and intrigued by the mind-body connection as well as the importance of human activity and occupation in maintaining mental and physical well-being. At the same time, my desire to work directly with people and be able to make a positive and lasting change to their lives by empowering them and helping discover their strengths and confidence in themselves to achieve their goals, led me to a realization that a career in occupational therapy would be a perfect fit for me. To me occupational therapy is a dynamic, rewarding, challenging, and inspiring field where I can fully realize my skills and knowledge. Having always been a firm believer in the patient-centric approach, I am passionate about providing excellent service to patients by improving their performance, preventing illness and disability and promoting adaptation to life
One of the assignments for the Introduction to Occupational Therapy is to select an article and write a review about it. The article that seized my interest is “Starting a Private Practice: The First Steps” by Tara J. Glennon. In this response paper, I am going to discuss about how to start a private own business. My discussion will include the fate of small businesses in the United States. However, this effect will less likely to impact potential occupational therapy practice entrepreneurs because of the higher demand of occupational therapy, and therapists in the future.
. Another problem during the accreditation of Ayres work is she decided to use sensory integration as an isolated anomaly, rather than embedding it entirely in the context of Occupational therapy. Ayres main goals of her work was more based on what Occupational Therapy alone, can achieve, such as individuals can follow routines that are involved in daily life like, eating, sleeping getting ready, etc. Reseatchers trying to replicate the treatment developed a goal attainment scale, to help measure the effectiveness of studies. This was a breakthrough, allowing goals for the families and individuals and comparison across the wide array of people using this method.
My fieldwork instructor has advised me that I am doing great. I demonstrate effective communication, which is necessary to talk to nurses and certified nursing assistants. I was advised there is nothing that I should/could be doing differently now. An occupational therapy practitioner and cna both work on activities of daily living, self-care, and bathroom business.
My top interest at school is The Academy of Health Professions. This rigorous program gives classroom instructions, hands on laboratory, and clinical experience. As a class of 17 students, we volunteer at the local clinical to get experience as Certified Nursing Assistants. Every other class, I take the role of an adult for 2 hours and become a CNA. I provide my patients with oral care, bathing, feeding, and changing linen.
For almost three years now, I have been enrolled in the Health Science program at Manchester Community College in Manchester, NH. My intentions are to transfer to a four-year college for a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy and then continue on to a Master’s degree. My goal is to become an Occupational Therapist with a focus on children with special needs. I recently added a dual enrollment to my degree in the Infant/ Toddler Lead Teacher certification program to gain experience in the Early Childhood Education field in a school setting.
Elderly adults usually experience problems in their daily lives due to health-related disabilities and chronic diseases. This makes it difficult for them to perform self-care activities. An elderly may need to complete various daily living activities such as taking care of their personal hygiene which may include oral care, grooming, and bathing. At times performing these activities tend to be very difficult, but with a little bit of help and therapy, they usually manage themselves. There is certain characteristic that the elderly possess that will help them in completing the ADL once they decide to take part in the therapy.
Occupation is the Word that defines the occupational therapy profession, and it can use it for both ways occupation as a process or occupation as end or goals. Maybe that it will be confusing for personnel outside the profession and that’s why we need to educate and explain it every day. As clinicians, we need to clarify it in patient goals and daily documentations. Also, as managers, we need to promote our profession with occupations and their meaning for our clients. When we use occupation as a goal is simpler to everyone else accept their obvious meaning.
I am currently working towards receiving my masters at Tuskegee University where I will graduate in five years majoring in Occupational therapy. Choosing the major occupational therapy made it easier to attend Tuskegee because of its excellence in molding Occupational therapist. The University’s program has a graduating rate at 76 percent. Practitioners of Occupational therapy have the option to work in wide variety of settings including acute care hospitals, rehabilitation centers, psychiatric hospitals, community mental health facilities, schools, nursing homes, and a few others. I will personally like to work with children and elderly people.
Occupational therapy saved my family. Growing up with a sister with severe spastic cerebral palsy to include both cognitive and functional deficits, life existed on a day to day, hour by hour basis, as we were unsure of challenges each moment would bring. This all changed the moment occupational therapy brought quality of life back to me and my family. My very personal experience defined my purpose to become an occupational therapist, to pay the gift given my family forward.
Occupational Therapy began to emerge in the 1700s, during the “Age of Enlightment”. It was during this period that revolutionary ideas were evolving regarding the “infirmed” and mentally ill. At that time in history, the mentally ill were treated like prisoners; locked up and considered to be a danger to society. It wasn’t until two gentlemen; Phillipe Pinel and William Tuke started to challenge society’s belief about the mentally ill, that a new understanding, philosophy, and treatment would emerge. Phillipe Pinel began what was then called “Moral Treatment and Occupation”, as an approach to treating mental illness, in 1973.
My grandma was a remarkable person despite everything she faced as a result of her stroke. There were moments in my life when I felt incapable of being helpful and present for her. She had a stroke in her mid 40s and I saw the toll it had on her overall well-being, mentally and physically. Her stroke paralyzed her completely on one side of her body and it took away her ability to communicate verbally; she was bedridden for the remainder of her life. This memory sparked a passion in me to serve people in need.
I have always had the intense desire to care and look after people from a very young age. I firmly believe that everyone deserves the best quality of life possible and this is what had drawn me to occupational therapy as a career path in the first place. It is so easy to take for granted all the everyday tasks we can do and we seldom consider the effect of not being able to complete them. As an occupational therapist I would be able to make a positive impact on someone’s life and make it possible for them to enjoy their life. I want the opportunity to provide support to people, help them gain independence and watch them grow more confident in their own ability.
Becoming an occupational therapist is my passion and my long-term career goal. Since a young age I have been incredibly inspired and motivated to befriend and help disabled individuals. Having grown up with a disabled mother who benefited from the services of occupational therapy I had the opportunity to see first hand how the experience gave can give individuals like her fulfilling and productive lives. With both parents working as healthcare professionals, including my mother who is now an occupational therapist herself, I see every day how rewarding the field is. Through my life I have had unique personal, professional and educational experiences that have shaped me into a strong candidate for an advanced education in occupational therapy.
Learning Objectives The roles and responsibilities that I must take as an intern are based on the needs of the facility and the management of the organization. It is my job an intern to try to learn as much as possible about physical therapy and what is expected of physical therapist. The way that I learn these things is by asking question from my supervisor while they are performing task with the patient, also by paying close attention to the way they complete the task and take very detail notes while I am observing the instruction that is given to the patient from the physical therapist.
