A Day In The Life….
As a student, your days are filled with lectures, labs, test, and much, much more. But what will your days be filled with once you have completed your degree and have your license in hand?
I came upon a great website that can give a little insight into
what you can expect. It will also show you what the other disciplines
around you go through on a daily bases. Visit Diversity: Allied Health Careers and check out the page titled A Day In The Life .
You will find a log of one day from six allied health professions
including Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Respiratory
Therapist, Registered Dietitian, Social Worker and Physician
Assistant. Each featured professional gives a little background on
their education and experience and then provides a time log of their day.
Erby is the featured Occupational Therapist:
"At the start of my day, I also determined what patients are to be seen and the length of their sessions based on a weekly census. Typically I treat about five to eight patients per day. Short-and long-term goals are established for each patient after an evaluation, and a treatment plan is also developed."
Erby also adds a little piece of
advice for new OT’s.
"[Occupational therapy] is a profession where you truly
must be a person who can deal with a variety of personalities and
temperaments. It’s important to know that although you are working
one-on-one with patients, you must be someone who can collaborate with
others becuase there are multiple professional who are involved with
the patients care and well being."
Take a moment and see what Erby and her colleagues go through on a
normal day. I guarantee it is different than lectures and labs!
