As a child I dreamt of becoming a professional figure skater. My family and I made many sacrifices in striving to attain this goal. I enrolled in home school and spent many early morning hours on the road in pursuit of elusive ice time. All through elementary, junior and senior high school I pursued my dream, but despite my best efforts and the best efforts of my support people, it was not to be. I once had a favorite coach say to me “you don’t learn anything through winning but it is through losing that you learn the most”. I learned a lot. In retrospect, the important thing wasn’t landing a double axel or winning a gold medal, but having the ability to set goals, work hard, win with humility and lose with grace. Setting goals, working …show more content…
In order for occupational therapy to be successful the OT must have the skills and personality necessary to instill that same faith and trust in their clients. While shadowing an OTD, Tamera Moore, I saw the faith her students put in her. She had been seeing many of her kids for 5+ years and they gave her their complete trust. Just like my coach had inspired me to do my best, she inspired these kids to do their best. I learned intuitiveness from my coach, Ralph, as well. He understood that while physically I may be capable of doing something, mentally it wasn’t going to happen for me. He was aware when he was able to push me, even if I wanted to stop, and when it was time to call it a day. Through my shadowing and volunteering I have seen how the actions to reach ones goals manifest different with each person and how an OTR must respond and adapt to the …show more content…
Not only did I meet new and exciting people of different backgrounds but I got the chance to explore subjects I never thought I would. I found that I enjoyed furthering my education. I was pulled in every direction with all the options available, theater, sociology, and political science just to name a few. Deciding a career path was very difficult. As my graduation date neared I decided on pursuing a degree in biology. Growing up in Alaska I loved the outdoors and I thought a career as a biologist could be exciting. What I’m thankful for now is that biology left the door open for me to pursue a different path. After graduation I began exploring careers in the health field. This would combine my love of sciences with my desire to be around and help people. Through volunteering and shadowing different fields I stumbled into occupational therapy. I enjoyed the cognitive aspect of OT. I felt while the diagnosis might be the same for a patient, their history and personal goals were different or there were different ways to get to the same place. I enjoyed the direct one on one time spent with patient. Seeing the patient from start to finish of them reaching their personal goals to become more independent and happy in their
I chose occupational therapy as a career for many reasons. I feel fulfilled when I help others. I want to enjoy my job and not work for money. Moreover, I want to help patients reach their goals because the outcomes make me feel proud. When my brother was little, he had a hard time grasping the pen to write. An Occupational Therapist used to come to our house a few times a week. I would see the therapist try to help my brother write. My mother recently told me that when I was younger, I said, "I want to be just like that therapist."
Cutting bits of me that cannot handle the pressure and stress; developing pieces of the more disciplined me; testing my concentration; forcing my mentality to be flexible; enlarging the best of me: my determination, integrity, confidence, ingenuity, independence. Ultimately, skating leaves me more focused, more disciplined and more confident. It shapes my character, reminding me that success only feels worthwhile if it has a bit of blood behind it; skating tells me to try again, to keep working. Perseverance has been my grace. And as my skating career comes to a close, I have taken the time to teach those around me. The young skaters I teach think I am inspiring them, but they change who I am, altering me into a more caring, compassionate person.
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
For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. These interests were most likely brought to life from my desire to want to help people and learn more about the human body. The experiences I’ve had throughout my life have brought me closer to the belief that I can one day make a difference in the world through medicine. All though I am not completely decided on what I would like my future career to be, I have been able to narrow my options down to a few of the many choices available.
I new that I could become good if I just tried the sport and I told myself this quote from the story and it said “...keep at it.” So I did at the end of the year I was ranked number two out of everyone in the school. I focused and at the end of the year I also realized that I was in love with the
Hard work and empathy were instilled in me at a young age and ultimately have guided my life decisions. I always knew I wanted a career doing something that involved helping people and left me feeling that I made a difference in their lives. I finished my undergraduate degree in Nutrition, but in the end lacked passion for the profession. Following a personal experience with an Occupational Therapist, I was able to see the positive outcome she had on my grandfathers recovery which lead me to pursue my career in occupational therapy.
The motivation to achieve my goals led me to attend The Ohio State University to obtain my bachelor degree in Biological Sciences. Throughout my college education, I volunteered and held paid positions at various hospitals throughout Columbus. I was always intrigued to learn what it takes to
I chose occupational therapy because it helps people with special needs or rehab stuff to help them get better and get through school or work days. What do occupational therapists do and who do they work with? “Occupational therapy services typically include: an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals, customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan (ACTA).” Occupational therapist often work with younger kids with special needs to help them make it through school but sometimes they work with
I love hearing their stories, and learning about their lives. I love being able to help them brush their teeth for the first time after a life-altering illness, or help them get a warm washcloth to wash their face. Occupational therapists are given a special and unique opportunity to be able to work everyday with people who are often at the lowest point in their life, and through skilled therapy are able to help them reach their full potential
I was immediately drawn to how Occupational Therapists help individuals restore basic functions that almost everyone takes for granted each day. I felt that this was a fitting career because I realized as an Occupational Therapist, I would be directly improving peoples
“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
Since then, Occupational therapy has become such an obvious choice for my career. There is no other job that is quite as client centered and works to one individual’s unique goals. I don’t have a story about someone in my life that went to a therapist and
My personal experience with Occupational therapy is watching my grandpa go through it; he had fallen in a parking lot and had sustained a traumatic brain injury. He had surgery but then had a long road of recovery ahead of him. He had gone from not being able to get out of a chair to being able to hold a toothbrush and brushing his teeth again over a few months. I would go visit him and would watch the occupational therapists work with him so he could gain some of his independence back. They would help show him tools to make things like putting on his socks easier for him. Once he was home he still needed to do exercises like walking, so I would put the gait belt on him and walk with him so he would not get hurt again. He also developed Parkinson’s and dementia so there were times that he struggled with understanding what to do so I have also had experience working with the mental aspect. Working with him and watching him recover is such a great and rewarding feeling and I want to experience that with my career. I know becoming an Occupational Therapist Assistant is what I am meant to
Occupational therapy is focused on developing creative ways to resolve problems in order to maximize independence, making these skills essential for the job. I am also goal oriented, self-motivated, and have a strong drive for academic excellence. Through volunteering in a variety of health settings, I have developed a great level of patience, as well as strong communication skills. I have experience in designing adaptive equipment through computer aided drafting and engineering courses. Through focusing my projects for these classes on adaptive equipment, I have gained spatial and visual skills, as well as an understanding of the importance of technology in occupational therapy. In addition, I have a very compassionate attitude and desire to help others. I believe that these traits, skills, and experiences, will contribute to my success as an occupational
By working with girls with varying levels of athleticism and knowledge, I was taught how to be a team player who builds off everyone’s skills. I also learned how to continue fighting even when you are losing the battle. I learned many lessons from games. I think the most important lesson I learned is you should never give up. Never giving up is important in sports as you can always come back and win. In light of all my reasons I chose to play a full-time summer sport, travel softball, instead of going on family vacations.