Prior to OT School...

When completing my observational hours before OT school, I had the privilege of shadowing occupational therapists in many settings including pediatrics, acute care, and inpatient rehabilitation.  In the hospital setting when observing an OT in acute care and inpatient rehab, I noticed there were many more limitations in terms of what media they were able to use, as well as how personalized the interventions could be for the client.  Since learning more about the varying levels of care, I understand why that is so.  Compared to the pediatric OT clinic I shadowed at, the hospital setting has much more restricted means to address the client's problems whether they are primary or secondary.  At the acute level of care, occupational therapists are occasionally racing against the clock to show improvement in clients so that they can continue receiving the medical and therapeutic attention they need.  They also have to use some of the more standard therapy machines such as the arm bike or TheraPutty with clients rather than utilizing more specialized and personal intervention approaches.  This was very different from the pediatric setting I observed in because almost everything was molded to fit the child's outside and personal interests when selecting interventions.  Prior to beginning OT school and learning about the various settings and what is expected of occupational therapists in those settings, I was unsure why all OT wasn't offered in more similar ways.  As we dive deeper into these topics in school, all of the gray areas where I was uncertain of why something was the way it was become clearer and clearer.  For this reason, I become more and more excited for my future experiences in OT school!