Essay On Occupational Therapist

Growing up around a nurse, I have known from a young age that I wanted to work within healthcare and after researching occupational therapy I was sure that it was the career I am suited for. Helping to improve a person’s quality of life and their independence, along with the diverse nature of the work is very exciting to me.
My work experience helped me confirm my interest when I got to see the roles of Occupational Therapists first hand. I was able to spend time shadowing an individual from a special needs school, which moved onto being able to run sessions with minimal help in gross and fine motor skills with the children who have a wide range of disabilities. It was a great experience to observe how everyday objects could be used to help build up these skills and how much the children enjoyed the activities. I was also able to shadow an OT within the Early Intervention in Psychosis team, this

provided opportunities to sit in case study meetings, visit teenagers and adults with varying degrees of psychosis and mental disorders, like bipolar, as well as initial reviews that take place with new patients. Through this I got the opportunity to shadow a care coordinator to learn the differences between her job and the OT’s job. All this experience was recorded in a reflective diary which I have been building up since 2014.
Communication skills are key to an Occupational Therapists role, which I have developed through volunteering at my local schools sports days, sponsored swims and school trips as well as listening to children reading once a week for several months.

This has provided me with the confidence to communicate well with children and spurred me into applying for a part time job at Explore Learning, a tuition centre for English and Maths; where I have worked for the past 10 months. The age of children range from 4 to 14 and involves working with young people who have behavioural issues and autism as well as those who have no learning difficulty. The role of a tutor allows me to not only work with the children but with their parents to provide the best service that I can, and also helps my communication skills develop by talking to different age ranges within one area. Before working as a tutor, I volunteered at the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance shop for 2 years which helped my initial communication skills by working with members of the public for 3 hours a

week.
Studying Sociology, English Literature, Health and Social Care at A Level and Applied Law at BTEC have helped me gain a good understanding of people and why they act in certain ways. I enjoy learning about the different ways that individuals act, compared to how they act within a wider society. Applied law has helped me to develop my research skills and, along with English Literature, has improved my skills in time management and working to deadlines. Alongside my academic study, I completed the Silver Duke of Edinburgh award while completing my GCSES; this enabled me to gain skills in independent survival, teamwork, self motivation and problem solving.