You go Ron!
-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Carson <rdcar...@otnow.com>
To: OTlist@OTnow.com
Sent: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:04 pm
Subject: [OTlist] "Healing the Splintered Mind"
>From Advance for Directors in Rehabilitation, Vol 18, No.4
Here's a great quote from the article on page 33:
"the role of a therapist must expand beyond traditional
objectives to a view that allows clients to return to community
ambulation and a satisfying, productive life. This requires a
thorough understanding of the 'whole person' - a patient with
unique physical, cognitive, emotional , social and spiritual
characteristics. A holistic treatment plan can address these
comprehensive issues and define primary roles for therapists
across disciplines."
This is a great description of how OT should be. Too bad this is written
by a PT about PT! I left one word of out the quote's 1st line, it
actually reads: "the role of a PHYSICAL therapist..."
Once again, as adult phys dys OT's are stuck in the STUPID role of being
"crappy upper extremity PT's", the PT's are starting to do what we
should already be doing!
I sometimes think we are the dumbest profession on the face of the
earth. How did we ever make it this far? How and why are 1,000's of OT
standing around with their thumbs up their nose wasting money and time
doing non-necessary, non-skilled, UE exercises while patients can't get
from point A to point B to do the things they want?
That slogan of "PT teaches you how to walk and OT teaches what to do
when you get there" is dumb. It's dumb because patients do not care what
they are going to do when they get there! They primarily care about
getting there!
For a long time, I've said that OT should be the mobility experts and
the above quote is EXACTLY why. We, yes OT, is the best profession to
look at the multiple factors inhibiting and contributing to successful
engagement in mobility-related occupations. Why must PT see that
mobility is much more than gait but OT refuses to recognize that
occupation involves gait.
Can I teach a person to get from point A to point B? Sure. Do I get
overly involved in the correct procedure of toe off, swing through, etc?
No. That's PT! Do, I worry about causing injury from improper gait?
Sure! Do I do stretching and LE exercises? Only to show the patient, the
rest I leave up to PT.
See, I think PT needs to stay in their well-defined role of being
PHYSICAL therapists. They are the EXPERTS on physical dysfunction.
Strengthening, ROM, pain - these are PT's domain. On the other hand,
OT's domain is OCCUPATION. It's the doing of daily activity from going
pee to cooking a meal to driving a car. It's the rich world of making
our lives worth living. It's the utterly complex and at time
overwhelming treatment realm of physical, mental, emotional, social and
environmental all rolled up into one big ball of string! It's a
WONDERFUL place for and OT to call home!
You know, OT needs to heal OUR splintered mind!
Ron
~~~
Ron Carson MHS, OT
www.OTnow.com
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