A Career In Hand Therapy

Today, Amanda Gordon, an Occupational Therapist can and talked to us today. It was such an honor for her to talk with us. I was especially interested in her lecture because I was thinking of becoming an Occupational Therapist, and she taught me so much more information about OT. Amanda was working at Moss for 5 years. She works with spinal cord injury patients and teaches them skills to accomplish everyday tasks. She teaches and practices them real life activities such as how to dress, cook, tie shoes, and much more. Amanda loves seeing her patients improve and slowly going back to their normal everyday routine. Because of Occupational Therapist Amanda, patients become more independent and be able to do an assignment.

“The occupational therapy provided by Niagara Therapy LLC from 7/29 to 09/15/15 was not supported by records as medically necessary/standard of care. The medical necessity of ongoing therapy depends upon making measureable progress in functional goals. The documentation does not support that this patient meets this criteria. The patient received 12 visits through 7/27/15 and improvement in function was not documented. Also, there is a lack of literature support for long term OT for this patient’s condition. The patient could have continued a home program after 7/27/15. Occupational therapy after 9/15/15 would not be supported as medically necessary due to the lack of documented progress and lack of support for the efficacy of long term therapy over practicing skills with a home program.”

Why is it that in today’s society, people merely believe that a person can be successful if they have a degree from a higher education? In the article “The Case for Working With Your Hands” author Mathew B. Crawford talks about his life as a mechanic and the decisions and revelations that got him there. Crawford claims that a good job is defined to meet an individual’s passion and to see the “effects of the world” (Crawford). Crawford is saying that a person does not have to have a degree to have a good job. With Crawford’s claim, in the article titled “The Case for Working With Your Hands,” that a person should find a job that satisfies their own passions and desires I would agree with the author’s stance based on my own personal experiences as well as his information he presents.

Lives are changed everyday by occupational therapy assistants. I have the dedication, compassion, and ability to celebrate every miniscule improvement needed to become a successful OTA. This a quickly growing field where I can use the talents I already possess to excel. I can easily recall the differences made in my papaw’s life through occupational therapy and the way every advancement in mobility or independence was as exciting as it would be with a new

When I broke my Tibia and Fibula playing football my sophomore year of high school, I started to really think about what I wanted to do with my life. I had a lot of love for playing football, and I knew that I did not want to stray too far away from the sport. It wasn’t until I started going to physical therapy that I realized that I didn’t have to, so I decided that I wanted to be a physical therapist, to help other people get back on their feet. However, my junior year, we got a new athletic trainer at my high school. So, I decided to ask Mrs. Pam if she would mind if I shadowed her, to learn more about what she did, and how to help other players with their injuries. She agreed, and I spent my junior and seniors years shadowing her. I learned

Restoring function and movement after an injury in the quickest time possible is the aim of Dr. John Kotis. Many experts believe that working with a knowledgeable hand therapist after surgery is the key to a successful recovery after a traumatic injury or surgery. Hand therapy is the science of of evaluating and treating the upper extremities, which include the shoulder, elbow, arm, forearm, wrist and hand. Whether the patient's condition is the result of from trauma, disease, a congenital or an acquired deformity, Dr. Kotis is dedicated to serving the needs of his patients.

I have chosen to study athletic training because it allows me to still participate and be involved in sports as well as be able to help athletes recover from injuries while gaining valuable clinical experience for physical therapy. Growing up I have always had a love for sports but I have not been graced with the abilities to become a professional athlete. With my love for sports as a youth I watched a lot on television with my father and I would see athletes get injured and medical personnel rush out to their aid. When I found out they were athletic trainers and physical therapists, I knew that is what I wanted to do when I grew up. All throughout high school I was involved in sports and unfortunately had an injury or two. Although our school did not have an athletic trainer, I went to many different specialists and

