College Admissions Essay: Occupational Therapy

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.

Children with many different disabilities need the intervention of an occupational therapist; therefore, occupational therapists work in the school systems. Elderly people often begin to lose their physical ability to do certain tasks, so there are occupational therapists working in nursing homes or providing in home care. Many athletes suffer sports injuries that cause them to lose their ability to do daily activities, and occupational therapists are available to them in rehabilitation centers and hospitals. These are just a few of the many scenarios where occupational therapists are available; they can also work in orthopedic centers, colleges, mental health settings, and drug and alcohol settings (Hoffman & Harris, 2000, p. 405). Due to the fact that occupational therapists can often specialize to a certain type of patient, it may be helpful to hold a job in college where one could learn how to work with that group of people. For instance, if a prospective occupational therapy student wants to work in a preschool for students with special needs after they graduate then it may be beneficial to hold a job as an assistant preschool teacher. Similarly, if the goal of an occupational therapy student is to provide their service to elderly people then training and working as a CNA would provide both useful experience and medial

I’m currently working in the health care field as a Patient Care Technician. My job is to assist patient with their ADL’s, and becoming a therapist, I will encourage patients and help them to function Independently with their ADL’s. I’m very nervous and excited about becoming an occupational therapist assistance because I’m fearful of different challenges that will come being a therapist. Can I perform my duties successful as a therapist? I’m I going to feel like a failure when a patient is not progressing the way they should? I’m also feeling excited because, I will get the chance, to make a difference in someone’s life, by helping them function back to their occupations independently as possible before their injury, disabilities, or

Occupational Therapy is a vital segment of the health care field. Individuals in this profession make a difference in the lives of others by helping their patients function effectively despite their disability, illness, or injury. They help by teaching patients many activities of daily living tasks which can include, grooming, toileting, dressing, eating, mobility, and much more! Along with the daily living tasks, Occupational Therapy helps individuals to be productive and successful in ways they want to be, like going school, taking care of others, managing their homes, preparing meals. Most importantly, they help their patients adapt to their environments and increase their independent function by helping them perform tasks with as little help from others as possible. Without Occupational Therapy, some patients with temporary disabilities could have a permanent disability. If individuals receive the Occupational treatments, they can prevent the loss of function.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant lab at University of Charleston is unavailable after normal business hours to complete tasks hands on and to work on homework effectively; with no computer lab available for additional knowledge on the subjects, OTA students of University of Charleston is at a hindrance, resulting in tasks being completed off campus. The OTA program is at an educational disadvantage because the main resources are limited to a Monday through Friday schedule, which entitles students to rely on unscholarly articles and websites for information.

It became very clear to me the role of Occupational Therapist in changing people’s mind about people with disabilities. There are many people with severe disabilities, however I feel as if, the society also chose to see what they can’t do and miss to see how capable they truly are. People often give up right away and most of the time hopelessness tend to takes over and blinds us from the possibilities of getting back into our feet and live the life we want. Julia Tavalaro’s story taught me that patience and persistence can a long way. Both occupational therapists on these short stories did not give up on helping their patients improve their daily lives. They work harder than their patients to find practical and realistic approaches to not only enhance the quality of their patients life, but also to boost self-worth and dignity. Reading success stories just like these fuels my desire to become occupational therapist. As a person who has so much love and passion for life, I want others to love theirs as

Becoming an Occupational Therapist is a goal that I have been working hard to achieve my whole life and know it’s a field that I will be highly successful in. From a young age, I knew that I wanted to work in a field that helped people. I have dedicated my life to achieving this dream. I have given up breaks from school to observe therapists or to volunteer at Equestrian Zone, a facility that provides hippotherapy and therapeutic riding. I first learned about occupational therapy through a family I was close to growing up who has a daughter with Rett Syndrome.

Occupational Therapists “ I believe that the therapist’s function should be to help people become free to be aware and to experience their possibilities” (“Rollo May Quotes”). This is a quote by rollo may, and he trying to let people know anybody is capable to experience possibilities or changes in their lives. Occupational Therapy assistants and aides help patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintaining the skills patients need for a daily living. Occupational therapists work with directly providing all the therapy they can to the patients. Pursuing a career as an Occupational Therapist’s is a challenging and great career for those who want to work with children to build bonds and enjoy assigned tasks.

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.

First of all, I was fortunate to witness in my work, Bridges Montessori School, the positive impact that occupational therapy had on students with cognitive, physical and sensory disabilities. I observed a variety of occupational therapists assisting students with tasks such as grasping a pencil, tying their shoelaces, or master their problem solving skills. I watched students overcome their disabilities, get re-integrated into the classroom, and become equals with their classmates. I realized that, as I had pushed my students academically, the occupational therapist pushed them to overcome their limitations and reach to their highest potential. I think this is an important lesson to instill in every future patient. No matter how large or small the efforts might seem all progress counts. Secondly, I witnessed my best friend, Kelli, fight Chordoma cancer for two years until she succumbed to the disease. We discussed her treatments and she informed me of her weekly therapeutic sessions with an occupational

Keeping a patient motivated, active, and engaged in the process is always important “it’s our foundation of Occupational Therapy Practice”. I would be extremely pleased to see my patients happy, smiling and slowly improving over time. I want to be there for them and help them as much as I know I can. I want to be a person who changes a life. My goal is to see my patients being able to regain abilities once again, for them not to give up and for them to show me that in the end it was worth it and I made someone regain

A young man with a spinal cord injury who must learn how to walk again. An elderly individual who can’t remember anything from the past day and needs help running errands. Both are activities that an occupational therapist would help with. An occupational therapist’s help citizens who have physical, mental, or developmental set-backs. Occupational therapists work hard at fulfilling people’s lives that have been altered due to injury or a disability.

1. Job Description: What is the Job? What do these people do for a living? I won’t to be Therapists because I have always been interested in why people may do something or why they may behave a certain way. A therapist provides metal heath help and supports you with whatever you’re going though.

As Celia got more comfortable she began to tell me that she first got exposed to the field of occupational therapy through volunteer opportunities, as a high school student. Celia began to volunteer at an assisted living center for elderly people, as well as for the Gillette Children’s rehab facility. She originally went into Occupational Therapy (OT) School thinking she wanted to work with the elderly population. Nonetheless, once she completed her internships she had the chance to get more real-world knowledge experience with a diversity of residents, and establish new relationships working with children and

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.