Occupational Therapy as a Career
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I’ve always wanted to work in a field where I could help others since I was a child. I adore people and delight in making them happy. That, I believe, is the essential meaning of occupational therapy. It strives to make individuals as healthy and happy as possible. To be honest, I believed physical therapy was the path I wanted to follow at first. I envisioned myself working with diverse populations to heal them and make them better. Far into my academic career, I learned about occupational therapy and was immediately fascinated by its focus on enhancing individuals’ health using their environment. However, I soon realized that physical therapy had far too many limitations for me. Instead, occupational therapy provides the right setting to work with people at all stages of life and background to improve their lives forever.
My grandfather suffered a stroke while I was in sixth grade, necessitating several trips to a local occupational therapist. My grandfather and I were quite close, so I would occasionally accompany him to the therapy sessions just to observe. I decided occupational therapy was the vocation for me after seeing the work that was being done with him. I began to understand the necessity of a specialized field of study. Last year, I worked as a volunteer in a hospital and could observe the miracles that occupational therapy can achieve. The individuals who were in my charge loved their therapists, and I saw that when occupational therapy is applied appropriately and with great skill, people can experience incredible progress.
I noted that the therapist was working not just on my grandfather’s physical health, but also on his complete psychological and emotional well-being. I knew I wanted to work in a field that fosters connections both within and outside of the workplace, and I believe occupational therapy provides precisely that. I am particularly interested in the ability of occupational therapy to help individuals who live with physical disabilities and illnesses to build new, rewarding lives for themselves (Reitz et al, 2020). I’ve started to work with some individuals with physical disabilities and hope that I can further my knowledge through this OTA program.
I have learned that OT can attain a wide array of careers. Some OTAs are generalists who are interested in pursuing multiple related fields. Others specialize in a particular area, such as pediatrics or geriatrics (Reitz et al, 2020). I am particularly interested in working in the areas of neurorehabilitation and pain management, both of which hold tremendous potential to improve people’s lives. I believe this is an ideal way to invest my time and energy, and that it is the right career path for me to take.
I am interested in becoming occupational therapy assistant and passionate about occupational therapy because I believe it has the potential to positively change other people’s lives for the better and give them more freedom than what they had before. I believe occupational therapy will help individuals to develop the skills they need to become better not only physically, but also psychologically and mentally. I have a very strong desire to be a part of this process, and I am eager for the opportunity to learn more about occupational therapy and give people back their lives by helping them use their environment as a means for improving quality of life. Becoming OT assistant and seeing the positive effects that occupation can have on people’s lives is what motivates me most.
In conclusion, I would like to say that occupational therapy is the perfect career path for me because it will allow me to care for and help people with disabilities, illnesses and physical injuries every day (Reitz et al, 2020). Occupational therapy has the potential to improve people’s lives in numerous different ways, so I am confident that it is the right field of work for me. My desire to help others is my greatest motivation and something that I hope can be achieved through occupational therapy so I can feel fulfilled in my career choice.
References
(Reitz et al, 2020).) (Reitz et al, 2020). Occupational therapy and primary care. Primary Health Care Research & Development, 20.
Reitz, S. M., & Scaffa, M. E. (2020). Occupational Therapy in the Promotion of Health and Well-Being. AJOT: American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(3), 7403420010-14.
