Preview

Why I Want to Be an Ota

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
685 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why I Want to Be an Ota
When I was seven my papaw had a stroke. He stayed in the hospital a few weeks and when he came home he had a new bed and bars in the bathroom. Michael started coming to papaw’s not long after that. It was confusing and difficult to watch Michael help papaw out of bed, or brush his teeth, or tie his shoes. Over time we began to notice improvements. Papaw needed help with his buttons but not his shirt. Michael would make the coffee but papaw could pour it. By the time papaw died he needed much less therapy but we still saw Michael every few weeks. The patience, compassion and encouragement of one person improved my family’s last years with its patriarch in countless ways. It was this improvement that inspired me to pursue a career as an occupational therapist assistant. Occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) “provide rehabilitative services to persons with mental, physical, emotional, or developmental impairments”. (Occupational Outlook Handbook) As an OTA I will be responsible for the “hands-on” portion of a patient’s therapy as well as all documentation on a patient’s progress and changes to therapy that are needed. OTAs guide a patients therapy based on “a treatment plan developed in collaboration with an occupational therapist”. (OOH) Upon graduation from a school accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, a passing grade on a certifying exam is necessary to obtain employment as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Once certified, COTAs face no shortage of employment options. In 2008, OTA was named as one of the fifty fastest-growing recession-proof jobs with an annual percentage growth of over twenty-five percent.(Biotech Week) These positions can be held in such places as nursing care facilities, elementary and secondary schools, hospitals, or outpatient care centers. An OTA can look forward to an average annual salary of over fifty thousand dollars with offices of other health care practitioners offering


Cited: "Occupational Outlook Handbook." Bureau of Labor Statistics. Department of Labor, 2010-2011 Edition. N. pag. Web. 22 Jul 2010. “Occupational Therapy Named One of Nations 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs.” Biotech Week 5 Nov. 2008: 3963. General OneFile. Web. 22 Jul 2010. "Summary Report for: 31-2011.00 - Occupational Therapist Assistants." O*NET OnLine. U.S. Department of Labor, 2008. Web. 22 Jul 2010.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Before I can explain the role an Occupational Therapist and the Occupational Therapist Assistant will have in the recovery of a Traumatic Brain Injury patient, we first need to understand exactly what it is. The brain is made up of numerous unique parts and functions that depend on each other. Damaging the brain can have long-term side effects on an individual, depending on what part of the brain was injured. Depending on the type of brain injury this will affect the type of treatments that are essential for the brain to be able to function at a normal operating condition.…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Morgan Wood

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Occupational Therapist Assistant (OTA) assists the therapist with the patient. They assist in activities and exercises.…

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Carol intends to be a practicing OT upon completion of her master’s. She states that she has always felt a special connection with older adults and hopes that this career change will allow her to use her knowledge and skills to teach therapeutic activities in order to improve and enrich the lives of this clientele. Carol feels that, while RT has its benefits, OT will go much further in contributing to the welfare of her clients and be more fulfilling for herself. She also believes that this will allow her to be paid more equitably for the services that she is capable of…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    American Association of Medical Assistants (2007-2008) Occupational Analysis of the CMA (AMAA) Retrieved September 28, 2012, from American Association of Medical Assistants. http://www.aama-ntl.org/medassisting/OA.aspx…

    • 1086 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What I find most intriguing in this article are the doubt that encircles the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions and how evident it is among medical professionals. In Waite’s article (2014), even the doctor doubted the occupational therapist’s ability to understand the complexities of primary care intervention logistics. It’s discouraging and at the same time creates a little self-depreciation not only to occupational therapists, but also to the rest of healthcare professionals. An effective team requires mutual understanding that other healthcare professionals can bring significant contributions to the table. It is the only way to collaboratively deliver quality patient care.…

    • 100 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Finding the occupational therapy assistant program at CCAC has helped me dedicate myself to a very important career path. While in high school at South Park, I was on the swim team and was the captain during my last year. While being involved with swimming, I also taught swimming lessons to children for five years. I have also been a dedicated employee at the South Park Clubhouse for the past six years and I'm still there. For two years of high school, I volunteered at a nonprofit haunted house, Hundred Acres Manor. I did all of this all while maintaining good grades.…

    • 322 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    As an Occupational Therapist, I will be treating clients who possess a variety of developmental, physical, and mental conditions. I will be therapeutically assisting clients who suffer from a disability, illness, or an injury. I will guide a client to develop, recover, and maintain their daily living, social, and working skills towards their goals.…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Occupational Therapists are in the field of lifespan which means that there main focus is to help people accomplish daily activities through therapeutic exercise. There main types of patients are children with disabilities, that the help participate fully in a school setting, or older people who have suffered from physical or cognitive changes. While PT and OT are very similar they are also very similar, and this is why OTs and PTs usually work interprofessionally to allow the patient to achieve a full…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Occupational therapy was born in 1917 with the founding of The National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy. The five founders held a belief that occupation was a valuable therapeutic tool, but also knew scientific evidence would push occupational therapy (OT) to be a respected field (Schwartz, 2003). Much has changed in OT in the last hundred years, but OT still stands strong on two points, occupation based interventions and evidence based practice. With the high demand for evidence based practice comes the need for research and highly skilled therapists who can put research into practice. OT moved from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree to ensure graduates had a proper education.…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the years, I have acquired and perfected various skills and abilities that will attribute to my success as an occupational therapist. As a competive gymnast and a full time student, I have gained the physical strength required to serve my clients and the ability to manage a busy and hectic schedule. I have exquisite time management skills that enable me to commit to several responsibilities at any given time. With determination and commitment, I have not missed a day of school since first grade or a single day of work. I plan on continuing my excellent attendance into my future plans as an OT.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    UNCW Field Experience

    • 1762 Words
    • 8 Pages

    (2017), this is a national professional association established to represent the interests and concerns of occupational therapy practitioners and students and to improve the quality of occupational services. The services provided by The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. would be extremely beneficial to myself as a future occupational therapist. With professional certifications and credentials this will allow myself to grow and gain knowledge about different specialty areas in occupational therapy, once I received my Master’s degree. The services provided that would help my advancement in becoming an occupational therapist would be the accredited entry-level programs, occupational therapy connections, and access to research and education. With the accredited programs listed on the webpage, this will eliminate endless hours of researching multiple schools to see if they have a recognized credential occupational therapy program. This way I know I will be applying to a graduate school who is accredited. Along with this, having occupational therapy connections would be helpful to expand my network to other future occupational therapist and accredited therapist. This will allow myself to learn different material and be connected within the community. If I had any questions or concerns about certain areas in the field, I could directly ask a certified occupational therapist. Also, having connections to…

    • 1762 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Database Administrator

    • 3175 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Abby states “that if you know who you are and you 're true to yourself, you will be more confident and assertive in your work environment.” We need to understand who we are as a person then we can be able to truly reach for success.…

    • 3175 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Professional Liability

    • 1589 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Unknown. (2009, December 17). Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from www.bls.gov: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos079.htm…

    • 1589 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Occupational Therapist provides services at Kimi-Ora School. The Occupational Therapist (OT) will help students overcome barriers to become as independent in their life skills and learning.…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This experience gave me insight into what it is to be a social worker, and I was intrigued. I became passionate about advocating for children who were homeless, lived in poverty, and those who had behavioral as well as mental issues. I feel that I have the propensity for advocating along with empathy which is a crucial in the field of social work.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays