsequent to ASHA's 2005 approval of the delivery of speech-language pathology via video conference, or telepractice,^[6] SLPs have begun delivering services via this service delivery method.

Speechie Grad Dinner

Kind of funny to have a grad dinner when we don't actually know if we've passed yet, but I guess this way everyone is feeling merry and no one feels like a horrible failure! It was a fantastic time. This is the GEMS class (graduate entry master's students) minus a few lame people who didn't attend. This was our silly picture.

My dinner table. Starting from the left - Hayley, Anita, Lisa, Pranika, Jody, Vicky, meeeeeeeee, Nicole. Not pictured is Ken, Nicole's fiance. He was roped into taking a few group photos that night! He was also one of only four males at the event - I let Jeremy stay home for this one!
The girls in my research gruop, Alyssa and Nicole with our research advisor, Dr. Deb Theodoros. Google her - she's published so many things! The woman is a machine!! She's amazing and we were really lucky to have her.
Friends! This wasn't the dress I intended to wear, but when I put on the other one, I had lost too much weight in the upper body (ie boob) area and it was gaping off me. Jeremy agreed that it wasn't the most appropriate look. So I rustled up this little number from my closet. I got it at an "op shop" (thrift store) in Byron Bay with the tags still on. I think it was $80 on the tag and I paid $15. Not bad, eh? I think it's quite cute...if I do say so myself!
I had to take this picture - the Australians do this weird dance called the "Nutbush". No, seriously. This song comes on and they all rush up to the dance floor and start dancing in sync. It's hilarious because the Canadians just sit there gaping and have no idea what is happening! I just looked it up on Wikipedia, ever my wise and knowledgeable source and here's what it had to say:

The Nutbush is a dance categorized as a line dance, performed to Tina Turner's song "Nutbush City Limits" and has gained massive popularity in Australia.

In the 1950s, the dance was known as "The Madison".^[1] Inspired by Tina Turner's song, a variation of the dance emerged again as "The Nutbush" in the 1970s disco era. A comparison of the step sheets, however, does not support the conclusion the dances are the same.

The song of the same name by Tina Turner is generally recognised as being 'the song' to which the dance is performed. The dance is generally performed by a group of people both male and female at a social function where dancing is appropriate. Also, the dance is performed with the dancers roughly in a box configuration, like that of a chess board.

The steps are fairly simple, such that one who does not know them can generally pick them up by watching other dancers. A key in the song and dance being a popular combination is that the song has a moderately long introduction before the strong dance beat starts, which allows people who are sitting down to get up and to the dance floor and for all dancers to assemble themselves in a grid. Without this introduction, it is unlikely that the song and dance would be as popular.^{[citation needed]} For comparison, see "Bus Stop" (song).

The Nutbush continues to be a staple at many wedding receptions in Australia, along with the YMCA and Hokey Pokey.

First week of holidays = breakfasts, board games, gym, Cedar Creek Falls (pictured above), high tea, DFO shopping for grad dress (success!), trivia...all in all, not too shabby. Today I have an interview for a private practice on the Gold Coast. Sadly today is overcoast and rainy and yucky - I wanted to do interview, then beach!! I guess I'll see what it's like when I get there...maybe it will clear up. Not so nervous or excited about this interview since it is part time, which doesn't appeal to me but I guess the practise is good and I have nothing else to do today anyway!

C'est fini

I *think* I did it. I felt horrible after our big paediatric exam, but after the adult one I feel like there's no way I could have failed. Wait - is it bad luck to say that? So basically I am a speech pathologist...at least I will know for sure on Dec 1st when grades are released. Scary/exciting!

We had our Punjabi Palace dinner (1st picture, above). There was a tiny amount of wine involved. We lingered there for quite some time (we had to finish the wine!!) and then went into the city and met up with Jeremy and some other med students. The second picture is us in transit from the fancy "Bavarian Beer Cafe" to The Pig and Whistle, where we met up with more speechies and did some dancing and singing. The picture WAS supposed to be girls/speechies only, but Jeremy and alastair had other ideas and I think it made the picture better :) Hehe.

