My Why

A CEO/head administrator of a larger hospital system says they have heard of OT but they aren't clear on the difference between OT and PT. Occupational therapy can be different for every person that goes through intervention. Overall, occupational therapy is the therapeutic way to learn or re-learn how to complete activities of daily living (ADL's). Some examples of ADL's are brushing your teeth, going to the bathroom, taking a shower, getting dressed, putting on shoes, or eating/feeding. Although these are just a few examples of what ADL's are, the list is endless depending on the clients personal needs. Occupational therapist like to use the term client versus patient, because we use a holistic approach and think of the whole person through mind, body, and spirit. A big difference between PT and OT is that PT often uses the word patient, whereas we typically do not. Physical therapy is treating what is wrong with the patient such as an injury or disease often through exercises and physical activity. In occupational therapy, we don't look at "what is wrong", but rather how can we help our clients adapt to make their occupations work with their injury, disorder, or disease. A similarity between PT and OT is that they can both work in in-patient clinics at the hospital, out-patient clinics, or skilled nursing facilities, as well as many other settings. 

I decided I wanted to become an occupational therapist because when I was about twelve years old, my grandmother had a severe stroke. The stroke affected her motor function, cognitive function, and ever her ability to speak. I remember walking into the hospital room to see her for the first time and she didn't know my name, and called me a different name. She was later stable enough to be moved into an assisted living facility where she was receiving occupational therapy and physical therapy. Seeing how she benefited from OT and how she later was able to recognize who I was and what my name is my why. She was able to regain cognitive function and was later able to re-learn how to complete basic ADL's that were important in her every day life. 

References 

Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process—Fourth edition. (2020). The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Supplement_2). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74s2001