OT 4 Lyfe

OT Round Table: The Best Parts, The Hardest Parts and What We Wish Others Understood About OT

Episode Summary

This is the first edition of the OT Round Table, a casual discussion with OT practitioners from different background about the best and worst parts as well as what we wish others understood about our profession.

Episode Notes

As occupational therapy clinicians, our jobs drastically shape our values and perspective on life. We share a unique outlook and approach to meaningful engagement in all of life’s occupations. Today is the first round table session in which Brock and Erika, a few OTs from different practice areas, come together to discuss topics within the field.

Guest Panelists:

• Brock Cook, BA OccThy - Lecturer - James Cook University - Mental Health
• Erika Downs, COTA/L, MSG - Geriatrics

We discuss the following topics:

• The beach
• Apps & social media: MySpace, Facebook, Marco Polo
• Structure of our jobs in per diem, home health, mental health, and academia
• Hardest parts of current jobs
• Limitations on our jobs as a therapist imposed from our healthcare systems
• Dealing with tough cases and death of a client
• What we wish more people knew about occupational therapy
• Why people do not know what occupational therapy is
• Our favorite/ last watched TV show
• Mental health as a practice area in the United States and Australia
• Our paths to the field of occupational therapy
• Importance of gaining exposure in numerous practice areas
• Best parts of being an occupational therapist