A Career In Occupational Therapy Research

The profession of occupational therapy is often mistaken for a job in which the therapist is a career counselor. This is the exactly what my dad had thought when I told him that I wanted to pursue a career in occupational therapy. I explained to him that occupational therapists are not concerned with career counseling; instead, they are focused on daily activities that give meaning to live. The goal of occupational therapy is to help patients regain or develop skills that are necessary for the activities of daily living. Occupational therapists have the option to work in a variety of settings including hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation centers, schools, and with patients in their own homes.

The Psychology Major’s Handbook by Tara L. Kuther gives a list of positions that Psychology majors can obtain with a bachelor’s degree. This list is helpful because only one-fourth of psychology majors go to graduate school immediately following graduation (Kuther, 2015, p. 170). Within this list, the occupation that caught my eye was that of an Occupational Therapist. Though one cannot be an Occupational Therapist with only a bachelor’s degree, one can be an Occupational Therapist Assistant (OTA) with a bachelor’s degree. With other training and licensure, an individual with a bachelor’s in psychology can work in the field of Occupational Therapy because psychology teaches one human service skills. Employers may not understand why a psychology major would be eligible for a job like Occupational Therapy; thus it is the responsibility of the applicant to explain their eligibility for the desired position (Kuther, 2015, p. 171).

This scholarship is very important to me in many ways.This scholarship will help me physically and emotionally if I receive money. For instance, it will make me stress less about how I am going to be able to pay for my tuition and fees and not have debt. Also, it will give me a way to purchase my books for the classes I will take.Since I will not receive financial aid I will have to apply for more scholarships. I plan to go to Northwest Shoals to be able to get my basics done and further my education and transfer to Wallace State to be able to become an Occupational Therapist it has always been a desire to work with many people and help someone out if they needed it. Some of my college goals is to be able to maintain a high GPA and do the

Occupational Therapy, as defined by WFOT is “a client-centered health profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by working with people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their occupational engagement”. Knowing the definition of Occupational Therapy is vital to understanding the history of it, and how far this field has evolved over the years.

While shadowing occupational therapy professionals at Montgomery General Hospital, I gained much insight into the profession and the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of a COTA. The entire facility caseload consisted of geriatric patients, and many of the diagnoses were due to cognitive deficits or recent falls due to weak lower extremities. Diagnoses observed were dementia, CVA, a hip fracture, a total knee replacement, osteoarthritis of the shoulder, bilateral upper extremity/lower extremity weakness, and total blindness.

Abraham Lincoln once said “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Both careers I have chosen fit my goals, however, one career seems to fit my goals better than the other. I have decided to choose between an Occupational Therapy Assistant and a Psychiatric Nurse. Someday, I want to have a family, I want a career that will financially support my family and I also want a career that I will love doing for years, until I am at the retirement age. I want to be able to be content with the career I choose, and not go back and forth between careers.

In this day and age, there are so many health careers out there most people don’t even know where to start when looking for an occupation that truly interest them. I’ve spent my whole life not knowing what I wanted to grow up to be and worrying about not knowing what to study in college. This past year I have recently been looking into Occupational Therapy. This form of therapy is to help those recuperating from physical or mental illness that encourages rehabilitation through the performance of activities required in daily life (What Is Occupational Therapy?, n.d.). People who work in this field are referred to as Occupational Therapist.

“What if there was a job that allowed someone to have endless flexibility and creativity; a profession that is respected and is in overwhelming demand... Most importantly, wouldn’t it be nice to find a job in which you could make an impact, big or small, on the lives of each individual person you worked with? I found this job and that is why I decided to pursue a degree in occupational therapy" (Springer, J., 2015). This testimonial comes from a practicing occupational therapist who has found value in his life's work. Occupational therapy is not a job where "one size fits all"; there are many different demographics of people who need occupational therapy in different environments. Although, all occupational therapists have the same skills

My career goal is to become an Occupational Therapist and specialize in pediatrics. I want to specialize in pediatrics because I have always loved to be around children and be able to help them in whatever they need. Also, pediatrics is important to me because kids are our future and if I can help kids for their future I will be glad to do so. Helping kids become more independent on their activities of daily living makes me happy because I am helping them to become more independent and make them feel like they can accomplish anything. In order to be able to do this I have to get a Master Degree and I plan on getting this degree from Loma Linda University. In five years I see myself working in the Occupational Therapy setting and working with kids. I see myself, making others

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational therapy assistants and aides help patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working.” OT Career Path.com also states that, “occupational therapy assistants assist with the rehabilitation and care of patients with mental, developmental, physical, social, and emotional disabilities” Occupational therapist may provide many different forms of service from setting up materials, moving a patient, explaining exercises, preparing reports and implementing treatment plan as prescribed by the Occupational Therapist. An OTA’s duties vary greatly an example of their duties include helping patients acquire fine

Every day we engage in various activities that we don’t think twice about. Activities such as dressing ourselves, brushing our teeth, feeding ourselves, and participating in several activities throughout the day come easily for many people. For others, however, these routine tasks can be a daily struggle. Fortunately, occupational therapists empower people in these circumstances to live functional lives, doing the things they enjoy despite any physical, psychological, or social circumstances that may hinder them. The time that I have spent working and observing with occupational therapists have cemented my desire to pursue this career. I am excited to join this amazing field and be afforded the ability to make a meaningful difference in people’s

I am planning to graduate with my bachelors in Therapeutic Recreation. I will then take that degree to enter the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. I have chosen this occupation because it makes me happy to assist the people who want to get back in the routine in life. My patients age from 3 years old all the way to 100. I love being active, and it requires plenty of energy. My patients may have delayed development or may have traumatic brain damage. Patience is an important skill to have. I will have to get my hands dirty sometimes, but not all jobs are clean. My mother is a special education teacher in a PIP class. It is truly rewarding to me to help her kids with eating breakfast, and to simple as assisting with writing their name.

Occupational therapy combines my two loves the medical field and working with special needs children. While being employed in the school system as an occupational therapist, I will be interacting and working with many different people on a daily basis. We will all be considered part of the support staff and will work together to help the children achieve their goals. I will also be keeping the parents updated on a weekly basis of their child’s progress, along with attending each child’s IEP (individual education plan) conference. Becoming an occupational therapist is a very long and hard journey. During the process I will be taking many difficult classes, learning about numerous disabilities, taking lots of tests, learning how to use adaptive

Families range in multitudes of shapes and forms; having the experience of providing my services via an interdisciplinary knowledge base at Therapeutic Links, without realizing it, I gained another family. Altogether, the team of occupational therapists, administrative assistants, volunteers and the clients themselves provide the greatest potential in the success of therapy. Activities of greeting families new and old equipped with emotions ranging of sadness, defeat and sorrow to determination, delight and success evolved naturally. The opportunity to work hands on by assisting therapists in their sessions allowed me to observe, learn, and apply my knowledge in the field. The extra set of hands allowed for occupational therapists to focus

Occupational therapy is a passport to experience in clinical practice as well as the social care. From a young age, I have perceived the ways in which Science has helped various people overcome medical difficulties; this enabled me to recognise the power of healthcare and how strongly it affects a person’s life.