The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes an occupational therapist as one who treats patients who are ill, injured, or disabled by the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working (2014-15).The Occupational Handbook describes the many jobs of these occupational therapists in steps. It states that the process begins with observing patients, interviewing them, and reviewing medical history. Once they evaluate the patient’s condition and needs, they develop a treatment plan that includes various activities to help them accomplish specific goals (2014-15). Occupational therapists can help with various disabilities in patients of all ages. For example, if an autistic child struggles with pinching the buttons on a shirt in order to button them, a therapist could give the child tasks such as beading, in order to teach them to grasp using two fingers (Sheryl Bos interview). They can also aid patients in learning how to operate special equipment and even educate a patient’s family or teacher/employer on how to accommodate and care for them (Occupational Handbook 2014-15). OTs can work in many settings as well. They are able to work in educational setting as well as mental settings. With this range, OTs can work in hospitals, schools, rehab centers, home health, or nursing care facilities (Occupational Handbook 2014-15). In order to become successful occupational therapists, the

As I progressed with my recovery, I helped out my athletic trainer in her room and around the complex and saw firsthand how important her job was. I had an interest in AT but I would not decide that was what I wanted to do as well until later. My next year in school I suffered a stress-fracture of the second metatarsal in my right foot during field hockey practice. Since this injury occurred during a school sanctioned event the athletic trainer had a more direct role in my recovery, however, we had gotten a new athletic trainer as our previous one got engaged and moved in with her boyfriend.

The occupational therapist, I interviewed was Lorena Ortiz, MS, OTR/L. She is from Columbia, South America and currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina, where she has been a resident for sixteen years. She has three sisters, one brother and a son that is two years old. She attended Brea High School her junior and senior year and later graduate from Mauldin High School. Her favorite subject in School was anatomy because she enjoyed learning about the human body and the way it functions. In her opinion of what an occupational therapist is, she stated, “Helping people become as independent with daily activities as they wish after injury or disease.” The facilities where she works are, Greenville Health System, PRN acute care/In-patient rehab and Greer Memorial Hospital, out-patient rehab fulltime. Other areas she has worked are, subacute, long term acute care orthopedics. She worked as an occupational therapist assistance at St. Francis Hospital for seven years. While she worked at St. Francis Hospital, she later went back to school, for her master’s degree,

The American Occupational Therapy Association(AOTA) offers continuing education (CE). They are recognized, by NBCOT, state licensure boards, specialty certification providers and employers.There are many areas to specialize in, in both adults and children needs. There are also areas in Health and wellness, mental health, productive aging rehab and disability, work and

This step lays the groundwork towards my expertise in athletic training. My schooling provides the opportunity to acquire the experience I will apply to different circumstances in the future, and permits me the ability to test my proficiency of the situations. Education forms the way I will react to distinct situations. With this necessary information, I will not only be confident in myself , but I will also have the same confidence in the decisions I make. As time goes on, continuing education will be an essential component which will aid in remaining up to date with regards to revised treatment plans and enhanced

What kind of career is Massage Therapy? A very interesting and productive career which I would enjoy pursuing. Some reasons that this would be a good career for me are that it pays well, education is not extensive, it helps others, and it is something I am good at and enjoy doing.

I didn’t know what I was going to study or what my plans for the future were. I began speaking with a variety of professionals in areas such as healthcare and business. During my pursuit of finding a career path I decided to observe a physical therapist as well as a physical therapist’s assistant at Northwest Ohio Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. While observing, I was able to view the physical therapist work with a diverse group of patients. One patient was a young athlete working towards rehabilitating a knee injury. Although this particular patient helped gain my interest in physical therapy, there was another patient that genuinely opened my eyes to the importance of physical therapy as a profession. This patient was a middle aged woman who had been in a car accident and had shattered multiple bones spanning from her foot up to her hip on one side of her body. When I met her, she had been working with physical therapists for months and was just beginning to get comfortable walking short distances. Meeting this woman changed my perception of the profession, and after these observations I decided physical therapy was what I ultimately wanted to do with my life. I began contemplating how I could use my strengths and make a difference in this career. Hopefully, from my knowledge of science obtained from the exercise science curriculum I would be able to develop new methods of

Colleges with a medical department often have a master’s program for physical therapy. (“Physical Therapists”) Physical therapy students have a required amount of field work in order to complete a program. Each candidate must work in an accredited workplace for the field work assignments. This part of the program is extremely valuable and helpful for a new therapist entering the field. Working one on one can be difficult even with all of the educational tools. (Curtis 37)