Hey Chuck: How to bring about change?? Good question, one that I've wondered about many, many times. Your question makes me wonder just where/what are the problems? We can/should have a discussion about the problems!!
I don't think that occupation is a competence issue!! It's a philosophical issue. It's a pill that's very easy to swallow or very difficult, depending on your perspective. I was re-reading some old e-mail messages the other day and came across one from another faculty member where I used to teach. The message was about occupation and the the faculty member's reluctance to accept the notion of occupation-based practice. The faculty member in question was an AT expert and taught the UE bio-mechanical classes to the OTs. Her message basically said, "it's not a matter of understanding occupation, it's a matter of accepting it". I think that this quote sums it up for most people that are not practicing occupation. In my opinion, many OT's don't want to embrace to notion of being an OCCUPATIONal therapist. Your comments about the Fund promoting OT to the outside are well taken. But as I've stated before, if the machine is broken on the inside (and in my opinon the OT machine IS broken), exactly what are we promoting!!! I think the Fund may want to focus on promoting occupation to OT's. Now, that's an important thing to promote. ================================================================= On Tuesday, March 30, 2004, you wrote: CW> Ron, CW> Sorry to hear about your frustrations. To me the question is how to CW> bring about change. CW> For future practitioners it seems to me that education is the answer. CW> For current practitioners I think the focus should be through continuing CW> competence. The purpose of the Fund is to promote occupational therpy CW> (see: http://www.promoteot.org/) The issues that you have raised are CW> more internal to the profession. It seems to me that we need more CW> practitioners to be a part of the professional organization. AOTA CW> membership is around 36,000 and we estimate that there over 110,000 CW> licensed practitioners. CW> Chuck >>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 3/30/2004 11:14:26 AM >>> CW> Just started an evaluation on a new client who had a stroke a while CW> back. CW> She has had OT/PT/SLP in both rehab and home health. CW> We talked about her previous therapy and she says that PT was CW> helpful but CW> that her OT and SLP didn't do much to help her. Care to guess what CW> it was CW> that the OT's worked on??? One hint, it wasn't her occupations!! It CW> was her CW> arm!!!!!! CW> Even though the neurologist had told the client that her arm would CW> never CW> return to it's previous status, two OT's spend countless hours and CW> untold CW> dollars trying to bring it back.... CW> You know what this woman's primary concern is today?? Mobility!!! She CW> can't CW> get from her wheelchair to her bed and it costs her extra money for CW> nursing CW> care. In all fairness, I haven't talked with the therapist nor seen CW> their CW> notes, but I am planning to do so. CW> Either way, this is such a marketing nightmare and it's what I see CW> almost CW> EVERY TIME I run into a client who has had OT. And, let's not forget CW> that CW> the AOTA's proposed practice act states: >> The practice of occupational therapy means the therapeutic use of >> everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals or groups CW> for >> the purpose of participation in roles and situations in home, CW> school, >> workplace, community, and other settings. CW> I spent ten minutes trying to convince the client and her family that I CW> am a CW> "different type of OT".... one that focuses on client's CW> occupations. How CW> sad, that an OT has to call himself a different type of OT CW> because he CW> focuses on occupation. While some people experiences are different CW> than CW> mine, the above example is, with very few exceptions, my experience at CW> being CW> an OT. CW> And to make things worse, it seems that just focusing on occupation CW> isn't CW> enough either. Because this client's daughter says, you mean you are CW> going CW> to have her cooking and stuff!! So I say, only if that's important, CW> which I CW> know that it's not. The other day, a different client told of a story CW> where CW> an OT was sending their Mom to the mall, even though she couldn't CW> walk and CW> didn't want to go. CW> Almost everywhere I go, all I hear is complaints about OT!!! Or CW> maybe, CW> that's all that I remember hearing. Who knows!!! CW> I wrote a letter to the Fund to Promote Awareness of OT about CW> promoting CW> occupation rather than OT. Unfortunately, the executive director of The CW> Fund CW> has left and been replaced. Before she left, she replied to my message CW> with CW> a message that said "interesting comments"..... Aaaaarrrggghhh CW> With the type of OT that seems to be so prevalent, I am not convinced CW> that CW> promoting OT is in our best interests. I am often unhappy when I hear CW> that I CW> client that I'm seeing has already had OT. Because, I know that CW> it's an CW> uphill battle to convince them of the power of occupation!!! CW> Guess it comes with the territory!!! 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