This semester, I had the opportunity of shadowing a group of pediatric occupational therapists at KidsConnect Occupational Therapy Clinic in Houston. During my observational experience, I was able to observe the use of the Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-based (DIR) and Floortime model in clinical practice. This therapy approach focuses on the individual developmental differences of each child and utilizes social support and interaction to encourage the child’s ability to relate, share, and communicate with others. This therapy approach was exciting to see, as it placed emphasis on both the cognitive and physical development of each child and promoted positive social interactions between the child and their environment through social skills training. Furthermore, it seemed to be an appropriately-designed therapy approach for children, who still have so much to learn about how to interact with the world around them and are at an age where they can be heavily influenced by the skills they learn. The practice of this therapy approach, while already quite effective, can be improved in several ways through the consideration of several concepts that we have seen in our Health Psychology literature. In this paper, I will outline and review the concepts of health behaviors as they are observed through the Biopsychosocial Model, the promotion of positive health behaviors through the utilization of teachable moments and socialization, the encouragement of
The profession of occupational therapy is often mistaken for a job in which the therapist is a career counselor. This is the exactly what my dad had thought when I told him that I wanted to pursue a career in occupational therapy. I explained to him that occupational therapists are not concerned with career counseling; instead, they are focused on daily activities that give meaning to live. The goal of occupational therapy is to help patients regain or develop skills that are necessary for the activities of daily living. Occupational therapists have the option to work in a variety of settings including hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation centers, schools, and with patients in their own homes.
I hope this email finds you well. I am interested in the M.S. Occupational Therapy program in Hofstra University. Unfortunately due to conflict with my work schedule I would be unable to attend the Occupational Therapy web seminar. I was wondering if it was possible to speak to you or an admissions representative for more information and possible receive advisement.
While there has been many jobs that I have looked into, the job that stands out to me the most is a Pediatric Physical Therapist Assistant. I feel like this job could be a great fit for me because being able to work with children and help them succeed at life would be very rewarding and fulfilling. A pediatric PTA is a person who is a Physical Therapist Assistant that works under the Physical Therapist. They makeup treatment plans for the patience and they usually work with children and their families to better understand how the child will learn how to deal with their disabilities. A PTA helps the families learn how to use equipment and do stretches with patients to help the child to become more independent and build their strength back
The Occupational Therapy Assistant lab at University of Charleston is unavailable after normal business hours to complete tasks hands on and to work on homework effectively; with no computer lab available for additional knowledge on the subjects, OTA students of University of Charleston is at a hindrance, resulting in tasks being completed off campus. The OTA program is at an educational disadvantage because the main resources are limited to a Monday through Friday schedule, which entitles students to rely on unscholarly articles and websites for information.
Occupational Therapy has played a role in helping those with Mental and physical disabilities in the United States since 1917. Before that time, Occupational Therapy was used solely in mental institutions to help people that were "more normal" and able to function in a social status. These patients enjoyed things like arts and crafts. It seemed that those who engaged in such activities where perceived as "more healthy". These findings lead Drs. to encourage patients to engage is such activity to improve there overall health. (http://quoccupationaltherapy.weebly.com/history-of-occupational-therapy.htmlhistory-of-occupational-therapy.html)
Vi would benefit from skilled occupational therapy services for post op rehabilitation of flexor tendon laceration of the wrist to improve overall independence with functional activities of daily living as well as identifying areas of interest in leisure activities to address Vi's underlying depression. Therefore the performance areas that will be addressed in occupational therapy sessions are as follows:
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 always been energized by helping and connecting with people. Growing up, I wanted to be at the counter helping when my mom baked, I followed my dad around the driveway helping him perfectly polish the car tires, I was president of the club that gave tours and support to new students in high school, and in college I worked as a Botany lab tutor using varied teaching techniques to help students understand class concepts. When I started planning my career, I knew it would need to involve forming helping relationships combined with my enthusiasm for teaching. This led me logically to serving in the Peace Corps followed by completing two years in AmeriCorps.
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.
This was truly great hands on learning experience, which has opened our eyes to exactly how effective and therapeutic the holistic approach that occupational therapists employ. First hand and through observations made in our client’s natural environment we have learned why it is essential to assess performance skills, client factors, performance patterns, along with the all the contextual and environmental factors that impact occupational performance. Understanding the dynamic between the client and their context is a vital component to developing an all-encompassing occupational profile. During these home visits and while completing the accompanying assignments we have learned the importance of using valid & reliable assessment tools, along
Way back when I first started college, my priorities were not clear. I knew I wanted to do something that I can be proud of, it was only a matter of what do I really want that will fill my life and complete me as a person. I was in the manufacturing field since I was 19 years old and yet, I felt a hole in my heart. I got to a point where I stop growing as an individual and it became apparent that I wanted to do something more significant. That void became the fuel to pursue something bigger and life changing. I tried to dig deep and really tried to figure out what I want in life and at the same time I started taking classes that can go towards any degree in the medical field. Taking care of people has always been a part of me. I took care of
Occupational Therapist enables people to engage and participate in everyday activities trough occupation. The latter role is not only applicable for individuals but also groups or populations. Eventually, with the increase of the aging population, expensive health care services, occupational therapists will have to incorporate health promotion practices into their actual roles.To cope with this phenomenon and to better meet older adult’s needs, the occupational therapist 's role would benefit from being enlarged.Expanding their knowledge and their practices in promoting health will facilitate their work in other domains.This will help them to shift from an individual to a population approach. To achieve that transition, therapists should be more involved in decisions taken by politicians regarding health and to develop services and programs that promote well-being, health, and quality of life. Also, collaboration with other fields such as schools, workplaces, industries, deputies and organizations will help them spread strategies that promote awareness and enable the population to control and maintain an independent healthy lifestyle. Also, therapists understand that the environment can be a crucial factor on health population. Therefore ,they can put pressure on the government to make public places more accessible to disabled people such as providing the subway of a wheelchair ramp and adapt crosswalks to the blind by adding pedestrian signals that include speakers at
Mental Blueprint Life has its twists in turns, but my overall life goal is simple, help others achieve their goals. Along with the basic necessities and maintaining good values, I hope to help others. I want to make an impact on others life, even if it is a small change. Since eighth grade my chosen career path has been pediatric occupational therapy.
An occupational therapist is a trained and licensed health care professional who can make a complete evaluation of the impact of disease on the activities of the patient at home and in work situations. Hobbies and recreational activities are considered when an assessment is made. The most generally accepted definition of occupational therapy is that it is an activity, physical or mental, that aids in a patient’s recovery from disease or injury.
A clinical situation that has taken place that has enabled me to incorporate the “Occupational Therapy Practice Framework Domain and Process (3rd Ed.)” (AOTA, 2014) into my approach was when an individual that has had a car accident during an ice storm. We will refer to this individual as Jane. She was a 55 year old housewife that was the primary caretaker of her husband who had suffered a stroke a few years ago. Jane took care of all the home management as well as transportation and health care needs for her husband. Jane was very active in her community as well as her family that lived several hours away.