October 14, 2011
Today we had a guest speaker for OT9531. At the beginning, it was kind of hard to pay attention to her lecture, because our class had a quiz right after, but I really ended up enjoying it. She mainly talked about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). What moved me the most was the Public Service Announcement video by the ALS Society of Canada. At the beginning, it showed a middle-aged man running and being active with his family, then showed his health rapidly deteriorating over the span of a few years. Within two years, he could no longer run up the stairs, dance with his wife, sing with his family, or take care of himself. I literally had tears in my eyes watching this short video as did many of my classmates.
Watching this video brought up a possible challenge in my future as an occupational therapist (OT). How am I supposed to provide efficient service and knowledge to my clients with serious illnesses, such as ALS and MS, if I could not even control my emotions watching a video on these topics? Would I be able to "get used to" or would I somehow learn to desensitize myself when dealing with some of my clients? I mean, I'm a pretty sensitive person in general...
Up on pondering about this issue, I think the first idea I must get used to is the fact that OTs do not just work in rehabilitation. Actually, until I went on my observation placement, I thought OTs exclusively worked in rehabilitation settings. Veterans Care Program at Parkwood was a long-term care facility, not rehabilitation. The OT there told me that these clients don't get better and go home. They're there to stay and, inevitably, their conditions worsen over time. I didn't know how I felt about working at a non-rehabilitation setting at the time, but I think I just need more time to get used to the idea. Health care is not just about making people feel better and heal people, but I'm beginning to realize the real importance of occupational therapy. I think it is about optimizing independence and well-being of the clients in accordance to their changing abilities. Just because a client is diagnosed with a certain illness--terminal or not, it doesn't mean that they no longer have lives to live and memories to develop. I think OTs and health care professionals in general strive to help them to achieve as normal and fulfilling lives as possible even during this difficult time.
I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that I am a sensitive and emotional person. I think it all depends how I use this to build my character as a future OT. In order to become a more successful OT, I will use my emotions to build empathy and compassion, rather than sympathizing my clients and their families. In this way, I will be able to help them feel more comforted during this difficult stage of their lives and, thus, provide a more positive therapeutic environment.
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