A childhood friend of mine, Linda, has been a nurturer ever since we were kids. If one of us fell off our bikes, she was the first to rush to the side of the injured and make sure everything was okay. She knows just the right things to say when someone is going through a rough time, and just her presence has made me feel better many times in life.
As you can imagine, it didn’t come as a surprise to me when I found out she decided to attend Washington University in St. Louis, one of the best occupational therapy schools in the country. She worked for seven years after high school before deciding to pursue her college degree. Now that she has graduated and is in her second year as an occupational therapist, I’ve never seen her happier.
Occupational therapy helps people of all ages participate in activities (occupations) through use of therapeutic intervention. Occupational therapy can help adults who have suffered an injury, children with disabilities who need help with social interaction, or older adults who have suffered from a loss of function as they age. Occupational therapy truly helps people enjoy their health and life to the fullest. Linda, who works with older adults, says nothing makes her happier than to go home from work every day and know that she has helped people regain function in parts of their lives they thought they had lost forever. Her job isn’t always easy, but it’s incredibly rewarding.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in the field of occupational therapy, you can learn more at The American Occupational Therapy Association’s web site, http://www.aota.org.
