While the world continues to hold a misconception on the
purpose, strategies, and importance of occupational therapy, there is a growing
population of those who know better. Fortunately, I fall into the latter
category. Since beginning a master’s program in occupational therapy, I have
become even more aware of the vast misconceptions of the field. Time to clarify
some of the facts I have heard:
- Occupational therapists help people find jobs - This is entirely false. As stated in an article from US News (link below), occupational therapy “brings independence back to people that have lost it for whatever reason” These reasons may include injury, illness, stroke, or developmental delays. An occupation is something meaningful that is done in everyday life. Examples include getting dressed, driving, washing dishes, gardening, etc.
- Occupational therapists only work with old people in hospitals - While geriatrics and in-patient treatments are two realms in which occupational therapists work, they are not the only realms. Home health, school systems, and out-patient clinics are a few more examples of where one may find an occupational therapist. The article interviews Cortney Corder, an occupational therapist in West Virginia. She stated, “Just in the last hour, I saw a 4-year-old, and now I have a 70-some-year-old. Every person is completely different.
- Occupational therapists only work on hands - While hands are involved with many occupations (such as handwriting and grasping objects), occupational therapists work on all parts of the body. Whatever is needed to safely and independently preform the client’s occupations, occupational therapists will help.
I found this article to be very helpful for the general
public to see inside the role of an occupational therapist. While there is much
education to be done, articles like these can at least help a few individuals
learn more about occupational therapy. Maybe then a few more people will seek
occupational therapy services and therefore, as the article states, boost
quality of lives.
Link to article: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/west-virginia/articles/2017-04-29/occupational-therapy-boosts-quality-of-life
