Occupational Therapy Personal Statement

I am writing this letter for Ms. Tierney D. Williams who is applying to Occupational Therapy Programs. The student will apply to more than one OT Program. I have only known the applicant for approximately two years. Ms. Williams is a resourceful, emotionally stable, and innovative person. She works well in a group or individual setting. Ms. Williams enthusiastically participated in classroom exercises and discussions. The student was enrolled in two classes that I teach, HLSC 4300-Epidemiology (earned “A” grade) and HCAP 2011-Writing Lab (earned “P” grade).

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.

I am thankful for having the opportunity of applying to the Occupational Therapy program at Abilene Christian University (ACU). My decision of becoming an occupational therapist arose my sophomore year in North Lake College. Ever since, I have worked toward taking the prerequisites and then transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington, where I obtained by bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. So later, I could pursue obtaining my master’s in Occupational Therapy. I am applying to the occupational program at ACU because, it is a Christian school, its excellent degree plan, along with experienced faculty, and my eagerness about of becoming an occupational therapist would equip me with the tools I need to perform the occupation with quality and humanity. I am ready to commit and serve others by putting to use what I have learned from occupational therapy experiences and to take advantage of all the resources the program has to offer.

Have you ever thought about what life would be like if you had a life-altering disability that completely changed the way you were able to function on a day-today basis? Have you ever given thought to how frustrating your new reality would be? I would venture to guess that most therapy patients likely never anticipated the depth of challenge that would become their new reality. These patients come to occupational therapists for help and are oftentimes afraid, confused, and doubtful they will ever have again the life they once knew. They are depending on their therapist to play many different roles for them and be able to guide them through this new and possibly frightening time in their life.

The occupational therapist, I interviewed was Lorena Ortiz, MS, OTR/L. She is from Columbia, South America and currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina, where she has been a resident for sixteen years. She has three sisters, one brother and a son that is two years old. She attended Brea High School her junior and senior year and later graduate from Mauldin High School. Her favorite subject in School was anatomy because she enjoyed learning about the human body and the way it functions. In her opinion of what an occupational therapist is, she stated, “Helping people become as independent with daily activities as they wish after injury or disease.” The facilities where she works are, Greenville Health System, PRN acute care/In-patient rehab and Greer Memorial Hospital, out-patient rehab fulltime. Other areas she has worked are, subacute, long term acute care orthopedics. She worked as an occupational therapist assistance at St. Francis Hospital for seven years. While she worked at St. Francis Hospital, she later went back to school, for her master’s degree,

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.

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.

To become an Occupational Therapist a person must attend a University and obtain a Bachelor’s degree of Science and then proceed to obtain a Masters degree. Most Universities require between nineteen and Twenty-one credits of prerequisite coursework, Biology with a lab, Human Physiology with

"The doctor said I would never be able to use my legs again. Now here I am, able to get out of bed and on the road to becoming more independent. " This was spoken by a gentleman at a nursing home where I was observing. The progress he was able to make with the guidance of his therapists was truly inspiring. To hear his life story and how much it meant to him to take care of himself and not be reliant on others was heartwarming.

In the fall of 2017, I will be attending Indiana University in Bloomington and pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and exercise science. Then, I plan to enroll in a pre-occupational therapy program and specialize in pediatrics, so that I can become a pediatric occupational therapist. During my junior or senior year, I hope to study abroad in Spain, so that I can learn more about the Spanish language and culture. The total cost of tuition for my six years of undergraduate and graduate studies will total nearly $160,000 which I will be responsible for paying for on my own because my parents are not contributing toward my college costs. I have applied for numerous scholarships with the hope of decreasing the amount of student loans I have to

I have always been interested in a career in the care industry and, after meeting with an experienced occupational therapist, I was sure that occupational therapy is a career suited to my personality and abilities. I am excited by the diverse nature of the work and the effect that meaningful activity can have in helping individuals improve their quality of life and achieve personal goals. My interest was confirmed by my experience of the work that occupational therapists do. I was able to spend time shadowing individuals from a team of paediatric occupational therapists on several occasions.

Occupational Therapy: Hospital Culture & Environment To observe and understand the culture behind occupational therapy in high stress environments, several interviews were conducted. A majority of the interviews were by Mackey; however, I personally interviewed one occupational therapist. “The interviews were discovery orientated: that is, they attempted to reveal experiences and meanings attached to the world they explored,” (Mackey, 2014). The interpretations from the various occupational therapists were diverse, but there was an apparent culture that existed in the career. There are a few important different areas that pertain to the job and the culture behind it: interacting with co-workers, handling the patients, and dealing with higher in command.

With my past work experiences as a case manager, I 've had various meetings about what services my clients were going to need and what my involvement was going to be in meeting their needs. This has helped me strengthen my communication skills and I have learned to talk to a variety of different individuals. I especially find myself to have confidence which has also helped me sound relaxed and approachable when meeting someone for the first time. With this in mind I felt positive I was going to do well on my interview reflection assignment for my Introduction to Occupational Therapy class.

I believe that everybody deserves to have a happy and comfortable life and that being able to complete every task effectively plays a major part in achieving this. I think as humans we tend to take everyday tasks for granted as it we complete these subconsciously without ever considering the impact it would have on our lives if we were unable to complete them. I want to be an Occupational Therapist as I believe that adjusting a person’s environment and teaching them necessary skills makes a huge positive impact to their life. I am also passionate about seeing people grow in strength to achieve their full potential no matter what challenges they face.

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.