AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER...
Occupational therapy is a unique health care field that has the goal of restoring independence, mobility, and an overall sense of well being to its patients. There are a number of different branches of occupational therapy, as OTs can practice in pediatric, geriatric, inpatient, and outpatient settings, just to name a few. Occupational therapy uses purposeful and meaningful activities to allow patients to be able to function on their own--something that most people take for granted until they are actually in that position. Occupational therapy is a profession that has a lot of "personality;" OTs must be compassionate, caring, patient individuals with excellent interpersonal communication skills. The results of occupational therapy are extremely meaningful for both the therapist and the patient. The therapist has the incredible feeling that he or she has helped significantly improve the life of the patient, and the patient has an overall sense of healing, both physically and psychologically.
AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER...
Occupational therapy is a unique health care field that has the goal of restoring independence, mobility, and an overall sense of well being to its patients. There are a number of different branches of occupational therapy, as OTs can practice in pediatric, geriatric, inpatient, and outpatient settings, just to name a few. Occupational therapy uses purposeful and meaningful activities to allow patients to be able to function on their own--something that most people take for granted until they are actually in that position. Occupational therapy is a profession that has a lot of "personality;" OTs must be compassionate, caring, patient individuals with excellent interpersonal communication skills. The results of occupational therapy are extremely meaningful for both the therapist and the patient. The therapist has the incredible feeling that he or she has helped significantly improve the life of the patient, and the patient has an overall sense of healing, both physically and psychologically.
AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER...
Occupational therapy is a unique and creative healthcare profession that strives to get people who have some type of disability or illness to be able to complete activities of daily living (eg. brushing teeth and grooming), engage in meaningful occupations (doing what is important to them), and be able to fulfill their roles in life (eg. father, husband, brother, teacher, artist, etc.). The profession is extremely diverse and there are over 20 areas of practice that OTs can work in. Being an OT requires a sound knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, sensation and perception, as well as a strong background in abnormal and cognitive psychology to be able to understand any mental illnesses or cognitive disorders that clients may have. Even more importantly, OTs must be very analytical and creative to be able to design treatment plans that are client-centered and unique to each individual client. OTs must be very caring and compassionate individuals who can put themselves in the shoes of their clients, and relate to their specific disability or illness. In short, OT engages people back into their lives. It often has the power to heal people in ways that surgery or a pill cannot.