Keeping Up With Kaylee

Therapeutic relationships are very important to establish as an occupational therapist. It allows for a deeper connection to be formed, which develops from many factors including trust and empathy. By planning how an interaction with a client will go, including the resources and activities you have planned for their session, it allows for less anxiety and more organization to happen before the interaction. If you let the client know you are invested in their improvement by exemplifying these characteristics, it is likely that the therapeutic outcome with be more positive. As my time as a rehab tech, I saw first hand how vital this relationship can be. When a client doesn't feel confident or sure about therapy and how it will help them, a therapist can let them know with body language and words how they plan to improve their quality of life. Although I know there is always room for improvement, I think I have a good amount of empathy already established. As my time at UTHSC, I kno...

My main take-away from Dr. Keisling’s presentation on The History of Disability was the importance of understanding and knowing the history behind disabilities. It is not essential that we know every piece of legislature in regards to this, but instead that we are familiar with how it is relevant. Before today’s presentation, I was honestly unaware of many of the topics he discussed. People with disabilities, mild to severe, were stripped of their human rights and not given the opportunity to make their own decisions in regards to their own life. I did not know the extent to which the government and the media took to exclude people from society and make generalizations about how they were dangerous. It makes me want to always see each individual as a person, and if they are different than me, not judge them, but get to know them for who they are.  When working on the Era Presentations, I did not fully understand the importance of knowing the history behind various topics we le...

The OTPF is a document that explains topics and elements of occupational therapy which are all intertwined. It defines occupational therapy practitioners, clients, and occupations, which are all important terms and concepts to fully understand as an occupational therapist. It is important to learn about the OTPF because it can be used as a resource in the field and lays the foundation or "framework" for which we as professionals practice. In addition, the OTPF has many visuals for clearer and more concise understanding of different topics and how they are related to other topics.

One of my roles in life is being a wife. With this role there are many occupations, activities, and tasks that contribute to it. One of my occupations as a wife that I participate in on a regular basis is doing laundry. There are many smaller activities that make up doing laundry like putting the clothes into the washing machine and folding the clothes. A task of folding the laundry is grabbing a shirt. This is an essential piece of performing and completing the activity.

I am choosing dressing as my occupation that has remained true and consistent over time. Although fashion and what people wear has varied, the occupation has stayed the same. Throughout time though, people have decided to get dressed up and wear their "Sunday best" when attending church on Sunday. Many people have specific shoes or outfits that they only wear to church. Also, the type or how dressed up some one gets depends on where they are going and what they are doing there. If you are spending the day on a hike, you will wear more relaxed clothes and tennis shoes. Additionally it is a social norm to dress before going in public. This is another aspect of my occupation that has remain consistent over time. There are many tasks that go into getting dressed that have also remained consistent over several decades.

From a young age, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field, but I was unsure what exactly I would chose. With both of my parents being pharmacists, I thought this would be a perfect fit for me and began exploring it. I looked at educational requirements, prerequisites and job outlooks, but ultimately decided pharmacy was not for me. During my junior and senior year of high school, I began exploring other medical careers. I eventually shadowed a pediatric OT, and fell in love with it. I knew very quickly that this is what I wanted to spend my career doing. During my years at Tennessee Tech University, I continued shadowing occupational therapists and confirmed that this is what I wanted to do. I observed how the therapists enjoyed what they were doing and did not dread going to work everyday. Additionally, I felt that several of my personality traits would allow me to be an excellent occupational therapist. I truly enjoy helping others and have a passion for health care,...