February 04th, 2023

It is highly likely that if you are an occupational therapist you’ve been asked to help find someone a job or find the need to come up with an explanation that justifies all of the areas that occupational therapy encompasses. Earlier on in my master's program I was instructed to create a quick pitch to describe my role as a therapist, I’m not sure if I have ever tackled this feat as my answer is constantly changing. This must be the most difficult part of the profession; constantly advocating and justifying why occupational therapy (OT) plays such a crucial role in care. As the profession changes so does the journey but for most registered Occupational Therapists, they have attended some post-graduate program, spent numerous hours studying in the cadaver lab, studied a wide array of subjects such as neuroscience, statistics, management, pathology, and passed a rigorous board certification. We must carry a state license to practice and, in many cases, a national license. Along with those licenses come required continuing education. We are expected to keep up on current medical precautions, build splints, help children regulate their bodies, understand how systems of the body work, build creative modifications, evaluate environments, and so much more. We work off the main principle of restoring, maintaining and/or promoting meaningful participation in daily living for those with acute and chronic illness, physical disabilities, after injury, due to aging or throughout child development. With that broad reach, we can justify our existence in almost any setting. We focus on what people want to or need to do (their occupations) in everyday life. What skills do they need to participate in hobbies, take care of children or animals, access the community, work, play, learn,  build relationships, complete hygiene routines, drive, take care of their homes and any other meaningful activity.
In many settings OTs are pigeon-holed into specific areas of practice that do not utilize their vast amount of experience and expertise.  The one thing that remains constant is our client-centered approach. I’ve heard many excuses and possible resolutions for why the profession is not respected like others: change OTs requirements to be at a doctoral level, advocate more, provide more research-based treatments, etc. I’m not sure any of this will change the perception.   
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What does OT mean to you? I'd love to hear your comments!