Occupational Therapy Student

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework is a document that clearly and succinctly describes the domain and process of occupational therapy.  The purpose of occupational therapy is to help clients engage in occupation.  Occupational therapists use the word occupation to describe activities that are meaningful to someone in their life such as cooking, showering, or driving.  The OTPF describes the different areas of occupation, client factors, performance skills, performance patterns, contexts, and environments so that OT practitioners can adequately assist clients in performing their occupations.  The OTPF also incorporates the process occupational therapists use in evaluating clients, assessing them, and performing various interventions with them so that they can reach their targeted outcome.  This document is available for OT practitioners, students, educators, other health care professionals, and consumers so that the foundational components of occupationa...

Every occupational therapy practitioner mentioned in today's presentations played a vital role in progressing the profession to where it is today.  The occupational therapist that I believe has impacted the promotion of the profession most today was Annemarie Orr.  Annemarie is an occupational therapist that works at Walter Reed Medical Center, and she was the keynote speaker at the AOTA's annual conference in 2016.  While Annemarie has worked with and helped many clients, she is most known for working with Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky after they needed their left legs amputated after the Boston Marathon bombing.  Annemarie worked with this couple to help them adapt to their amputations, and she taught them how to use adaptive equipment to achieve their goals and dreams as well as accomplish their activities of daily living.  While Annemarie did not do anything out of the ordinary, her work with Patrick and Jessica is just one example of the amazing work ...

As I progress through occupational therapy school and set my goals on becoming a practitioner, I know I want to position myself to be a lifelong learner.  I want to always provide the best care possible to my clients, so I desire to always be continuing my education so that I can be at an advanced-level of performance.  In the future when I am a practitioner, I want to continue my professional development and education by receiving a specialty or board certification.  At the moment, I think the specific certification I will choose will be determined by the discipline of OT in which I am practicing.  If I am a pediatric occupational therapist, I know I would want to become board certified in pediatrics through the AOTA, or if I am working in a skilled nursing facility I would want to receive the board certification in gerontology.  I want my education and professional development to continue with regards to the population with whom I am working.  One spec...