Envisioning the Vision

Along this journey, I have made goals of where I would like to be and where I want to end up as a future OT practitioner. I was told once that right after grad school that a hospital setting would utilize most of my knowledge. After being in class and hearing about the multitude of optional settings that I can choose from, I am now uncertain of where I would like to start out. It could still be the hospital, or a school system/daycare, or even outpatient. I did think it was cool to learn about how OT's are helpful in hospice situations. We think about doing things that are meaningful to us while we are healthy or getting back to doing them as best we can during intervention, but also just for pure comfort and enjoyment while in hospice. This is what I love about this profession though. OT is everywhere, it is life, it is what we do. Basically we live and breathe it, but nobody knows about it. Ironic. 

Even though I don't know where I want to begin my career, I do know where I want to end up at. I have a long term goal of having my own practice, where I can integrate lots of different practitioners such as PT, Speech, and possibly others who work with clients of all ages with various diagnosis. I not only want to give the best client based care possible, but I want them to have options. I never want them to be bored with therapy. I aspire to have an aquatic area, a kitchen area, a game area catered to all ages, a sensory area, and even a spot dedicated to clients with autism (the whole spectrum) and down syndrome because sometimes they can become over stimulated by what is going on around them, but details will come later for that. I can't wait to learn more so that I can keep building on what is to come. 

In Today's World

My heart is beating fast, palms are sweating, knees are shaking, and I am praying that I don't mess up. Yes, I am talking about public speaking! Even though this is most people's fear, I believe that during our era presentations every single person did an incredible job not only with the information presented, but how it was presented. One presentation that stood out to me from the start, was the 2010's decade. The mini JB concert in the beginning had me hooked, and reminiscing about the days where I would sit and watch YouTube videos of Justin Bieber in the beginning stages of his fame. Along with this, I like how the growth of technology was stressed because it has shaped everything that we do when it comes to occupations. It effects work, education, play, interventions, and really is the source of everything we do. Our society is surrounded by technology and the benefits that we reap from it.

How does all of this technology help us? Well, for example, it helps to convey concepts in a much more efficient and engaging way much like these Power points that were used. What settings could this be used in you may ask? Virtually anything. Specifically, let's talk about the work place. Technologies with such advancements like computers, phones, projectors, etc. can all benefit a working atmosphere let's say for a business meeting, or educational staff meeting, video conference calls, and more. More on the lines of occupational therapy, how does technology affect this profession? Such technologies are used for organizational conferences as well. Paperwork for the most part is all electronic, so computers have become a requirement for this reason, also making it easier to communicate with other therapists and doctors to ensure good quality of care for a client.  Also, with the use of WiFi and social media this has become a popular way for advocacy and support in not just OT, but for anything. With the fast rate of technological growth in the past 20 years, maybe in the next 50 years we will have holograms as teachers and we'll be flying to class, who knows!