Occupational Therapy Personal Statement

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.

Growing up, I have been an individual who has pushed myself beyond the minimum requirements in order to succeed. In high school I excelled in both academics and athletics. I graduated in the top 10% of my class and lettered in hockey and tennis my sophomore, junior, and senior year. I worked hard and put in extra time in order to set myself apart from others. Succeeding in both school and athletics made me a responsible, reliable, and an organized individual. These experiences made me a versatile individual and have given me a work ethic that has benefited me with my academics in college and with my work and volunteer experiences.

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

With my past work experiences as a case manager, I 've had various meetings about what services my clients were going to need and what my involvement was going to be in meeting their needs. This has helped me strengthen my communication skills and I have learned to talk to a variety of different individuals. I especially find myself to have confidence which has also helped me sound relaxed and approachable when meeting someone for the first time. With this in mind I felt positive I was going to do well on my interview reflection assignment for my Introduction to Occupational Therapy class.

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.

When I came to SLU, I had trouble finding where I fit in. I tried club volleyball and Greek life, but I never felt that those places were where I belonged. Finally, I joined Alpha Phi Omega (APO), a service fraternity on campus, but I still was not as involved as I wanted to be. While APO taught me about the importance of leadership, friendship, and service, I knew I wanted to be involved in an organization that would support me professionally in my future career. Thus, when I started my junior year, I realized that the occupational therapy community at SLU was where I belonged, and Pi Theta Epsilon could provide me an opportunity to merge the two together.

I was at ease because I was in the best hands when my father sat me up on a table to wrap my sprained ankle after a reckless fall in gymnastics. He lectured me while handing me crutches and pulling me back onto my feet. “You have to take it easy until it heals,” he said as he continued to demonstrate how to properly apply my own bandages, ice my ankle and safely walk. This occurrence was not something new to me. Growing up, I was often inspired by the struggles my father underwent as an Asian immigrant fighting to open his own primary care clinic in America. However this gave me the freedom to interact directly with patients to educated people on how to promote their health and the steps to take in order to recover and return to their original lifestyles. My father’s influence and tenacious work ethic instilled in me the dedication to provide the best care possible throughout all my experiences and cultivated my desire to become an occupational therapist.

“Hello, Can I help You?” is a touching story. It did not only motivate me more to become an Occupational Therapist but it made me look forward to the future where I can help people feel better, happier, and more fulfilled of their lives. I have always been fascinated by the works of Occupational Therapists. Seeing them in the milieu where I work helps me stay on track and have more sense of direction in life. Meeting patients at work just like Jacqueline Goldberg opens multiple opportunities for me to learn and get a better and deeper understanding of people with disability. In Jacquline’s story, I learned that the Occupational Therapy treatment process is not just a typical in-and-out treatment routine. The story opened my eyes to a different level of patient-healthcare provider relationship and how that relationship can completely change someone’s

I have had many experiences that may have an impact on my career as an Occupational Therapist. When my grandfather suffered a stroke in 2009, I watched therapist closely and asked many questions so that when he was discharged I would be able to help out at home. Occupational therapist helped my grandfather learn how to do basic daily activities again which he could no longer do due to the stroke. Going through this life changing experience I believe will have an impact on my career as an occupational therapist. The compassion and knowledge shown to my family and I during this time is something I can use when I begin my career as an occupational Therapist. When my granddad was in the rehab center after suffering from a massive stroke I closely

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

When I was 16, my grandfather suffered a severe stroke and was sent to a rehabilitation center. At that time, I had never heard of a profession called occupational therapy. Upon visiting my grandfather, I witnessed several health care professionals working to rehabilitate him. I have always wanted to pursue a profession in which I could help people, and I thought physical therapy would best complement my natural abilities. I met the occupational therapist to this day I don’t remember her name, but as I watched her work with my grandfather I realized that I had found what I was looking for.

Exemplar three shows evidence of my personal experience, which has strengthened my ability to relate to clients and my passion for occupational therapy. It has also allowed me to demonstrate my understanding of a range of techniques, in

I have always known what “therapy” was. Ever since I was a child I knew it was something that had magical powers to heal people or make people feel better. “Occupational therapy” on the other hand, I have only gotten to know the term, and the science and profession behind the work 3 years ago when I chanced upon a volunteering opportunity – and I have never looked back since. Upon graduating highschool, I had a “stable degree” mindset, and had set my sights on becoming an engineer. I took up Chemical Engineering as it was a course that I felt would lead me to a stable, prestigious career; one that would make my family proud.

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.

For each of us, there comes a time when we can look back and pinpoint the exact day that altered the course of our life, for me, one of those days was April 13, 2010. I was 14 years old when I fell off my bike and broke my elbow. After consulting multiple orthopedics, I was told I would never regain my range of motion, but with the help of a certified hand therapist, I was able to regain full range of motion and prove the doctors wrong. Months later I had surgery to reconstruct my elbow that had not healed properly, but again I was able to regain full range of motion thanks to my therapist. While the doctors were able to fix my arm, it was the therapists who were able to give me my quality of life back. It was at this moment that I knew I wanted to be a therapist. During my freshman year of college, I began to develop an ulnar claw which eventually led me to undergo ulnar nerve transposition surgery. After spending countless hours with a certified hand therapist I knew this was what I wanted to spend my life doing. I had been going to school with plans of applying to physical therapy school, but the experience I had recovering from ulnar nerve transposition led me to alter my course of study and transfer schools. Today no one would ever know that I had something wrong with my arm or hand other than the scars which motivate me and remind me of the impact an occupational therapist had on my life, and my ultimate goal; become an occupational therapist.