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Saturday, October 26, 2013

Celebrate World OT Day: Be an Occupational Therapist Leader Change Agent!


          
         This post is for the 3rd Annual OT Blog Carnival.
        Are you passionate about your profession? I can honestly say that I am passionate about the profession of occupational therapy! I’m very blessed to love what I do for a living, and I truly enjoy spreading the word about this amazing profession.
If you are an occupational therapist, I would like to challenge you to become a leader change agent OT. Here's how to have a local touch and a global reach as an occupational therapist!
·      If you are a fieldwork supervisor, you have a wonderful opportunity to guide OT students in developing critical thinking, problem solving, and clinical reasoning skills in order for them to reach their highest potential. By guiding future occupational therapists toward reaching their fullest potential, you are “preparing occupational therapists for the 21st century” and strengthening the profession’s “capacity to influence and lead” (AOTA, p.614).
·      If you enjoy writing, submit articles to OT Practice and Advance, or start an OT blog. Other practitioners will benefit from your insight and ideas!
·      If you are interested in research, conduct studies that add to the body of scientific evidence establishing the effectiveness of OT services in order to improve third-party reimbursement and strengthen the link between research and evidence-based practice. This goal aligns with AOTA’s Centennial Vision because it involves collaboration, and it “links education, research and practice” (AOTA, p.614).
·      Tell everyone about our awesome profession, especially those with diverse backgrounds. Currently, the occupational therapy workforce does not reflect the diversity of this country, but I’m confident that we can “increase diversity in the OT workforce” (AOTA, p. 614).
·      Spread the word about the important role that OT can play in health and wellness.  Our profession can add so much to the area of preventative healthcare.


Reference

American Occupational Therapy Association (2007).  AOTA’s centennial vision and executive summary.  American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61, 613-614.

1 comment:

  1. hi,
    i came across your blog in google search. i am yet to read the blog in detail but going by the labels in the left i can see there is lot to read and learn. i am father to a boy with down syndrome. he is one year old and for the last 3 months he is undergoing physiotherapy. we are looking for qualified occupational therapists for my son but where i live(saudi arabia) its quite expensive and beyond my financial reach. me and my wife are looking for options whether we ourselves can provide him some OT so that he can reach the milestones and be as normal a child as possible. as per the doctor he is flappy and slow but still he is not as bad as most other babies with this condition. he is probably 3-4 months behind his milestones.

    any suggestions or opinion that you can advise us on this will be appreciated. thanks.

    ReplyDelete