Why Occupational Therapy?

     You might wonder why would you want to go into a field that no one knows what it is? And to be honest, I thought the same thing when I got the opportunity to shadow an occupational therapist. I was at a crossroads in my undergraduate career where I did not know what I wanted to do, but I knew the pre-med track I was on was not it. However, I was enrolled in a class that required me to complete an 8 hour observation in the field that I wanted to eventually practice in. This is where I was stumped because I did not know what I wanted to do anymore or if I even wanted to go into the medical field, but I ended up shadowing a close family friend, who happened to be an occupational therapist at a pediatric outpatient clinic. I agreed to shadow her on the basis of knowing nothing about occupational therapy or what it was; I even had to research occupational therapy before the observation day so I had an idea of what the profession was. Little did I know as I nervously arrived for observation day that I would fall in love with a profession that I had never even heard of before. 

    Fast forward 5 years later in my first year of an Occupational Therapy Program, I could not be more excited and proud to be a small part of this profession. Finding your place in the professional world is not always easy; but within the first couple hours of my experience with the profession of occupational therapy, I knew that I had found what I was meant to do. I chose occupational therapy because to me there is nothing more satisfying and humbling than seeing someone at their lowest, whether that be physically, mentally, or emotionally, and providing them with tools and techniques to regain their ability to live their lives. I chose occupational therapy because I found a profession that allows me to be my authentic, fun-loving self while helping people do activities that most of us take for granted. Ultimately, I chose occupational therapy because I found a place in the medical field where my love for creativity, science, and education can coexist.