WORK - PART 1

When  thinking about uniform terminology for Occupational Therapy and all the different areas that could be examined and looked at I thought it would be interesting to look at the area of work for myself.  Maybe this will get all of you thinking about addressing components of your career or job.

For therapists, special ed teachers and vocational rehabilitation counselors the next several posts will be eye opening for you.  After all of your work, brainstorming, planning and collaboration, do you really know what happens after the IEPs and after they are off from your caseload?

For people my age we probably have 40-60 years of this component in our lives. Are we working it to our fullest? When making choices and decisions in this area are we happy, healthy, passionate fulfilled.

I am undoubtedly a hard worker and I have had all the resources necessary to be successful in the

areas of work but that doesn't mean I haven't had challenges which has required extreme perseverance from me.  

When I was 14 years old I really wanted to work hard and be independent.  I made brochures to advertise myself for pet setting and baby setting and volunteered at the zoo to pursue my future career goals. I was successful with my neighborhood business and also ended up driving kids home from catholic school during my senior year of high school.  I grew out of wanting to be a zookeeper once I realized the core of animal care was picking up poop for little pay.

I took a School to Work class senior year of high school where I was able to research OT, learn how to write a resume and cover letter and shadow OTs one afternoon a week.  I also shadowed OTs and took workshops about career preparation during the summer months. It was obvious I had the motivation and drive to begin a life long career.

As a teenager I wasn't satisfied in child and pet care.  My mom worked hard with me on mock interviews and how to discuss my disability.  Looking back now I realize because of my physical challenges my interpersonal skills became top notch.  I remember explaining to the employers at Celebration Cinema that I worked at the zoo for several summers and they were satisfied with the fact that I was able to use a broom and dust pan.  During the interview we openly discussed I would not be fast enough to handle a cash register or serve drinks/food.  Personality wise I loved the rush of busy evenings at the movie theater.  I liked offering services to people and I was a hard worker. While I worked at the theater I learned some important life lessons. In my mind and on the surface I wanted to prove I could physically do everything a person without a disability could do. However, repetition and the pace of consistently using my body is too over bearing.  I had some very abused tight hamstrings and carpal tunnel. I went through my first round of needing accommodations on the job.  At the time I was humiliated that I had to ask for a chair to sit in to collect tickets as an usher. I also thought requesting accommodations was going to be a one time thing.

I went through college very passionate about learning every thing I could about Occupational Therapy.  I knew I loved kids and had a major interest in working in the school system.  I also wrote papers and did projects on pain and stress management.  I was able to get my fieldwork settings with ease (minor accommodations) even though one of them had to be a setting work with individuals who had physical disabilities. Baker did not have any clinical placements in a school setting and I was encouraged to explore various placements.

After college I entered the interview world with only volunteer experience in the school setting. I also quickly learned the majority of entry level OT jobs were in skilled nursing facilities which are very physically demanding. I would be unable to perform essential job duties in a setting like this even if I was reasonably accommodated. I kept a positive attitude and carried my strong interview skills along with me.  I had no choice but to interview as much as possible. The positive thing about this, is practice makes perfect.  I had employers who interviewed me giving me advice and phone numbers about where I could begin my career.  It felt like an eternity but 2 months after I passed my registration exam I got my first part time job as an OT. I worked through Heartland Home Care on a part time basis with no benefits and I also drove to a county an hour away. I really did like this job but I knew I had to keep searching for jobs that offered benefits.