My Why

 The CEO/head of a hospital system says they have heard of OT but are not sure of the difference between physical therapy and occupational therapy.  

It is actually very common for someone not to know the difference between the two. I always give this example. A physical therapist helps you walk from A to B, but you have stairs, and you live alone. Since being in the hospital, you realize you cannot do everything you did prior to your accident, so what do you do now? That is where occupational therapy comes in. Occupational therapy helps you adapt so you can get back to doing what you love. If you have a client that lives alone, it is the OT’s job to come in and teach them how to do adapt to a new way of life and access if living alone is still a good option. Occupational therapy is vital to the hospital system because we help the client adapt, maintain, and prevent further injury which in return would lead them back into the hospital. I chose occupational therapy because I want to give someone their life back. I will never forget the feeling I had in my heart after visiting an adult day car on a mission trip in Virginia. A man was paralyzed from the neck down and the workers would tell us about each of the members. He was hit by a drunk driver on his way home from work and changed his life forever. The goal of the daycare was to have its members learn how to do every day activities to hopefully aid them in getting back to their new normal. My "why OT" directly comes from the feeling I felt in my chest that day I volunteered at the daycare. I chose occupational therapy because it reinforces that you do not have to give up something you love due to a setback. Occupational therapy helps you continue to live your life how you please.