J had two exams yesterday and was really happy about how they went. One was a diagnostic case with a standardized patient, so he had to interview and get a case history with all the symptoms and then make a diagnosis. The second one was a management case, so he knew what was wrong with the patient (migraine with aura) and had to tell her what to do about it. He was very confident about his answers and thrilled to have some straightforward cases where he could showcase his clinical skills and knowledge. The standardized patients both said he had a very warm and inviting manner that made people want to open up and one of them said that he was the only one to ask at the end if she had any additional questions/concerns, which gave he the chance to bring up an additional piece of information. Way to go, J! So once his marks are out, he'll be a 4TH YEAR MED STUDENT!

So basically this means my blog will shift from me whining about exams and assignments (unless I failed yesterday's exam, in which case there would be HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE whining/complaining/freaking out) to me whining about not getting a job because of my visa. Hahaha. But that will be sorted out soon enough!! Then I can blog about being an allied health professional...and also about new random Aussie tidbits that I pick up on the way!

This is it.

Well, it's 2 hours before my last exam ever - so obviously I am updating my blog. Yes, very logical. Some people say you can't learn anything in two hours, but I beg to differ - there have been times in the past where I've crammed crucial info into my brain in the last couple of hours before an exam. But this exam - well, I've been studying for a couple of weeks AND it's based on everything we've learned about adults over the last two years. It could be anything. So at this point, I just have to be confident that I know my stuff and I can get that 60% pass mark (okay, yes, after I finish writing this I will be rushing back to my hammock to study frantically for another hour before I walk over to UQ). Jeremy left bright and early this morning for his two last exams of third year medicine. After today, he will be a 4th year med student! JUST ONE MORE...year, that is! Muahaha, at least I'm down to one more exam.

Tonight we have celebratory plans to the extreme! I am sticking with my tried and true post exams Punjabi Palace outing - since our first exam in Anatomy, we have had dinner here after every exam period. The first time, Ro was with us - wish he could be there again tonight!! First will be a stop at the Red Room, the campus bar, to collect our thoughts and indulge in a beverage or two. Then to my house to get ready for night of epic-ness. Punjabi Palace reservations await us at 7:30 pm - it's BYO, so we will bring supplies and linger...and then meeting up with J and the med crowd since they are all celebrating their own done-ness!

Seriously, cross your fingers for me. If I don't pass this, it will be max humiliation since I won't get to graduate with my class and will have the added heart attack of having to sit it again. Not to mention, have four house guests who were planning on attending my grad (thought I don't think they will be TOO heartbroken at not having to sit through hours of boring). Gargh. Nervousness setting in. 2 hours to go. 4.5 hours till it's COMPLETELY done. Brain, please have my back!

I'm melting..........

Oh my God. I had to take a break from studying on the hammock because it's so hot that sweat is pouring off me. All I am doing is lying in a damn hammock! So far it's been the driest November in Brisbane for 50+ years but I keep hearing these horrendous rumours that the summer is supposed to be wetter than usual. UNACCEPTABLE - I don't want rain! Rain makes everything less fun, especially the beach and all other outdoor activities. Urgh. Anyhow, at the moment, nice and dry except for the sweat! Forecast all week has been 30+ and yesterday it was 35!! Remember - it's not even summer yet. Just late spring. Poor Tuna, our cat, can barely move...he's currently sprawled out on the coffee table in front of me when normally he is outside exploring at this time of day.

2 days till the big final final final exam. TWO DAYS. Honestly I could spout off a bunch of treatment approaches for dysarthria, apraxia, aphasia, right hemisphere disorder, traumatic brain injury...but watch, it will be something I don't know. Jeremy had one of his exams today and just made it - something was going on with the buses and he was pretty concerned, but he got there! He has two more on Friday, but finishes earlier than me.

