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Why occupational therapy is important
Why occupational therapy is important
Why occupational therapy is important
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Health and human service delivery is relevant over all allied health roles, and involves working to achieve the utmost physical health, mental health and wellbeing, so that a valued life can be lead (1. DHS). The ability for a professional to provide the most beneficial health care to a patient is directly to related to the idea of professional identity. Once reached a level of professionalism a person will then be able to apply themselves within that profession using an acquired set of skills and knowledge. This is then where professional identity defines a person's self-concept, based on the individuals professional attributes, beliefs and experiences. A specific health care discipline that incorporates professional identity and all its over-arching …show more content…
concepts is occupational therapy. This allied health career is involves work in many different areas but ultimately aims to, through the use of activities, aid recovery or a sense of independence for everyday actions. All practicing occupational therapists are governed by the Occupational therapy board of Australia as well as an accompanying body, who through codes, dictate the way they act and perform professionally in order to provide optimal care that meets clients' needs in a continual safe and respectful manner. Professional identity, specifically in a health and human services setting is a crucial cognitive mechanism that impacts the way individuals behave and apply themselves in a professional setting (2) professional identity is created through ones beliefs, attitudes and experience, along with the value they personally hold in a high regard.
Professional identity is also associated with a sense of belonging in a professional setting, and the feeling of a high status or attachment in their respected health care setting. Within specific health areas, professional identity is also associated with the idea of acquiring additional monetary or material resources, due to the high regard these professionals are held in and the work put in to gain this professional status in society. Within health and human service delivery there are many branching occupations and roles, each with different views on their own personal idea of professional identity. Specifically, one branch is occupational therapy, in which the discourse of professional identity strongly influences the care provided to patients. The overall role of an occupational therapist is to assist people in managing their living with primarily long-term health conditions (4) Through the use of assessment, occupational therapists are able to assist in developing patients skills to enable them to perform every day or meaningful activities. It is an easy industry to grow and develop ones professional identity as there are many new and …show more content…
different areas to explore and be challenged by. A role for many health professionals, including that of occupational therapists is to provide safe and effective patient care to their clients. All practicing occupational therapists must be registered with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia. This registration is done through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) who's role is to implement the national registration and accreditation scheme. The main role of the occupational therapy board is to develop the standards and codes that must be abided by, approve accreditation and register practicing occupational therapists. In each state, there are mandatory registration standards that must be complied with. It is these standards that in the long term assist is occupational therapists providing the required care their patients needs. Some of these standards that must be upheld for practicing occupational therapists include submission proof of 30 hours of professional development a year, it is this professional development that can further assist professionals in being able to provide continually improved care to their patients, leading to the desired outcome in the most effective manner.(7) The duties of the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia assist in ensuring the legal requirements set by AHPRA are complied with. This, in conjunction with the mandatory standards set for practicing occupational therapists guides the way to efficient patient care, as skills are continually being updated each year, ensuring professionals are able to reach the patients desired end goal in a safe and effective manner Another document also produce by the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia is the boards code of conduct. This code sets standards that covers many areas of health care, and although not a legally binding document, the code is used to support occupational therapist if faced with challenging tasks, and also in assisting the board to protect the public. An overarching theme throughout the entirety of the code is the notion of providing good patient care. This is the primary concern for occupational therapists and should be don whilst still maintaining a high level of professionalism. Furthermore, another topic widely covered in the code relates to the use of effective communication. In the case of ineffective communication, discordance between the two parties can occur, and may also leave occupational therapists to question their effectiveness as a practitioner and their professional identity. (8) by contrast however, the use of effective communication between the two parties can elicit the feeling of trust in the patient, and in turn allows occupational therapists to provide the utmost effective care for them. The importance for a client to understand their diagnosis along with preventative methods and prescribed treatment is of the utmost importance to the client's safety. It is important for the client to fully understand their diagnosis, along with possible preventative methods and the prescribed treatment. This is accompanied by an occupational therapist ability to understand a client's individual preferences, and how that client will receive and interpret the information, ensuring a safe diagnosis. (9) the occupational therapy boards code of conduct is aimed to guide good practice and professional behavior. Specifically, the code aids this behavior through section 3 (10) relating to effective communication. Through effective communication, occupational therapists and their client's not only able to create a sense of trust, that through honest communication allows the most effective care to e given to the client but ensures that both parties comprehends and understands the other, ensuring that the clients safety is never compromised. A professional body that assists in the representing of occupational therapists is the Occupational Therapy Australia organization.
