Hi all!!
I am applying to graduate programs for occupational therapy. The prompt for the essay is "What is your rationale for choosing occupational therapy as a career." I would love for some feedback and any help would be greatly appreciated. They say that the word count is 2500. Currently my word count is 833.
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." This quote by Ralph Waldo is something that I believe strongly in. I use this quote to describe the type of occupational therapist that I want to become. I do not just want to be a great occupational therapist, but I want to be a therapist unlike any other and go above and beyond. Seeking out opportunities and using my creativity and knowledge to treat a patient is going to be very beneficial. I want to be a therapist that others will come to for ideas and one that they will start looking up to. I will create my own path and be the best occupational therapist that I am capable of being.
The moment I decided that I wanted to be an occupational therapist was four years ago. My grandmother had lived with me since the fifth grade. After she was diagnosed with lung cancer, her health started declining. After being discharged from the hospital, we thought that it was for her best interest to have home health come and do therapy with her every day. When I was at home with my grandma, I would watch the occupational therapist work with her. This was my first exposure to what an occupational therapist does while visiting a patient at their home. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about what they were doing. The therapists allowed me to ask any questions that I wanted. This sparked my interest into what I knew was going to be my future career path. Seeing the smile that those therapists would put on my grandmother's face was truly enlightening. Being able to be a positive figure in someone's life when they know they are in their final stages must be very rewarding.
After I realized that I wanted to be an occupational therapist, I started volunteering at a local hospital in the occupational therapy department. During these volunteer hours, I was able to follow around an occupational therapist and see what her day-to-day routine was like. This opportunity allowed me to ask questions and learn more about the field. I was exposed to many different types of cases. The most interesting one that I observed was a gentleman who was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. Prior to my volunteering, I had never heard of this diagnoses. This gentleman that the therapist was working with was unable to lift his legs off of the bed. A few weeks had passed and he was transferred to a facility that was able to give him higher level therapy each day. About a month after I had first seen him in the hospital, we had a knock on the door and he came walking into the therapy office. This was such a touching moment to see someone progress through this syndrome and overcome all of the obstacles that were standing in his way. The recovery that this gentleman had made was amazing and it was such a great feeling to be able to know that he fought through everything. I realize that not all patients that a therapist will work with are this extreme, but because of this case, I am certain that I want to be an occupational therapist and help more people out there that may be going through similar types of illnesses.
My personal background and experiences will help me in a great way. I have had first had experience working alongside inpatient occupational therapists in the hospital setting. Through working in the hospital setting, I have accomplished much more than I knew I was capable of. Part of my job duties is helping the therapist with wound care whirlpool treatments. Prior to my job in the hospital, I had never been a fan of blood or wounds. After completing numerous amounts of wound care whirlpool treatments, I learned something very valuable about myself. I realized that I am capable of handling a wound and this will make me a great therapist. Watching the therapist debride and pack the wound up was an astounding experience. Prior to working with whirlpool patients, I never knew that this was part of the occupational therapy career. Another important aspect about the occupational therapy career that I observed while working in the hospital was the importance of communication. An occupational therapist needs to be able to efficiently communicate with other therapists, nurses, doctors, social workers, and anyone else who is on the case for each patient. Communication is key to being able to run smoothly and give each patient the care and attention that they deserve.
The combination of the never ending possibilities and the creativity that goes into a profession such as occupational therapy continuously amazes me and draws me in to learn more each day. I strive to become the best occupational therapist that I can and hopefully be changing the lives of my patients for many years to come.
I am applying to graduate programs for occupational therapy. The prompt for the essay is "What is your rationale for choosing occupational therapy as a career." I would love for some feedback and any help would be greatly appreciated. They say that the word count is 2500. Currently my word count is 833.
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." This quote by Ralph Waldo is something that I believe strongly in. I use this quote to describe the type of occupational therapist that I want to become. I do not just want to be a great occupational therapist, but I want to be a therapist unlike any other and go above and beyond. Seeking out opportunities and using my creativity and knowledge to treat a patient is going to be very beneficial. I want to be a therapist that others will come to for ideas and one that they will start looking up to. I will create my own path and be the best occupational therapist that I am capable of being.
The moment I decided that I wanted to be an occupational therapist was four years ago. My grandmother had lived with me since the fifth grade. After she was diagnosed with lung cancer, her health started declining. After being discharged from the hospital, we thought that it was for her best interest to have home health come and do therapy with her every day. When I was at home with my grandma, I would watch the occupational therapist work with her. This was my first exposure to what an occupational therapist does while visiting a patient at their home. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about what they were doing. The therapists allowed me to ask any questions that I wanted. This sparked my interest into what I knew was going to be my future career path. Seeing the smile that those therapists would put on my grandmother's face was truly enlightening. Being able to be a positive figure in someone's life when they know they are in their final stages must be very rewarding.
After I realized that I wanted to be an occupational therapist, I started volunteering at a local hospital in the occupational therapy department. During these volunteer hours, I was able to follow around an occupational therapist and see what her day-to-day routine was like. This opportunity allowed me to ask questions and learn more about the field. I was exposed to many different types of cases. The most interesting one that I observed was a gentleman who was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. Prior to my volunteering, I had never heard of this diagnoses. This gentleman that the therapist was working with was unable to lift his legs off of the bed. A few weeks had passed and he was transferred to a facility that was able to give him higher level therapy each day. About a month after I had first seen him in the hospital, we had a knock on the door and he came walking into the therapy office. This was such a touching moment to see someone progress through this syndrome and overcome all of the obstacles that were standing in his way. The recovery that this gentleman had made was amazing and it was such a great feeling to be able to know that he fought through everything. I realize that not all patients that a therapist will work with are this extreme, but because of this case, I am certain that I want to be an occupational therapist and help more people out there that may be going through similar types of illnesses.
My personal background and experiences will help me in a great way. I have had first had experience working alongside inpatient occupational therapists in the hospital setting. Through working in the hospital setting, I have accomplished much more than I knew I was capable of. Part of my job duties is helping the therapist with wound care whirlpool treatments. Prior to my job in the hospital, I had never been a fan of blood or wounds. After completing numerous amounts of wound care whirlpool treatments, I learned something very valuable about myself. I realized that I am capable of handling a wound and this will make me a great therapist. Watching the therapist debride and pack the wound up was an astounding experience. Prior to working with whirlpool patients, I never knew that this was part of the occupational therapy career. Another important aspect about the occupational therapy career that I observed while working in the hospital was the importance of communication. An occupational therapist needs to be able to efficiently communicate with other therapists, nurses, doctors, social workers, and anyone else who is on the case for each patient. Communication is key to being able to run smoothly and give each patient the care and attention that they deserve.
The combination of the never ending possibilities and the creativity that goes into a profession such as occupational therapy continuously amazes me and draws me in to learn more each day. I strive to become the best occupational therapist that I can and hopefully be changing the lives of my patients for many years to come.
