Promoting occupational therapy to the mainstream public is fascinating. We are often called nurses or physical therapists, yet we are own profession. Working in the hospital, I very rarely was referred to as an occupational therapist although I never failed to introduce myself, including my profession and re-iterate to the patient that I would be providing them with occupational therapy services. This is not uncommon no matter the setting you work in and why it is important for people to be aware of what occupational therapy actually is.
From the time I wake up in the morning, I am occupying my time with activities which make me who I am. This continues through the day until I am finally asleep at night. This is my occupation, this is occupational therapy. In layman’s terms, occupational therapy encompasses everything we do from the time we wake up in the morning until the time we go to bed at night. For all individuals completing activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) is the occupation we must be able to complete safely and as independent as possible while maintaining that safety.
I believe I never leave my profession far behind me no matter what I am doing. I am an occupational therapist so it is important for me to take care of, care for and make sure others are safe. I am continually observing the environment, assessing the situation and analyzing people as I encounter them. By no means am I doing this in a negative or condescending connotation; I have done this to ensure I am being the best occupational therapist I can be. I am continuing to learn through my environments.
Currently, I work in a pediatric clinic therefore I am challenged with the daily routine of not only providing treatment to the child, but also the family. Being flexible in what I think, what I do. I seek information to guide my sessions through listening what the patient is asking even when they aren’t speaking. I often listen to more than just the parents report about the recent activities of the child, but also what their body language is saying. These are not skills I learned in school, but what I have learned over my 18 years as an occupational therapist. This is an important aspect of this job as it helps us as professionals to better understand what our patients are experiencing. It has also been beneficial in building a good rapport with all of my patients or their families.
Throughout the day, I see an average of six hours of treatment time. This allows for some time for documentation and some time for lead therapist duties. Treatment times are usually 30 or 60 minutes with leeway for behaviors, endurance and arrival time. I am able to adjust my treatments accordingly and have done so since patients often aren’t able to tolerate our recommendations. I have extended sessions when needed to allow for a patient to get a full session or to engage in the time in which the patient could endure. My treatment sessions consist of ocular exercises to enhance vision skills; strengthening exercises to improve grasping patterns for feeding or writing, posture to sustain an upright position while seated in a chair; ADLs to enhance what the parents have done at home when they are having difficulty progressing age appropriately; integration of primitive reflexes for coordination, sensory processing and regulation. I address a variety of areas impacting the patient’s ability to functionally engage across all environments.
Although I thoroughly love the career I have chosen, it is not completely stress free. We have deadlines and expectations. We have advocate for our patients to receive the services in which we are trying to provide. Parents count on to be their confidant or will use us as the wall to bounce their ball of complaints from. As professionals, we have to be neutral, providing support for the parent even when we can understand both sides of the story. Scheduling can also be a stress factor as our scheduling staff prefers to schedule each therapist with a full day without time for documentation. This increases the stress within and across the therapy departments. Communication is key to a cohesive work environment. Ensuring changes are made in accordance to the plan of care, not because the parents want their child to be seen. Staff needs to understand why changes cannot be made or when the change is made to allow time to plan for an unexpected treatment session.
Every aspect I have discussed here is the reason I do what I do. I chose to be a caregiver; it is what I always wanted to be. I love to see my patients and families grow in their skills and become independent. Learning is ongoing in every environment I have worked and this has been amazing. Being an occupational therapist is something I would never change, stress or not. I set forth to live, learn, and apply the skills I continue to do every day, and I will continue to do so until I no longer can.
For additional information about the me please see:
Thank you to SWS for allowing me to utilize the pictures from our clinic, website and Facebook page.
@Carrie Griffin thank you for sharing your insights and experiences here. Great piece advocating for our profession! We think, as this is a long, reflective piece, rather than a forum discussion, that it would be best positioned as a Therapy Article (see Free resources tab). However we can bring this forum post to the attention of Members via social networks, for more people to read.
It is exciting to hear what a day in the clinic is like for you Carrie! If someone wanted to transition to pediatrics, what advice do you have for them?