At 4 pm I get to go to UQ to give a tour/orientation to the new Canadian allied health students coming in through OzTrekk. Hah - they have two years of crazy work ahead of them and I AM DONE!!! (almost) Free Thai dinner afterward is the motivation for this altruistic service, especially with limited hours of study time left. Oh well, you can't study every hour of the day and you do need to eat!

Well, better get back to it but I think I will avoid the hammock which is directly in the glaring sun. In an hour I'll probably head over to a friend's house to avail myself of her pool while I study. Pool study is my new favourite thing.

Oh, and not that anyone cares but I needed a new purse and we went to Lifeline (thrift store) yesterday to buy some storage containers and I found one for $6 that I really liked. I bought it and then looked it up online - it's genuine leather, looks brand new and retails for $90+. How friggin awesome is that?!

Need Advice/Opinions

I've been seeing flyers around the neighbourhood and I picked one up and read about it and I really want to do it. The Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer - it's a 200 km bike ride in Queensland to (obviously) raise money for cancer research. They did it last year and made $4.1 million or something along those lines. The ride starts in St Lucia (where UQ is) and you ride to the Wivenhoe Dam (~100 km from Brisbane), camp for the night, and then ride back the next day. For some reason, I just really feel like I should do this...it's kind of like a personal goal tied in with a charitable cause. I was at the doctor the other day filling in my family hx and it was kind of shocking really - colon cancer, leukemia, breast cancer. Family members and friends are fighting/have fought cancer. I will be working in health care, perhaps in the head and neck cancer area, treating patients who are dealing with the effects of cancer. I worked for awhile at the Women's Breast Health Centre.

It's in August 2012, 9-10ish months away and I need to raise $2500. They have all sorts of support to help you with fundraising ideas when you join. It's a daunting amount, but I don't want to let it scare me away. What is raising a couple thousand dollars compared with enduring radiation and chemo treatments for weeks/months?

Anyway - anyone reading this - what do you think? Can I do it? Or is it just a silly idea? Am I setting myself up for disappointment/failure or is this something I can achieve and be proud of?

ONE MORE.

Can this point finally be here? I have one more exam to write (and pass) and then I can say I am a speech pathologist! It's not the career I thought I'd be doing when I was a kid, or even when I started university...funny how things change. I have wanted to do this since 2006, right after I graduated from my undergrad degree and randomly read the job description on the Ottawa Hospital website. Literally from that second, I knew that this was my dream job. Little did I know how difficult it would be to achieve (practically impossible if I had stayed in Canada - would have involved completing an ENTIRE additional undergrad degree in Psych and Linguistics, maintaining a pretty much perfect average, getting amazing letters of recommendation and then still probably only having a 20% chance of getting in because of the very tiny amount of spots available in the program). 5 years later and here I am. I really never could have dreamed it would actually happen. Okay, so getting ahead of myself since I do have another giant, scary exam to write. This is the most important exam EVER, since I need to pass it to graduate with my class. Eeeeeeeeeeeep. Luckily it is a whole week away...

Fashions on the Field

Hahaha. Okay, not quite. But here I am with Kristy all gussied up for the Melbourne Cup @ the Queen's Arms Hotel. I think I need to update my fascinator to something more colourful and BIGGER!

Shawarma

Over the last (almost) three years, we've been seeking out the foods that we miss from Canada and are slowly building up a steady selection of places to find these things in Brisbane. Jeremy knows where to go to get something similar to bacon strips like you would find at home and has also found spicy salami that tickles his tastebuds. We still haven't found the calibre of pizza that you would get in Canada, but J makes a pretty amazing homemade one with his own dough. We live a 5 minute bike ride from a reasonably priced breakfast place that does a mean eggs Benedict. Sure there are some things that we might never get here: Clamato, cheese curds, Crispers, but that's ok. Haloumi is a decent substitute for cheese curds and Canadian guests can usually be counted on for Crispers/Clamato.

