Why I Am An Occupational Therapist

Most of my professional life to date has focused on working with people with disabilities and in helping them identify and achieve their goals. As an occupational therapist, I had coursework in psychology, but no formal training in counseling. My ability to help my patients reach their highest potential really depended on my professional relationship, or what as therapists we referred to as “therapeutic use of self”. I certainly learned and used specific techniques and assessments over the years to help me achieve better outcomes, but never identified with any specific theory as the framework of my interactions. I recognize there were times when my personality and my skills were a great match and other times when I felt like I just couldn’t figure out the right approach. Thankfully for much of my career, I worked with an interdisciplinary team that included some very skilled psychologists, so I always had the ability to consult.

The career path I have chosen to enter upon the completion of my college major is in Occupational Therapy Assistance. Occupational Therapy is the medical treatment for people who are limited by mental health problems, the aging process, physical injury or illness, and learning or developmental disabilities. An Occupational Therapist Assistant, or OTA, is the assistant to the Occupational Therapists, or OT, and assists him or her in providing Occupational Therapy treatments and procedures. An Occupational Therapist Assistant may also assist in the development of treatment plans, direct activity programs, carry out routine functions, and document the progress of patients’ treatments. OTs and OTAs work together with their patients, and their goal is have their patients regain the highest ability of functionality in their daily lives.

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.

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."

When asked what I want to do with my life, my answer is simply to help others. Although this answer is one would expect to hear from just about anyone, I have always been encouraged by mentors and parents to do what I love. In my case, helping others brings me a great deal of satisfaction. The human body and how it is able to adapt has always been a fascination of mine, and from a young age I identified the health care field as an ideal fit for my interests in medicine, as well as my passion for helping others. With these two drives in mind, I found myself at the age of sixteen with a career goal in mind: Occupational Therapy.

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.

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.

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

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.

It is that excellent mentor or coach that leaves a mark in your life after going through a catastrophic situation. What if it is not simply done in the field and your needs are met simultaneously? I believe there is more to assisting patients then providing pills in an attempt to maintain health in our country. I want to make a positive impact on people's lives, contribute to society by enabling people of all ages and ability to engage in their regular activities of life. I want to help people and empower others to help themselves. For these reasons, I am passionate about pursuing a career in the field of Occupational Therapy at Adventist University Health Sciences.

A Chinese teacher named Confucius once said, "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work again." I strongly believe that by becoming a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, I will realize the truth of that statement.

The profession of occupational therapy is holistic, in which the professional can practice in with diverse populations in a variation of settings. The goal of an occupational therapist is to promote, enable, and encourage clients to fulfill occupations independently, such as planning and preparing a meal and balance checkbooks along with properly using a credit card. Since the origination of this career is in mental health, professionals have an imperative role in working with clients with severe mental illness to function daily and increase independence in fulfilling occupations that are meaningful to them.

I, Sydney Gabrielle Lewis, am from Texarkana, Texas. I have one sister named Courtney who is now a Pharmacist in Alabama. I am a Nutrition major with intentions of also pursuing a doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy. I love to go fishing, hiking, exercising, and hanging out with friends and family. I love cheesy jokes and puns.

My expectations for graduate school are to become highly competent as an Occupational Therapist in the professional world. This would include being educated of this field from various perspectives in addition to being equipped with the ability to reciprocate information accurately and confidently. I would expect the teacher to student ratio to be fairly low in order to be hands-on and get a profound understanding of the field. Also, I would expect the time dedicated to the classwork, projects and fieldwork to be an extensive amount more than the time that was dedicated in my undergraduate studies. In undergrad, I was highly involved in various clubs and organizations. However, I expect the exact opposite for graduate school. I expect that time