HP becomes an OT

OTPF stands for Occupational Therapy Practice Framework. It is an official document, released by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), that summarizes and defines the constructs that guide occupational therapy. The OTPF (3rd edition) is beneficial to our profession because it establishes a common use of language, scope of practice, and OT process. This allows occupational therapy practitioners to be "on the same page" and to be effective in supporting clients in their active engagement of meaningful occupations. 

Today in my Occupational Therapy Foundations course we gave presentations for each decade from 1920s to 2010s. In these presentations we discussed trends in work, leisure, play, politics, technology, and societal perspectives. We also covered major events that impacted the way of life and activities in which people participated. For example, I discussed environmentalism and feminism in the 1970s. While it may be tricky to see the connection between these topics and occupational therapy, it is important to remember that occupational therapists work with clients on activities and occupations that are meaningful and important to them. Therefore, environmentalism and feminism were major themes of that decade that directly affected occupations throughout the country. Throughout the era presentations, I was especially struck by the difference of being a student. The 1940s group discussed how young adults were going to college straight out of high school to avoid the draft for the war. I tho

The Aquatic Therapeutic Exercise Certification (ATRIC) is a specialty certification that I am especially interested in. I am interested in this because I actually have some experience in this area, however, I was unaware that there is a specialty certification available for OTs. The occupational therapist who I shadowed in high school knew that I was on swim team and asked whether I would be willing to help her in the pool with one of her clients. Her client was an 18 year-old girl with cerebral palsy who was extremely stiff because she spent all her time in her wheelchair or on her mattress. The OT had set a goal of increasing the client's range of motion, specifically in her shoulders, and knew that the pool would be a great place to work on this goal. However, there were guidelines and laws that prevented the OT from getting in the pool with her so I went along with the OT and she coached me on how to effectively and safely stretch the client in the pool. From then on, I went t