Occupational Therapy Identity

Ralph Emerson once said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful … to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” I chose the profession of occupational therapy to embrace this rationale of life; to encourage others to help themselves and discover the resilience and strength they have to successfully re-integrate with their community. At Hunter College I majored in psychology and I wanted to continue to apply this knowledge through a health care career. Occupational Therapy effectively concentrates on the psychological, emotional, and physical well-being of the patient, while facilitating those individuals with illnesses or injuries to re-learn everyday tasks.

Many female occupational therapist after 5 to 6 years in the profession took time off to raise their family, care for elders or loved ones (Miller, 1992). The view of the working married women evolved over time and became more accepting, more women began to work part time or returning to the field after raising their children (Frank, 1992; Gilligan, 1976). Women were having less children, increasing longevity of the productive years as a therapist after their last child leaves home (Gilligan, 1976). The pattern of work had changed, with more exhibiting training, job entry, dropout, and job re-entry (Gilligan, 1976). Women remained in the profession after graduation longer than previous decades and were returning to work after dealing with life events, shedding the stereotypes of single and widows as occupational therapists. It afforded them the flexibility they needed to work, yet this also contributed to the image of women in female-dominated professions of being of low commitment, low contribution, low competition, low earnings, and low recognition (Frank, 1992; Miller, 1992).

The Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) and the Person-Environment-Occupation Model (PEOP model) are two of the most used models in occupational therapy. MOHO is an occupation-focused model which was developed in the 1980s. The model shows the motivation of occupation; the patterning of occupational performance; the essence of skilled performance and how environment affects occupation. The PEOP model is a client-centred model that was published in the 1990s, it focuses on how the performances of the individuals, groups and populations are affected by the intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Although both two models are common in the practice of occupational therapy, they are different in many ways. In this essay, I will compare the differences between two models.

Howat, personal communication, March 22, 2018). Occupational therapist’s main roles include encouraging clients to develop new skills, helping them find improved ways of completing activities, manipulating the individual’s residence or workspace to meet their needs, or through providing therapy devices and equipment (About Occupational Therapy, 2018). When prescribing therapy devices, the occupational therapist must ensure the client knows how to best use it to ensure the client gets a full solution, not just a product (About Occupational Therapy, 2018). A further responsibility of occupation therapists is to consider the individual values of the client, an example of this is making a physically harmful activity less so because of the emotional benefits of the activity (K. Howat, personal communication, March 22,

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. I want to be part of such a rewarding career.

Nelson was determined to define occupation clearly so that progression could be made in the field of occupational therapy (Nelson, 1988: 633). In the following essay I will outline the model that Nelson designed to clearly illustrate occupation. I will then describe an occupation that I take part in and apply Nelson’s ideas to my occupation to prove that it is an occupation.

Occupational therapy provides assistance for those who are in need of assistance with daily living and work skills. These specialists work with people of various demographics to handle normal life challenges in a safe and healthy manner.

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

Occupational Therapy Assistants are professionals who make a difference in the lives of people who have difficulty performing work and daily activities to do an illness, injury and disability. It’s a growing career that is in great in demand. The salary depends on several factors but for the most part it’s rewarding. The requirements to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant is for one to receive their associate’s degree from an accredited school and pass the National Board Exam.

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I am the student liaison to the American Occupational Therapy Association, (AOTA), for the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. I also am an active voter and representative of your Delaware constituency as I have lived in Delaware my entire life. In fact, I was on the Brandywine YMCA swim team with your son, Christopher. My time spent at the YMCA of Delaware peaked my interests to work with special need’s populations, leading me to the track of becoming an occupational therapist. Occupational therapy is an arcane profession to the general populous. Occupational therapists help all individuals live life to their fullest by maximizing one’s level of independence through engaging

Occupational therapy allows a patient to work towards the goal of being able to perform basic everyday functional tasks. Therapy will differ for each patient, providing purposeful tasks that will allow the most growth for the specific individual needs. Being able to be an independent individual that can perform functional tasks is something that most people strive for, and if something happened that altered this way of life, it can be very stressful and even feel dehumanizing to the patient. Striving for independence and working with the therapists is something that will positively affect the patient's quality of life.

As an occupational therapist I would like to help individuals who are differently abled gain quality of life and independence by improving upon both mental and physical challenges to function as a whole person, as this is what I understand the role of the occupational therapist from both personal and observational experience to be. I believe this is accomplished through providing encouragement and support, educating each client and their loved

The theoretical format Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO), focuses on the individual, the environment, and the occupation. With the PEO format, we see the physical, social and cultural elements of where occupational therapy takes place (Scaffa, 2010, p.35). The PEO ties in person-environment interaction, person-occupation interaction, and the person-environment-occupation interaction (Scaffa, 2010, p. 36). The PEO is similar to that of the OT framework because the OT framework as well describes environment as having physical and social components. It mentions the social aspect of the environment that includes relationships and expectations with other individuals. The framework, similarly to the PEO, also talks about environment strictly on

First of all, I feel as if I am a very dedicated person, whether it’s related to my educational goals, current job or career goals, or personal relationships. I take dedication seriously because I believe dedication shows you truly care about that goal you are trying to attain or that person of which you are trying to maintain a good, lasting relationship.

There are many ways to depict the world professionalism. Although professionalism at any context holds an individual to higher standards in society, it also goes deeper into the skills and competence that is expected. Professionalism breaks down into three categories these include a desire to improve, application, and dynamic interpersonal skills. Each of these categories helps us to understand the word professionalism better and its importance.