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 …show more content…
It empowered me with such skills as critical thinking, writing and communication, responsibility and hard work by providing interrogative and problem based learning. My studies cover a wide range of subjects each of which served as an invaluable contributor to my current knowledge and shaped the skills that are necessary to be successful in the occupational therapy field. When I completed my studies in Russia, I particularly enjoyed learning about sociology, religion, and ethics. It taught me the importance of being culturally aware and tolerant, to think outside the box and search for the underlying reasons. However, psychology and pedagogy became my favorite subjects. During that time I got involved with research and started working at the childcare center as a counselor. I truly enjoyed working with children helping them to learn new skills, planning different activities, motivating and engaging them. I found that experience incredibly enjoyable and rewarding and decided to further explore the studies of psychology and child development in
Multiple drivers surviving a serious car crash generally require some form of occupational therapy for recovery. The Occupational Therapist, conducts comprehensive driving evaluations by developing plans for the individual to continue driving, or assist the person in transitioning from driver to passenger. These decisions are based upon clinical assessments of the individual’s vision, cognition, motor performance, reaction time, and knowledge of traffic rules, as well as provide a behind-the wheel assessment of one’s driving skills. The mission of an Occupational Therapist is to “provide individuals with disabilities solutions for living a normal productive life of independence, and functional
In order for Monti to make effective progress and reach potential outcomes selecting and implementing appropriate assessments and treatment strategies is vital. A key element in the occupational therapy profession is using a holistic approach to treating to enhance quality of life. Therefore, during the evaluation process the implementation of one assessment will not target all the skill areas Monti is deficient in. Additionally, when treating the body as whole it is important to analyze how Monti interacts and completes the task by observing motivation, body position, movement patterns, coordination, attention, sensory processing functions, visual functions and awareness within his environment. After the completion of the evaluation process
Occupational therapy is a client centred profession with the main focus of assisting and supporting people to partake in everyday activities or occupations (World Federation of Occupational Therapists 2012). Occupation is closely linked to how individuals describe themselves and feel about themselves, with negative impacts on mental and physical health resulting from the inability to participate in desired or required occupations (Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists 2015). Occupational therapists work with people and communities to improve their capacity to be involved in occupations by altering the occupation or the situation to better support their involvement (Occupational Therapy Australia 2015). This could involve teaching
The eleventh of May, two-thousand twelve, my world collapsed. It was as if every piece of my life was crumbling into a pile of brokenness. David Martin Pearson of eighteen years, had passed away from a brutal fight against brain cancer. David showed me there is more to life than battles, devastating occurrences, and depression. Since the passing of my brother, my life has completely changed to becoming a leader and taking a stand for those who are unable to fight.
I am a Bachelor of Health Sciences/Master of Occupational Therapy graduate of the University of Sydney. I am AHPRA registered after completing my degree in 2016 and am interested in applying for a position as an Occupational Therapist at the Learning Links organisation. The company’s mission to provide children and young people who have learning difficulties with skills, services and family support strongly aligns with my personal values of preventing disadvantage by improving literacy, numeracy and emotional wellbeing. I recently visited your Sydney practice and was impressed by the multi-disciplinary nature of services provided by your skilful team, and believe I would excel in an Occupational Therapist position with Learning Links. I am
Centennial Vision and executive summary. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61(6), 613-614. American Occupational Therapy Association. (2014). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (3rd ed.)
The Authors of this study research the methods used during evaluation and intervention to see if these are consistent with “best practices” of the profession. Faculty members of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) developed a questionnaire utilizing the language and concepts of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF) 2008. Terms used include, occupation-based, client-centered, and evidence-based practice. The results indicated OT 's value occupation based, client-centered, evidence based practice (EBP) but focus more on performance skills and most often practice in unnatural environments. The study could be made stronger by using a larger sample size or using open-ended questions versus a Likert Scale.
During the summer I worked alongside an Occupational Therapist and I was with children that had severe special needs that used an Ipad. The device had special apps, which allowed them to communicate with us and practice simple tasks by themselves. Being able to be apart of the Technology Awareness Program will increase my horizons, and learn the technology behind amazing apps that some these children used. When my sister was apart of this program she expressed how much she greatly improved in her presentational skills and ability to solve real world problems. Being able to participate, will give me an amazing opportunity to work on presenting in front of a crowd and learn different ways that technology is implemented into our daily lives.
Disabilities, chronic and acute illness can strongly impact the concept of self that most people don’t anticipate. Often a person’s habits need to be altered or adjusted due to disabilities, chronic or acute illnesses. Habits are reflective of the concept of self and this is embedded in our habits which form overtime (Charmaz, 2002). Habits are social and are tied to everyday activities; they are embedded in our social lives and help create a social. Occupational Therapists (OT) need to be aware of cultural and societal factors that impact habits.
Volunteering at organizations, that specialize with people who have special needs have fostered my interest for a major in healthcare, specifically Occupational Therapy. For the past four years, I have volunteered at MARC, INC and Intensive Education Academy where their main focus is to prepare people with disabilities to have everyday occupational skills. When people are struggling I want to be able to help someone recover, in a way that is accustomed to their personalities and hobbies. Which is exactly what an occupational therapist does. Another experience that enhanced my interest was shadowing an occupational therapist.
Learning how to speak wasn’t a challenge although I was raised in Texas until the age of three, both my parents have strong Maine accents, and my maternal grandmother was born and raised in New Jersey so she has a cross between a Jersey and Maine accent. However by the age of four I had already been through Occupational Therapy and had Behavioral Therapy with SDI ( specially designed instructions). Also by the age of four I had been diagnosed with A.D.H.D( Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and shortly medicated until I was age twelve. I attended a preschool that was geared towards all my needs such as sensory integration disorder and behavioral issues. Throughout my elementary education I had trouble with comprehending reading and
The Principles and functions of Occupational Therapist Occupational therapy (OT) is a patient centered treatment that focuses on assisting people with cognitive, physical or sensory disabilities. The treatment is aimed at helping individuals of all ages become independent, productive and satisfied with their lives. Occupational Therapist areas of operation The areas of operation covered under the occupational therapy framework include Activities of Daily Living (ADL), play, rest and sleep, education, instrumental activities of daily living (IADLS) and work. IADLS include activities such as shopping, raising kids and care for pets, while ADLs include sexual activity, personal hygiene and grooming among others.
Additionally, you need to have patience with those who have disabilities and in doing repetitive treatments. Occupational Therapists (O.T.s) need to have a respect and understanding for their patients’ struggles and pace. I feel these traits are well suited for me in this career because I have been developing these skills and characteristics since I first started
I also explained how doing these occupations promotes health and wellness in one and that we need all different kinds of occupations to feel fulfilled and have a balanced life. Overall, both interviewees’ definitions of occupational therapy were very similar and almost identical and did not differ much from each other making it hard to contrast
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.