Welcome back, readers!
Almost every time I tell someone my major, Occupational Therapy (OT), I get a general nod and smile. You can tell right away that the person doesn’t know what occupational therapy is or what occupational therapists do. Usually someone will say, “Oh, so you help people find jobs?” This is a very common misconception, or maybe someone will say we are basically like physical therapists. Well, we work together sometimes, but our treatments and the type of patients we treat can be very different despite some coordinated care in some cases.
So what is OT and what do occupational therapist do?
Occupational therapists work with people of all ages from the beginning of life to death. Occupational therapists evaluate what their patients can and cannot do due to physical or mental disabilities from accidents, birth defects, and much more. Occupational therapy concentrates on treatment consisting of activities of daily life (ADLs). Occupational therapists may teach a child with nerve damage a new way to write their name. They could also teach a geriatric patient how to bathe or cook again after a stroke. Sometimes occupational therapists help patients with mental disabilities function in society or help them find a job. They even help the smallest patients, like babies that are premature, with sensory input, so that they can continue to develop in a healthy manner.
I think occupational therapy is such an important part of healthcare that is unheard of in the general population. I hope I can educate many people about OT through this blog during the next few months. Next time, I will talk about what the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is, the type of patients the NICU helps, and how occupational therapists play a role in the NICU.
Thanks for stopping by,
Kayla
"Occupational therapy practitioners ask, ‘What matters to you?’ not, ‘What's the matter with you?’” -American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
Almost every time I tell someone my major, Occupational Therapy (OT), I get a general nod and smile. You can tell right away that the person doesn’t know what occupational therapy is or what occupational therapists do. Usually someone will say, “Oh, so you help people find jobs?” This is a very common misconception, or maybe someone will say we are basically like physical therapists. Well, we work together sometimes, but our treatments and the type of patients we treat can be very different despite some coordinated care in some cases.
So what is OT and what do occupational therapist do?
Occupational therapists work with people of all ages from the beginning of life to death. Occupational therapists evaluate what their patients can and cannot do due to physical or mental disabilities from accidents, birth defects, and much more. Occupational therapy concentrates on treatment consisting of activities of daily life (ADLs). Occupational therapists may teach a child with nerve damage a new way to write their name. They could also teach a geriatric patient how to bathe or cook again after a stroke. Sometimes occupational therapists help patients with mental disabilities function in society or help them find a job. They even help the smallest patients, like babies that are premature, with sensory input, so that they can continue to develop in a healthy manner.
I think occupational therapy is such an important part of healthcare that is unheard of in the general population. I hope I can educate many people about OT through this blog during the next few months. Next time, I will talk about what the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is, the type of patients the NICU helps, and how occupational therapists play a role in the NICU.
Thanks for stopping by,
Kayla
"Occupational therapy practitioners ask, ‘What matters to you?’ not, ‘What's the matter with you?’” -American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
Works Cited
What is Occupational Therapy? (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2016, from http://www.aota.org/About-Occupational-Therapy.aspx
A strong, well-written post. However, if your blog is on OT in the NICU, then your posts and examples in your posts should be from the OT's work in the NICU. Also, your posts should be more narrowly focused.
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