One of the things we noticed right away here is that Australians don't do shawarma. In Ottawa, I don't think you're further than 1 km from shawarma at any time! They have kebabs, which are like shawarmas but not as good. Difference b/w Australia and Canada:

In Australia, Greek, Armenian, Turkish and Lebanese migrant populations have introduced shawarma. Commonly it is known simply as in Armenian kebab or in Turkish Doner kebab or, where Greek immigrants have settled, as a souvlaki, or less commonly, gyros or yiros. Shawarma costs A$6.00 upwards and is wrapped in a large pita bread or more commonly khubz, known locally as "Lebanese bread", coming with beef, chicken or lamb, salad of lettuce, tomato and onion and cheese. Sauces include "garlic sauce" (Tzatziki), chilli sauce, hummus, tomato, and barbecue. Sometimes it is toasted after being wrapped in the bread.

In Canada, the cuisine is typically available in any population centre that has recent immigrants. Due to meat handling regulations, shawarma is never available at street food stands (unlike hotdogs) and is mostly associated with food courts or pizzeria-style small restaurants. Typically, shawarma is available both as a wrap with traditional vegetables, hummus and hot and garlic sauce, or as a "plate" or "dinner" on a bed of rice with a side of vegetables and salad; the salad can be Middle Eastern, like tabbouleh, or of a more traditional variety, like Greek or Caesar. The dish is not associated with any country in particular and can be branded and served by a variety of nationals, from Algeria to Afghanistan. Shawarma is being successfully introduced as a fast food franchise by a number of companies and may not be necessarily associated with Arabian population - or mom-and-pop businesses - anymore.

I think the two main differences are pickled turnips and the garlic sauce used in Canada. In Canada, they use a garlic sauce called Toum: Toum is a garlic sauce as prepared in Lebanon, the Levant and Egypt similar to the European aioli. As well as garlic, it contains salt, olive oil or vegetable oil and lemon juice crushed using a wooden mortar and pestle. There is also a variation popular in many villages (such as Zgharta) where mint is added, called "Zeit and Toom". It is also used as a dip, especially with french fries and chicken. It is used in Lebanese sandwiches.

It is AMAZING! In Aus, they use a watery thin liquidy tzatziki type thing which doesn't come close to the deliciousness!

So anyway...what is the point, really? A Lebanese friend informed Jeremy a couple of weeks ago that she had found somewhere to get shawarma. He went and got one and it was good - even had toum and pickled turnip. But YESTERDAY after avoiding study, we found FANTASTIC shawarma. I looked up Lebanese cuisine and saw that there was a place in the suburb Morningside, which is conveniently where my BAF (Best Aussie Friend, hehe) Jess lives. I really wanted to go get some, and so did J, but I thought if I wanted it I should work for it. So we rode our bikes 20 km round trip over some pretty nasty hills to get to the shawarma place and back home again and then really enjoyed/appreciated our shawarma! We also got Jess to meet us there and introduced her to the wonderfulness - she agreed with our praise!

(Anything to procrastinate from studying...)

Speaking of which, meeting some classmates for study this morning in an hour, so should probably get moving!