Their main focus is to represent the interests of all registered occupational therapists across the country by providing them with support and promote them as a key feature in the health system (11). The achievement of the highest quality patient care, along with the way occupational therapist conduct themselves is governed highly by the occupational therapy Australia's code of ethics (also known as ethos) Although no legally binding, the code states the manner in which practicing occupational therapists must conduct themselves in a way that firstly does not discriminate against any client's position in society, and further more requires them to perform their professional duties in and ethically and responsible way (6) Patient safety is an issue covered widely by the code of ethics, ad can be defined as the prevention of harm to patients in all respects. To allow the clients to feel a sense of safety, whilst ultimately providing them effective care, an element of trust must exist between client and professional. This element of trust stems mainly from the 'Relationships with, and responsibilities to patients and clients' (6) section of the code of ethics. This particular section highlights the importance of confidentiality with patients information, along with the important notion of respecting the patient's rights in all areas.thsi governs
occupational therapists to act in a way that is acceptable and respectable towards their client's, guiding them with knowledge of duties to ensure they are proving the best possible care. In abiding by the code, and practicing this, a sense of trust can be formed between occupational therapist and client, similarly to the code of conduct. This reaps many benefits, such as the client is more willing to take given advice and perform prescribed exercises, aiding in their recovery or improvement. Within the health and human delivery setting, the idea of professional identity strongly dictates the actions of a health professional. On particular occupational therapist are governed by the occupational therapy board of Australia which outlines set practicing standards that must be met. These standards, along with the boards extensive code of conduct, guides occupational therapists to provide the safest and most effective patient care. This is strongly highlighted through the use of effective communication which if done successfully can help to improve the trust the client holds with the occupational therapist, along with an increased positive feel relating to their own professional identity. And associated professional and quality agency with all practicing occupational therapists is occupational therapy Australia who through a code of ethics have created guidelines for occupational therapists to practice by, that ensure they are providing clients with the best care possible, in a safe and respectful manner. Ultimately it is these governing bodies and their attached codes that influence the way occupational therapists conduct themselves towards their clients and promote doing this conduction in a safe way that provides the client with an effective and desired end result.
The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework defines an occupational profile as “the initial step in the evaluation process that provides an understanding of the client’s occupational history and experience, patterns of daily living, interests, values, and needs (2014).” During this process the client’s problems and concerns about daily occupations are identified then the client’s main concerns are determined (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014). Occupational Therapists strive to be holistic and client-centered, and the occupational profile is one method to ensure treatment takes on these characteristics. During the occupational profile the clients share their priorities based on what is important to them, and the therapist
As part of this essay I will focusing on the importance of patient safety and care, maintaining professionalism, reflection of environment and rules and legislation related to the health care body. The reflection of working on the environment will be demonstrated by a personal development profile (PDP).
Occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistances work with a wide variety of populations throughout their career. Some of these different populations can include different types of backgrounds, genders, ages, economic statuses, ethnicities, and more. While working with these populations, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistances have to be aware of different types of influences that can not only affect the client, but the client’s occupations as well. In this article, “Psychosocial Aspects of Occupational Therapy,” it discusses the different types of psychosocial aspects that are in the field of occupational therapy.
Professional identity is the result of a developmental process that facilitates individuals to reach an understanding of their profession in conjunction with their own self-concept, enabling them to articulate their role, philosophy, and approach to others within and outside of their chosen. As counselors engage in this individually unique growth process, it is hoped that the counseling profession as a whole will be strengthened as its practitioners and educators reach a heightened sense of purpose and a synergistic collective identity, an identity which is still developing within the profession. The term collective identity refers to having shared goals, resources, and aspirations for the profession. In order for individuals to build a personal relationship with their chosen occupation, it is important for a clear foundation to be established. To build this foundation, a professional philosophy must be constructed which clarifies and distinguishes one’s profession from other similar vocations; in this instance, other mental health fields. In counseling, this foundation is thought to be created by establishing clear professional expectations through licensure, streamlined educational programming, professional organizations, and ethical standards that build on an underlying professional philosophy. This article will review current literature and research on professional identity in the counseling field. This review will then be presented in relation to the external evaluation of success within counseling and counselor education and how this evaluation is influenced and internally understood through one’s gender role beliefs and associated societal expectations.
4.1 Demonstrates use of professional standards and the Code of Ethics to inform safe nursing care as applicable.
An understanding of occupation and its science dimension enables the therapist to gain knowledge about how patients orchestrate their lives through the doing of occupations in any given context. The occupational therapy proce...
