Do you have plans to participate in national occupational therapy month?
Since 1980, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), has designated April to be national occupational therapy month, set to coincide with AOTA’s annual conference.
Whether you’re a practicing therapist, a therapist assistant, or an aspiring student, you can participate in this month to help bring awareness to the profession while sharing your personal experience.
Educate Your Community
We know you’re impacting lives every single day, but the people in your community may not understand your work or even know the kind of care that occupational therapy provides. You can change that by actively educating your community.
To help educate your community, you could share about your career at the local high school, give a presentation about OT at local community space like Kiwanis, or partner with a senior living community to educate members on health and safety issues.
Tell Your Story
If you love what you do, why not tell people about it? You can use social media, submit to industry blogs, share videos, and more. Telling your story of how and why you got involved in the profession helps others grow their knowledge of the field as well as understanding whether or not they’d be a good fit for it.
Even if you don’t want to share your personal experience online, you can still join or follow the conversations with other therapists and organizations throughout April by using the official hashtag: #OTMonth.
Stock Up on Some Gear
This whole month is dedicated to celebrating you and the work that you do every single day. Reward yourself! You can find a wide variety of gear available at PromoteOT.com ranging from drinkware and clothing to totes and different kits and sets.
Map Out Your Career
With a month dedicated to your profession, set aside some time to take stock of where you are and where you want to go in your career. If you’re a student, have you thought about what kind of setting you want to work in? Do you have a mentor that you can utilize to help you figure out the best fit?
If you’re an assistant, have you ever considered obtaining your master’s degree to become a therapist? Perhaps you already are a licensed occupational therapist but have a desire to open your own practice or grow your practice beyond what it currently is. Taking the time to realize and record these goals is the first step in creating a path forward to your end goal.
Give Back to Your Profession
Chances are that somewhere along your educational and professional journey, others have invested in you. Use April as a chance to give back to your profession by helping other young professionals advance in their career.
Whether it’s partnering with local colleges, hosting a job shadow day at your office, or volunteering to mentor a student or younger professional, you have many opportunities to give back.
How will you celebrate occupational therapy month? Share your ideas with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
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