My Internship With The Mesa County Valley School District 51

Ever since I was a child, people always asked me what I would like to be when I grew up. At first, I would always say that I wanted to become an engineer because of my love for hands-on learning and my exceptional problem-solving skills. However, when I grew older I found that similar spark of fascination in the medical field. I wanted to go into a profession where I could help others and use my love for problem solving and hands-on interest. This is when I became interested in occupational therapy and fell in love with the profession. Occupational therapy has several elements I find passion in such as, the ability to be hands on and help change other people’s lives in a positive manner. My goal in life is to become an occupational therapist and help others live independent lives again. As I work to obtain this goal, I am doing many things such as strengthening my writing skills because this major involves many various aspects of writing. To succeed in this field, one needs to be able to write strong research-based papers and cite all sources correctly. I am striving to master these skills in hopes that I can succeed in and accomplish my academic goals.

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

My life's journey is aspiring to further my education to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) as well as acquiring the credentials for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Upon achieving a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, I plan to apply my skills in a rehabilitation setting focusing on individuals with disabilities. My goal is to make an impact in the lives of many families and to empower these individuals to strive to their fullest potential. Furthermore, I find it gratifying helping individuals reach their goals and most importantly their dreams. I am currently working with the community and volunteering with the Autism Services Clinic at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Assisting children with special needs has been an exceptional

If you like working in a fast paced environment, the news industry is the place to be. Walking into the news field I had a few ideas of what to expect, as in working holidays, finding unique stories to cover and being inside a noisy news room. During my internship at WBRC FOX6 News, I learned how to operate multiple cameras and other equipment in the studio for different news segments. I was able to work with a variety of reporters, learn about their experience from being on camera and going out in the field to cover different stories. The most interesting thing I learned was that if a reporter is not able to make it back to the station in time to get their package made, they can use their laptop to edit their footage and still send it in

As a member of Phi Theta Epsilon, I will continue to pursue my occupational therapy degree in the presence of other highly motivated students that share the same values and the same desire to contribute to the continued growth and promotion of our profession. I will continue to seek the knowledge and experience necessary for me to become the best occupational therapist that I can be for my future clients with the support of Phi Theta Epsilon. I will demonstrate continued academic excellence and professionalism through my role in positively representing occupational therapy at Alvernia. I am excited for the opportunity to represent occupational therapy not only here at Alvernia, but also within the larger community as well.

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.

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

The concepts and principles in the Founding Vision of 1917 and the Centennial Vision of 2007 establish a connection between our past and present. Comparing the two Visions shows that many of our modern day values were first outlined by occupational therapy’s founders a century ago. The Founding Vision reads, “The particular objects for which the corporation is formed are as follows: The advancement of occupation as a therapeutic measure; for the study of the effect of occupation upon the human being; and for the scientific dispensation of this knowledge” (National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy [NSPOT], 1917). Where the Centennial Vision reads, “We envision that occupational therapy is a powerful, widely recognized, science-driven,

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

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,

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 opportunity to attend the Inter-OT School Legislative Workshop offered insight into the future Occupational Therapy (OT) in the United States and how I— a future therapist can advocate for change and ensure the future and strength of the profession. Within the 3-hour event, I gained a tremendous amount of understanding of OT’s future, various funding sources from the federal government, projected demands of the field in the future, and further insight to the critical work of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and its Director of Health Policy & State Affairs, Chuck Willmarth, CAE.

Working with this pediatric client has given me some of the experience that I need to thrive in the Recreational Therapy major. During my time at Western, so far, I feel as if I have expressed this interest through service learning. The service learning opportunity that I completed was creating placemats for children that are within

Next, I volunteered at an inpatient rehabilitation center where I saw one-on-one occupational therapy sessions involving activities and tasks that focused on fine motor skills, range of motion, and ADLs. I also observed fine motor skill groups and served as a helper in a volleyball game for patients. At my last site, I shadowed a hand therapist at an outpatient facility and learned about hand exercises, splints, and desensitization

The internship that I acquired during the summer of 2010 at the Greenwood Sports and Industrial Rehabilitation Center (GSIRC), allowed me to gain an immeasurable amount of experience during my tenure at this facility. Within this period, the exposure to new concepts within the physical therapy industry allowed me to observe and work hands on with patients of all ages and disabilities that exposed me to various treatment plans and programs to restore client’s mobility. The essential Physical Education and Exercise Science (PEES) courses taken at Lander University were beneficial to my academic knowledgebase, which prepared me and developed me for the opportunity within the physical therapy discipline. Working as