Occupational Therapy Personal Statement Essay

Personal Statement for Kansas University Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program

I chose Occupational Therapy as my career path for many reasons, first of which is my passion for the promotion of health and seeing others achieve their personal goals. Always passionate about health I knew pursuing a career path in medicine would be most rewarding. While searching the various health career pathways, occupational therapy was a field of study I come to be intrigued by. There is a continuous need for this as an occupation in the world, as many of us do not realize how important independence is, until the moment it is taken away from us or we witness firsthand. After injuring my hand;cutting through my flexor digitorum profundus tendon in the fifth digit within dominant hand, I had to visit a hand therapist for over a year. The recovery was challenging as I had to give up a passion for lifting weights during recovery process and required a note-taker from the

I watched him over the years regain the ability to speak and do things that no one ever thought he would be able to do once more, all because of his occupational and physical therapists. Later, at a friend’s wedding he attended with his caretaker, I went up and greeted them as I had not seen them in the two years following high school graduation. I was shocked to see the progress he had made. When I shared with them I was planning on attending an occupational therapy program, his mother instantly started crying and hugged me. She stated, “God bless people like you. It’s people like you who gave my son his life back”. This moment was the last affirmation; I knew this was the right career choice. The idea that I could have such an impact on someone’s life overwhelmed me with a sense of happiness. The life I wish to live is a life that serves others, such as this therapist had served this