Sometimes, the best career choices arise from personal experience.
"I was a patient receiving occupational therapy services and became interested
in the field. I wanted to be able to give to others some measure of the help
I got from my therapists," says Tom Wright, an occupational therapist in Texas.
Wright credits his occupational therapist with his successes, even though
he was treated well by other health workers. "I honestly believe that the
occupational therapists helped me more in my time of need than all the doctors
and other health-care professionals that treated me."
Wright works with elderly patients. This group of people faces a range
of challenges. For instance, they may have to deal with a stroke, breathing
problems, or knee or hip replacements. If they get sick and end up in hospital,
they will need expert assistance to relearn everyday tasks once they're
back at home.
Wright's job is to assist his elderly clients with daily living skills.
"Activities of daily living include such things as dressing, bathing, cooking,
cleaning, personal hygiene and psycho-social skills," he notes. Sometimes,
an OT might not be successful in trying to help the patient relearn or regain
skills.
Occupational therapists have to make some pretty important decisions. For
example, they must determine if it's safe for some clients to live by
themselves. "Results of our work many times determine whether or not a
patient ends up in a nursing home for the rest of his or her life. This is
a tremendous responsibility to take on."
Wright says there are a lot of positives in this profession. He himself
knows that his hard work contributes to his client's success. "The best
days are the days that I get to a patient's home and I am told that he
or she has been able to perform a task that in the past was impossible."
These impossible tasks can be something as second nature as reaching for
a glass or answering the phone. "There is no greater feeling than the one
I get when I feel that I have played a role in assisting someone reach greater
independence, thereby increasing their quality of life."
Other people in occupational therapy enjoy this reward. Mercedes Mendosa
works with children with challenging illnesses at a cerebral palsy facility
in New York City.
"I work with kids and I like to see the progress they make. With adults,
you don't get to see the same kind of progress."
Mendosa gives one example out of many that are typical in her line of work.
"There was one child with cerebral palsy who was here for five years. I had
her since she was eight months old.
"When she came here, she was screaming and scratching at her face, and
she couldn't walk. She sat up, that's about it. She has a lot of
sensory problems -- she doesn't like her hands or her face to be touched."
As the years passed, Mendosa watched her patient grow into a playful and
happy kid who was learning to overcome her challenges.
"Well, it's been five years and now she's leaving. She's
walking with a walker, speaking and feeding herself. It's great to see
how far she's come over the years."
Occupational therapy takes a lot of compassion, but it also takes a professional
attitude to do this kind of work.
"You learn through the years to detach yourself," confesses Mendosa.
"In the beginning, I was very emotional. Then I got used to it. I have
to remember, they're not mine, they're going home," she says of
her patients.
Every day is different for an OT because every patient is different. This
means an OT's work is diverse.
An OT's day will usually start at the desk. There, the OT will plan
their day and review patient files. Sometimes new patients will arrive as
referrals from insurance companies. These companies will often refer clients
to OTs in order to get them back to health.
A typical case might involve a person injured so badly in a motor vehicle
accident that returning to work is impossible. In this case, the victim would
seek compensation from their insurance company. In this type of case, it would
be the OT's job to examine the details of the situation and advise on
further rehabilitation, the purchasing of aids, OT follow-up and education.
The first step in this type of case would be for the OT to study the case,
including details of the accident, the patient's medical condition, personal
data and other pertinent details. Then, the OT will make an appointment to
see the victim, either in the office or at the patient's home.
The OT would do a physical assessment and an interview. In these cases,
it's important that the OT be gentle, since often patients are not only
in physical pain, but also suffering much anguish. Depending on the injury,
an OT may conduct tests of range of motion, strength and the amount of sensation
felt. Tolerance tests can determine what abilities a victim has for sitting,
walking, lifting and carrying. Careful record-keeping is important!
The OT will then write a report on the patient's condition, making
various recommendations covering topics like job retraining, adaptive aids
and homemaker services. Clearly, an OT is in a position to make a real positive
impact in someone's life.
Still, it's important to know a lot about a career before choosing
it. Young people should do their research before they start down a particular
career path.
"Do research about occupational therapy to develop a clear understanding
of what OT is all about and where it fits in your [state's] health and
social systems," says Rhonda Wideman, who instructs at a university occupational
therapy department.
"Investigate OT thoroughly and be sure you know why you are choosing it
over another profession," she says.