Hello Ann: Thank you for your response. It is giving me much to think about. I think many of your comments are 100% right and present concepts and ideas which I have over looked.
Ron ~~~~~~ On Tuesday, April 9, 2002, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dac> In a message dated 4/9/2002 8:09:08 AM Eastern Standard Time, Dac> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Dac> Ron writes: >> I don't think it will come as a big surprise to most that there's something >> "wrong" with the profession of OT. To me the biggest symptom of this >> "wrongness" is the fact that we've been in existence for almost 100 years >> and people still don't know who we are. Dac> Ron, Do you know what people who are Geodesists do? How about Industrial Dac> Hygienists, system analysts, conservators, archivists, etc. etc. I don't Dac> agree that people not knowing what we do is necessarily indicative of some Dac> huge "wrong" within our profession. Nor do I think that the fact that we Dac> work in very different settings, drawing on different aspects of our Dac> theoretical training means that we are not being true to OT. Nurses work in Dac> all different types of medical and residential settings, in schools, doctor's Dac> offices, insurance companies, psychiatrist's offices, information systems Dac> departments, the list goes on and on. How they function in each of those Dac> settings, and what particular theories they draw on differ significantly in Dac> those very different settings. Nobody questions that each one is still a Dac> nurse. Dac> This ongoing complaint seems to be more of internal making than an external Dac> problem. The doctors who refer to our outpatient program know what we as Dac> OT's do; the rest of the interdisciplinary team in which I work respect our Dac> contribution to the patient's recovery. When I worked in school systems and Dac> Head Start programs, the teachers valued the contribution we made to the Dac> children's development. Does every doctor, teacher, insurance reviewer, Dac> potential OT client know or value what we do? No. Does every OT practise OT Dac> the way I would like to see it practised, or in a manner consistent with the Dac> roots of OT? No. Does that mean that the majority of us are not practising Dac> "true" OT? NO. I respect the school system OT, the OT who is also a CHT, Dac> the OT working in the various medical models, the private practise OT, the Dac> psych OT, the ones reaching out for emerging practise areas in Dac> non-traditional settings. Each one is taking a different approach based on a Dac> variety of treatment approaches and theories, most of which are quite valid. Dac> The former governor of NY, Mario Cuomo, is often quoted by a local public Dac> radio personality as saying "any jackass can knock down a barn"(I think Cuomo Dac> is actually quoting someone else - maybe Truman). I think it is more Dac> productive to discuss ways in which we can promote the diversity within our Dac> profession, rather than having an ongoing lament about something "wrong" with Dac> the profession. How do we let people know what's RIGHT with our profession, Dac> rather than complain amongst ourselves about what's wrong with us. I'm proud Dac> to be an OT, and that is the message I carry to those with whom I interact. Dac> Ann *********ой*********** Unsubscribe? Send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message's *body*, put the following text: unsubscribe OTlist ** List messages are archived at: http://www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com *********ой***********
