Class Description -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Students will study professional behaviors appropriate for placement in fieldwork sites. Successful work skills, advocating for the Occupational Therapy profession, creative planning and client-centered practice in the community will be explored. This is a designated Community-Engaged Learning course.
OTA Awareness Presentation ------------------------------------------
This was one of the most challenging assignments but for very different reasons than for other assignments. My reflection is listed below.
OT Awareness Reflection
My group consisted of Mercedes Smith, Lathan Smith, and me. We presented at Murray High School in Murray, UT, on March 14, 2024. We presented for two health sciences high school classes with a total of about 40 teenagers. The teacher, Karly Bates, asked us to take about 20 minutes with each class. We taught them about the role that occupational therapy can play in various settings, how one becomes an OT or COTA, and where to get more information. We also showed them one example of how an OTP might help someone with a disability get dressed. We demonstrated how to use a reacher and a sock aide to don lower body clothing, and we invited a couple students to try it out.
This was probably the most difficult presentation I’ve ever give. Presenting to high school students during class is hard. I was worried about engaging high school students in the topic, and we tried really hard to make the presentation both interesting and relevant to them, but I think it ended up being really dry. I do think we succeeded in showing them how OT might be relevant to their daily lives; several kids in the second class asked a lot of questions about how an OTP might help in a few different scenarios. Otherwise, we tried to encourage questions and participation with candy rewards, but even then, most of the teenagers just looked at us until we moved on. I cringe a little thinking about that day. Even so, this motivated me to reach out to high schools in Iron County and ask to present there as well. I realized that I wish someone had presented to my class in high school, and I want to help grow OT in Southern Utah, where it is still very poorly known. Before then, I want to practice the presentation more and make it a little less dry. While I may not choose to work with teenagers very often in professional settings, I will interact with them in multiple other areas because they will be family members and caretakers of patients, and I want to encourage a new generation of upcoming OTPs. This was a good opportunity to learn how to connect with and engage them in a conversation about OT, and I look forward to learning more.
Please follow the link below to view our presentation.