Byron Bay/Melbourne Cup/Slip Slop Slap and Wrap

Byron Bay was glorious! The only problem was that it was too windy to go snorkelling with sea turtles :( When we arrived at the dive centre, we were told that the water was very choppy and we could still go out, but we likely wouldn't see anything and they wanted us to have a good experience. Instead, we opted to go for a hike up to the famous Byron Bay lighthouse. It was a good wakl, lots of uphill and it was quite warm, but we made it! We rewarded ourselves with gelato and the promise of a swim once we got back down to the beach. The water was amazing, but before we got into it, Jeremy helped perform a SEA RESCUE on a stranded ray (See Exhibits A & B, above).
I took this picture because if you look REALLY hard, you can see a pod of dolphins behind the people swimming. More to the left-ish. They were doing jumps and everything! So close to the people!!
Our final destination, the Byron Bay lighthouse! In some bushes on the other side, I saw my VERY FIRST Australian snake (not in captivity). It was an Eastern Brown Snake, which is known to be deadly. This is some of what Wiki has to say: The eastern brown snake is considered to be the most venomous member of the genus Pseudonaja based on LD50 value. The venom consists mostly of neurotoxins and blood coagulants.^[2] These snakes kept at venom supplies laboratories yield an average of 4.7 mg per milking. As with most venomous snakes, the volume of venom produced, is largely dependent on the size of the snake. Worrell (1963), reported a milking of 41.4 mg from a relatively large (2.1 m) specimen. This record is atypical, as on average, the eastern brown snake yield a low volume of venom which is regarded as not more than 10 mg.^[3] Without medical treatment, death can occur from the bites of this species.^{[4] (Sorry Carolyne, if you're reading this I realize you're probably on the verge of a nervous breakdown - but one snake in almost 3 years is pretty darn good!!!)}
This is Nicole and Ken. They drove up from Brisbane that day just to go snorkelling. Oops! On our hike, we reached the most easterly point of the Australian mainland, as you can see by the sign they are standing beside!


BEAUTIFUL! So much better than Surfer's Paradise.
At our accommodation, these little guys were everywhere!
Lisa in her "big teepee" accommodation! Only in Byron Bay...
Jeremy standing in front of our "Island Retreat". It faced out onto a tea tree lake. It was definitely glamping...We had a light and a double bed in our tent. I didn't mind it!
The girls. Notice varying degrees of sun safety. Nicole, in the white, is a very fair-skinned Irish rose type girl. She followed "slip, slop, slap and wrap" to the fullest! (Slip on a long sleeved shirt, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat and wrap some sunglasses around you head...or something like that!) She is definitely the most sun safe! I forgot my "sunnies" but was wearing sunscreen and a sun hat. Anyway...yeah.

Today is Melbourne Cup Day, which is a massive thing all over Australia.

The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Billed as The race that stops a nation*, it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races. Conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, the event starts at 3pm on the first Tuesday in November.

'Fashions On The Field' is a major focus of the day, with substantial prizes awarded for the best-dressed man and woman. The requirement for elegant hats, and more recently the alternative of a fascinator, almost single-handedly keeps Melbourne's milliners in business.^{[citation needed]} Raceday fashion has occasionally drawn almost as much attention as the race itself, The miniskirt received worldwide publicity when model Jean Shrimpton wore one on Derby Day during Melbourne Cup week in 1965.^[60][61]

Flowers, especially roses are an important component of the week's racing at Flemington. The racecourse has around 12,000 roses within its large expanse. Over 200 varieties of the fragrant flower are nurtured by a team of up to 12 gardeners. Each of the major racedays at Flemington has an official flower. Victoria Derby Day has the Corn Flower, Melbourne Cup Day is for the Yellow Rose, Oaks Day highlights the Pink Rose and Stakes Day goes to the Red Rose.

In the Melbourne metropolitan area, the race day has been a gazetted public holiday since 1877, but around both Australia and New Zealand a majority of people watch the race on television and gamble, either through direct betting or participating in workplace cup "sweeps". As of April 2007, the ACT also recognises Melbourne Cup Race Day as a holiday.^[52] In 2000, a betting agency claimed that 80 percent of the adult Australian population placed a bet on the race that year.^[62] In 2010 it was predicted that $183 million would be spent by 83,000 tourists during the Spring Racing Carnival.^[63] In New Zealand, the Melbourne Cup is the country's single biggest betting event, with carnival race-days held at several of the country's top tracks showing the cup live on big screens.^[64]

It is commonly billed as The race that stops a nation, but it is more accurately The race that stops two nations,^[65] as many people in New Zealand, as well as Australia, pause to watch the race.

If you got through all that, good for you!! Don't you feel more knowledgeable now?! For the first time, I'll be going to a Melbourne Cup event, so I better get all prettied up now!