Zipping up your jacket, tying your shoes, folding your clothes, and cookinng dinner are all task that are done on a daily basis by most people who don’t have to think twice about them. However, these are skills that many people can struggle with. To combat this, we have people in the health care field that are specially trained not only to teach these skills, but to teach adaptations for how to do these skills in varying different ways. This field of medical care is occupational therapy (OT).
The goal of an occupational therapist is to help people become independent in their daily activities through customized treatment programs. Occupational therapists provide adaptation recommendations for certain processes as well as teach their patients
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However, research extends so much further than that and can be clearly seen in the field of occupational therapy. In the OT field, research is very useful as it can provide evidence for different types of techniques that will be beneficial to clients. Occupational therapy involves nature based intervention where they are exploring how these techniques work within a patient’s natural environment (Wagenfeld et. al., 2017). There is a growing demand for occupational therapists as people learn more about what their expertise can be used for. In one research study, they looked at the mental state of many correctional officers working in correctional facilities. To try to improve their mental state, the research team included occupational therapists as they were able to provide naturalistic interventions that could be used on the job to help with the improvements that were being looked at (Wagenfeld, 2017). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016) there is estimated to be a 21% growth in this field. Kendra explained the growth that she is seeing surrounding her field as more events are occurring to perpetuate the need. Events such as the Flint Water Crisis are calling more attention to the field as occupational therapists will be on the team that can help those who are affected by this disaster recover in learning their daily living
According to the United States Department of Labor they explain that, “Occupational therapists treat patients with illnesses, Injuries, and disabilities through therapeutic use of everyday activities. Occupational therapist help patients recover, improve, and develop the skills
When searching for a career, many people want a job that will be rewarding. One job that fulfills this need is an occupational therapy assistant. An occupational therapy assistant, also known as an “OTA,” is someone who makes it possible for people to achieve everyday tasks which they normally could not do. These tasks include eating, getting dressed, bathing, and many more “typical” tasks. It is not easy to become an OTA. There is a long process that needs to be completed. This includes, difficult college classes, applying to an OTA program, licensing, training, and certifications. Many other factors come into play when deciding if being an occupational therapy assistant is the right career such as, salary, job outlook, job opportunities,
Though occupation usually refers to a job, a person’s occupation is initially determined by what their everyday life consists of. When a person becomes incapable of performing the tasks that they are expected to do in their everyday life due to developmental delays, physical injury, or psychological problems they are often referred to an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists, or OTs, usually have occupational therapy assistants, often called OTAs. The OT gives the OTA a set of objectives to help the patient achieve. Since people go through numerous occupations during the course of their lives, OT’s and OTA’s prov...
After a person reads this article, I can highlight some of the main points in the article to give them a better understanding of what is occupational therapy is in the psychosocial aspect. It is important for me to keep this article on hand because if someone wants to look up what I do and they do not know where to begin, I can give them this article to read to get a basic understanding of what I do and they can get an idea of what to research. This article is not only for clients and client’s friends and family, but it can be used for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistances. This article can be used as a refresher for a therapist if they are having a hard time remembering something about this
"Occupational Therapy." KidsHealth. Ed. Wendy Harron. The Nemours Foundation, 01 July 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2014 .
Occupational therapy has a multifaceted nature providing endless opportunities to serve a wide range of people within many environments, which is just one of the reasons I love this occupation. My long term goals enlist the desire to maximize my knowledge and abilities to care and supplement the lives of anyone that may cross my path in this career. I have seen occupational therapy positively impact the lives of people around me, and I strive to be a bigger role on the team helping make that happen.
My immediate goals after obtaining an Occupational Therapy degree include gaining clinical expertise through a practice of my choice and motivating as many people as I can to achieve their goals. I plan to participate in evidence-based research in order to improve patient outcomes while spreading this knowledge through community education and prevention programs. After establishing myself in the field and gaining the necessary resources, I intend to collaborate with a team of like-minded
Occupational therapy is a career focused on helping people who have or are at risk for developing an illness, injury, disease, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity limitation, or participation restriction. An OT’s scope of practice may involve addressing “the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory, and other aspects of performance to support engagement in everyday life activities that affect health, well-being, and quality of life” (Definition of Occupational Therapy Practice for the AOTA Model Practice Act, 2017). I don’t feel like occupational therapy is the right career for me because I feel like I lack certain characteristics that someone in this profession should have.
I find occupational therapy to pique my drive to teach people valuable life skills as well as learn from those people and their experiences. Being an occupational therapist would allow me to have one-on-one interactions with patients and establish meaningful relationships over the course of time. It would also give me the dutiful privilege and responsibility of instilling confidence in others and helping them realize their full potential in self-suffiency. All of my personal experiences, challenges, educational backgrounds, and professional interactions have guided me toward pursuing my goals of gaining experience working in all populations, enabling patients to thrive in their daily lifestyle, and spread public awareness of what OT has
Occupational therapy made its first appearance in a modern-day setting during the 18th century; however, occupational therapy dates back to 100 BC. The United States medical system adopted occupational therapy in the 19th century. In 1910, occupational therapy became a realized profession. Then, the main focus was working with individuals to get them to a fully functional state. Around 1930, standards of practice were developed for occupational therapists (OT’s). The career continues to evolve and change as new illnesses and disabilities arise. Even with all the changes, the main focus remains intact: helping people.
An occupational therapist becomes trained and licensed in the healthcare profession and obtains the credentials to make a complete assessment of the impact of an injury that is causing the activities of the patient at home and in work situations
Occupational therapy was based off of psychology; we evolved from treating mentally ill patients with isolation as an efficient treatment plan. We must never forget we are known to be “the art and science of helping people do the day-to-day activities that are important and meaningful to their health and well being through engagement in valued occupations” (Crepeau, Cohn, & Schell, 2008). To other professional disciplines this article explains the difference between each of us, yet can also express our relation to one another. The basic goal of all therapeutic disciplines is to better our clients life, through physical, speech or occupational therapy. Every discipline targets different goals, may it be body mechanics, reducing a stutter or buttoning a shirt, at the end of the day our clients well being may it be through science, art or both is all that matters. To the occupational therapy field this article means progress for what we do. Reading this article today in the year 2015 did not seem like old information to me, it is still relevant, I am proud that our field is not only evolving with contemporary time but it is also maintaining its
Occupational science in practice enables therapists to understand the patient as an occupational being, thus enabling the therapist to implement assessments that are occupationally focused, especially during the early stages of the occupational therapy process.
field of occupational therapy and how this fit my aspiration to make a difference in peoples lives. At this
Cole, M. B., & Tufano, R. (2008). Applied theories in occupational therapy: A practical approach. Thorofare, New Jersey, United States of America: Slack Inc.