What is OT?

Usually when I meet people for the first time, I have to explain what OT is to them. It used to make me sad that OT is not more well-known, but now I see that I have so many opportunities to promote OT to others! 

So what is OT? In OT school, they teach us to have an "elevator pitch," which is an explanation of OT that is short enough that it could be explained during an elevator ride. Here is mine:

"Occupational therapy works with people who have a disability or are recovering from an injury. An occupation is any activity that is meaningful to a person, which could be anything from brushing your teeth, to driving, to hanging out with friends. We use occupations to return our clients to their highest quality of life. For some people, it may be completely regaining their independence. For others, it may look more like adaptation of their environment. We work with people across the life span, so kids, adults, and older adults. We practice in many places, such as schools, hospitals, clinics, psychiatric hospitals, and rehabilitation centers."

Occupations are anything that you do in your daily life that is meaningful to you. We look at our clients holistically, looking at how they are doing mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. We also look at their home life and family life, not just how they present in front of us during our appointments. Our practice is very client-centered, as we seek to collaborate with the client. Ultimately, we help our clients live the life they want to live. 

A lot of people also ask me what the difference is between OT and PT. Some people believe that PTs work with the lower extremities (legs) and that OTs work with the upper extremities (arms). The way I like to explain it to people is that PTs work on fixing the leg, and then OT talks with the patient about what they can now do with that leg in their daily life. For example, can they walk around the house with their leg, can they get into their car, can they dance or play sports, etc. 

I hope this gives you a better understanding of what OT is! I really wish I knew what OT was in high school, so I could have worked towards applying to OT school earlier (compared to when I learned about OT in my junior year of college). Please let me know if you have other questions about what OT is! I am always happy to answer.

Best,

Bethany


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