The demand of a constantly developing health service has required each professional to become highly specialised within their own field. Despite the focus for all professionals being on the delivery high quality care (Darzi, 2008); no one profession is able to deliver a complete, tailored package. This illustrates the importance of using inter-professional collaboration in delivering health care. Patient centric care is further highlighted in policies, emphasising the concept that treating the illness alone whilst ignoring sociological and psychological requirements on an individual is no longer acceptable. Kenny (2002) states that at the core of healthcare is an agreement amongst all the health professionals enabling them to evolve as the patient health requirements become more challenging but there are hurdles for these coalitions to be effective: for example the variation in culture of health divisions and hierarchy of roles. Here Hall (2005) illustrates this point by stating that physicians ignore the mundane problems of patients, and if they feel undervalued they do not fully participate with a multidisciplinary team.
Ethics in the counselling and psychotherapy protects the client and the therapist involved in the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic process as a whole; with the concepts that act as a guide for the therapists in provision of good practice and care for the client. The framework is built on values of counselling and psychotherapy; principles of trustworthiness, autonomy, fidelity, justice, beneficence, non-maleficence and self-respect, and provides standards of good practice and care for the practitioner (BACP, 2010). Ethical framework contributes to the development of the therapeutic relationship and process by assisting therapist’s decisions, and guides their behaviour and proceedings within their legal rights and duties. The ethical frame is structured on the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship and the therapists should be aware of their categories and be responsible for their forms. Monitoring and being aware of what goes on in and out of the room physically, emotionally and psychologically is primarily the duty of the therapist.
Occupational therapy is also known as the dynamic and developing healthcare profession that deals with people in ways of regaining their skills required for the every days of life. For a very long time I have always had the desire to achieve my dreams in becoming an occupational therapist. I am very well equipped with creativity, flexibility and the ability to aid people in solving their every day’s life challenges they get involved in. Occupational therapy is quite involving and needs good strategies and skills for one to be successful in the program.
Physical Therapist (PT), are skilled health care practitioners that aim to improve movement, reduce pain and increase patient enjoyment of life. All while providing moral, legal and ethical care to patients. However, each of these requirements of practice are dictated by different entities. Meaning, that the requirements sometimes may or may not correlate with one another. Legally, therapist must abide by both state and national laws that are put in place for all health care professionals, in addition to those specific to the field of Physical Therapy. Whereas, ethical responsibilities may be dictated by the professional organizations and society norms. While morals vary according to different cultures and subcultures, making them specific
Professionalism is an adherence to a set of values comprising both a formally agreed-upon code of conduct and the informal expectations of colleagues, clients and society. The key values include acting in a patient's interest, responsiveness to the health needs of society, maintaining the highest standards of excellence in the practice of medicine and in the generation and dissemination of knowledge. In addition to medical knowledge and skills, medical professionals should present psychosocial and humanistic qualities such as caring, empathy, humility and compassion, as well as social responsibility and sensitivity to people's culture and beliefs. All these qualities are expected of members of highly trained professions.
After pondering over the specific meaning behind professional identity and how I should answer this question, I realized that my professional identity is how I perceive myself within my occupational context. I was also going to mention some exact words that described me, however, I believe that a professional identity is not permanent. It is a concept that continues developing throughout our lives. I would like to refer to my professional identity as a process that is constantly influenced by my professors and their teaching style, by my interactions with my peers, and by the way I communicate with others. One of the things that I think is really important to me as a counselor in training, which I learned in my Master’s program, is the ability to empathize with people who come with a problem. I think empathy is a key element in the helping profession, and I enjoy learning how to do it the best possible way. Another factor that is very important to me is providing a sense of autonomy to clients and create an environment for them to feel safe to express what they are going through in life.
Furthermore, legal responsibility is willing to accept fault, knowing when to ask questions of a supervisor to more clearly meet the needs of the client. Kaslow, Grus, Campbell, & Fouad, et al., 2009). Moreover, this insightful implementation is the ability to evaluate and implement the soundest therapy for the client. My career identity has not been perfected in a skilled setting which would be a practicum or internship. The career character that has been built was by collaboration with colleagues at my first residency.
Professionals are people who have equipped themselves with the knowledge and skills in a given field. The interest of improvement of the professional identity is an evidence of how high standards are placed upon the professionals in the community (Johnson et al., 2012). Each profession creates its norms, values and scope of practice that distinguishes it from any other profession. Different legal ethics are upheld and everyone needs to work as per the stipulated ethics in the field to be part of the profession. People in the field are expected to be knowledgeable and independently use decision
Healthcare professionals work to serve the community and provide good quality care. A high standard of patient-centred care is achieved through the amalgamation of the central values of an Integrated Health Professional (IHP) (Olckers, Gibbs, Duncan 2007:2). Through a family member’s experience with a healthcare professional I have personally learnt the importance of becoming an IHP which will be discussed further.