A Study On Occupational Therapy Essay

A clinical situation that has taken place that has enabled me to incorporate the “Occupational Therapy Practice Framework Domain and Process (3rd Ed.)” (AOTA, 2014) into my approach was when an individual that has had a car accident during an ice storm. We will refer to this individual as Jane. She was a 55 year old housewife that was the primary caretaker of her husband who had suffered a stroke a few years ago. Jane took care of all the home management as well as transportation and health care needs for her husband. Jane was very active in her community as well as her family that lived several hours away.

The occupational therapy profession shares many objectives across the communities, clients, and families they serve. Some of these aims include: “Developing the field of occupational therapy and enhance the professions capabilities to meet the needs of the entire population, providing evidence on the efficacy of occupational therapy. This includes working with organizations and local communities, incorporating education, research, and practices as a complete whole. In addition, developing a team of professionals that innovates and adapts to the developing health needs of the population” (AOTA, 2013). This includes advocacy efforts with policymakers to ensure continued funding to provide care to individuals (AOTA, 2013). Occupational therapy is a distinctive profession that helps

Participation is an important piece in the field of occupational therapy. Given that different factors influence participation and when people have a choice in the activity, it increases participation, then the more someone actively participates in occupational therapy, the better their outcome of therapy will be. In her piece, Participation in the Occupations of Everyday Life, Mary Law focuses on this idea that participation in meaningful activity is key to effective occupational therapy. I may not be old and experienced but, I am old enough to be able to relate the information in this article to my life.

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

I am thankful for having the opportunity of applying to the Occupational Therapy program at Abilene Christian University (ACU). My decision of becoming an occupational therapist arose my sophomore year in North Lake College. Ever since, I have worked toward taking the prerequisites and then transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington, where I obtained by bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. So later, I could pursue obtaining my master’s in Occupational Therapy. I am applying to the occupational program at ACU because, it is a Christian school, its excellent degree plan, along with experienced faculty, and my eagerness about of becoming an occupational therapist would equip me with the tools I need to perform the occupation with quality and humanity. I am ready to commit and serve others by putting to use what I have learned from occupational therapy experiences and to take advantage of all the resources the program has to offer.

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,

Way back when I first started college, my priorities were not clear. I knew I wanted to do something that I can be proud of, it was only a matter of what do I really want that will fill my life and complete me as a person. I was in the manufacturing field since I was 19 years old and yet, I felt a hole in my heart. I got to a point where I stop growing as an individual and it became apparent that I wanted to do something more significant. That void became the fuel to pursue something bigger and life changing. I tried to dig deep and really tried to figure out what I want in life and at the same time I started taking classes that can go towards any degree in the medical field. Taking care of people has always been a part of me. I took care of

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.

Therapeutic METHOD (with citation): Using a compensatory approach will allow the client to engage in the meaningful task of performing meal-prep and cleanup in her own kitchen. With the guidance of an occupational therapist, registered (OTR), Mrs. Hernandez will learn how to use an enlarged-handle knife in a natural setting (Deshaies, 2013) by preparing the vegetable pasta dish for her and her husband (minimal cutting to see her tolerance with the assistive device). The OTR will teach the client work simplification strategies in meal prep task using the enlarged-handle knife, enlarged-handle pans, and the cibocal assistive food cutting board to maximize effective gross grasp and avoid ulnar deviating pressures (Deshaies, 2013). Additionally, OTR will reinforce the training with proper body mechanics and posture (Deshaies, 2013). The OTR will not only demonstrate but also provide both verbal and written instructions on the proper use of the assistive devices, how to avoid static positioning, and positions of deformity, which may apply significant force to the MCP joints (Deshaies, 2013).

An occupational therapist specializes in treating ill, injured, or disabled patients. They assist these patients to broaden, recover, and improve skills for everyday living and working. Occupational therapists have many duties and responsibilities such as evaluated a patient’s condition and needs, develop a treatment plan for patients, demonstrate exercises, assess and record a patient’s progress, etc. Patients with physical disabilities generally need assistance in performing daily tasks, to do these tasks they may need certain equipment. Therapists will recommend the appropriate equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches, and leg braces. Often therapists evaluate a patient’s home or workplace to see if there needs to be improvements to allow for a more functional work place.

I have a busy life, but staying busy keeps me productive! When I am not working on school work or hostessing, I like to pass the time by running, swimming, or reading. I also like to volunteer or babysit when the opportunity arises. A day where I get to relax but also help others is a great day in my opinion. Becoming an occupational therapist, preferably in a children’s hospital, is my career path of choice. I think my interests can translate into my vocational plans. This occupation appears to be a very rewarding one. Helping someone improve their abilities and help them achieve something they never thought they would be able to do is incredible. In addition, I want to become a successful high school cross country and track coach. I have

Occupational therapy has been in the process of continued development since the 1900’s. With several contributors helping to build the groundwork for creating the awareness needed to bring occupational therapy into the field of health care. Continued research is contributing to the ongoing significance of how occupational therapy is a vital aspect in promoting increased independences in all aspects of healthcare. (Willard, Schell, 2014) With the incorporation of “Occupational Therapy Practice Framework Domain and Process (3rd ed.)” helps creates the foundation for occupational therapy clinicians as well as other health care providers in facilitating the core believe of occupational and the relationship of health and occupation. (AOTA 2014) Therefore, providing a uniform outline of the various aspects of each individual and how they are interconnected to create the foundation of each individual. With a greater understanding of the foundations of that induvial, the clinician can then facilitate the best therapeutic treatment plan for that individual to achieve their personal goals with unified foundations of care.

An occupational therapist is a trained and licensed health care professional who can make a complete evaluation of the impact of disease on the activities of the patient at home and in work situations. Hobbies and recreational activities are considered when an assessment is made. The most generally accepted definition of occupational therapy is that it is an activity, physical or mental, that aids in a patient’s recovery from disease or injury.

Occupational therapy is a client centered activity concerned with promoting health through performing certain tasks. The primary goal is to equip people in recovery with life skills in their everyday life.