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.
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.
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.
I am Cristen Sudduth, a native of Jackson, MS. Throughout my life, I have observed and encountered several accounts of resilience. Including times when my siblings and I would hurt ourselves by playing our various sports a little too rough which led to temporarily altering our daily lifestyle. These experiences allotted us the opportunity to build through some form of therapeutic exercises. Each exercise helped us gain the courage, confidence and physical strength we needed to return to our regularly life that we normally had and enjoyed so much. That’s where I believe my passion to become an occupational therapist began.
Occupational Therapists work with people struggling with disabling emotional, mental, physical, or developmental issues and work to enhance the daily living skills of a patient’s life. Occupational Therapists must also be patient, compassionate, and people-oriented (BLS, 2015). As mentioned above, my workplace has drastically enhanced my communication skills, that will certainly help me be a better OT. While I shadowed an OT about a week ago, she was
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. Further clarification would
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.
Being an Occupational Therapy Assistant 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. Many people think that Occupational Therapy Assistants are people who specialize in occupations.
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.
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.
My placement was at Toronto Rehab at the Lyndhurst location. I was placed in a seating clinic to work with neurological clients who either have a spinal cord injury, spina bifida, polio or general decline in function regarding their posture. I was assigned to work with Andree Gauthier; she has twelve years of experience when it comes to wheelchair seating and positioning. My placement started from March 6 to April 7 and my work hours are 8:30am to 4:30pm. From my previous intermediate placement, I had the opportunity to do an inventory of all mobility aides residents use at the LTC home.
For the practice of Occupational Therapy it teaches meaningful, functional, and adaptive life skills; it is a profession that enhances activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). IADL’s including community mobility, is a critical area for the United States citizens. Driving is an instrumental activity that needs addressed with each client for safety and testing motor movements. Between 2002 and 2012, more than 1.5 million U.S. soldiers returned to the United States after an active duty Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraq Freedom (OIF; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs [VA], 2012a). Soldiers are trained specifically to what branch of service they’re going into. Going through strict training their units,
The position also is a segue into my current educational goals, which are geared toward a Human Services Degree. Over the past twelve years I have worked in the health care field. While working in the various jobs I have had several administrative assistant duties, which included patient intake, data entry/analysis, inventory management, etc. As previously stated, this position consists of patient care and administrative both are predominant in my career growth. I have expanded knowledge of what this position requires over the course of twelve years. 2.
According to the article “Occupational Therapist” states that occupational therapy is a growing career that engages people of all ages aiding them in everyday living. Occupational therapy being in high demand is set to grow by 29% which is faster than most job occupations. With the average salary starting at 80,000 dollars a year and only 6 to 8 years of schooling it isn’t a job that requires much.
I have always been interested in a career in the care industry, and after meeting with an experienced occupational therapist, I was sure that occupational therapy is a career suited to my personality and abilities. I am excited by the diverse nature of the work and the effect that meaningful activity can have in helping individuals improve their quality of life and achieve personal goals. I am a sympathetic listener, open-minded and tolerant of others lifestyles and I think that along with my problem-solving skills, and desire to help people, the range of activities which I am skilled at and enjoy would greatly aid me in helping people to rehabilitate themselves. I look forward to attending ________ where I will learn the skills necessary to make a difference by helping people gain independence and increase confidence.