Choosing OT.
When I first entered undergrad at Tennessee Tech University I chose Pre-pharmacy as my major. I had encountered pharmacists on different occasions so I thought this was the best decision for me. After completing several prerequisite courses, I soon realized I wasn't passionate about this field. One weekend while I was home, my aunt, who was in the process of fostering a little boy, spoke to me about his amazing occupational therapist (OT). She recommended I shadow his OT and see if this would be a career that interested me. I reached out to the OT and attended an two day, outdoor camp for children with special needs. I was paired with a boy named Ian that had severe autism and was very difficult to control. During the camp, Ian became very overwhelmed and decided he was going to remove his "glass eye" that I was unaware he had. As you can imagine, I was very shocked and tried everything I could to help resolve the problem. This is what I thought OT was; I only had one experience with the profession but had already crossed it off as a career I was not interested in. Fast forward to Junior year of undergrad, I was trying to nail down what my career goals were and what I saw myself doing for the rest of my life; I thought I should give OT another try. I contacted a hand therapist at STAR Physical Therapy and decided I should shadow in a different setting than I did before. This experience totally changed my view of OT. The hand therapist showed compassion, understanding, patience, empathy, and so much more to each and every client that came through the doors. I enjoyed every case I observed and knew from that point on I was going to become an OT. During this time, I learned never to give up on something after one bad experience. Never let one bad day, one bad client, one bad situation dictate the rest of your life. This is my OT story. I hope you enjoy!
