It is my desire to become an Occupational Therapy (OT) professional because I believe it not only a fulfilling sort of job but also one that gives a person a golden chance to give positive contribution to the lives of others. For a couple of years running, I have worked with patients of all ages and varied health conditions, affording them my help with everything from bathing and dressing to using a computer. My experience doing this has left me believing that OT indeed goes beyond physical rehabilitation. I have learned to inspire others to improve themselves emotionally, physically and do so much for themselves to achieve self accomplishment.
The patients I have assisted as those with inability to handle or manipulate objects successfully. I have also helped patients improve their hand-eye coordination for those who need assistance to rehabilitate their eyesight. I have also actively contributed to management or rehabilitation of a memory loss especially among the elderly. As such, am aware that an OT needs to create basic lessons for a patient where the patient is challenged to remember a small number of things (Mclntyre & Atwal, 2005). Also an OT should utilize specialized computer software that helps in the rehabilitation of patients in such areas as decision-making skills, simple problem solving, abstract thinking, and simple logical ordering of shapes and numbers.
I have also learned to keep meticulous records of on the progress of my patient especially relating to therapies utilized. This serves to keep physicians as well as other medical professionals informed because relevant information is central to the sustained success of the patient’s progress as well as for the development of alternative means if a patient regresses.
I am also well aware of the demanding nature that is the OT work. More often than not, an OT has to spend hours on his or her feet meaning the job is physically challenging. Similarly, in the capacity as a home health care worker much time is juggling between patients. By and large, an OT may develop neck and back problems, repetitive motion injuries, or carpal tunnel syndrome.
There are other non-academic requirements for an OT such as offering compassionate care while doing their work patiently. It also helps a great deal for an OT to have exceptional interpersonal skills and
be good at creating trusting relationships with their patients. Furthermore, an OT must be inventive plus creative in all their approach due to the fact that every patient does not respond in the same way to a given same therapy.
Finally, an OT needs to be adaptable particularly when serving as a home care specialist working in varied settings. This especially the case because the in-home care OT brings healthcare to the
patient besides making patients aware of resources (Mclntyre & Atwal, 2005). To add value to lives of other people in this great manner is my passion and thats I yearn for this chance from the Admissions Committee. It is my hope that you will consider my application to your noble program. Thank you in advance.
Reference:
Mclntyre, Anne, & Atwal, Anita. (2005). Occupational Therapy and Older People. New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons.
