Occupational Therapy Personal Statement

I was an undeclared student for the first half of undergrad but by the end of my sophomore year, I found that I had a strong desire to work in a field that would allow me to work with people and help them develop the skills necessary to meet their individualized needs and goals. I then had various meetings with my undeclared academic advisor and found that occupational therapy was a strong match for my career interests. I was drawn to the holistic and creative aspects of occupational therapy and the field`s emphasis on designing individualized interventions and care plans that could address various domains such as sleep, activities of daily living (ADLs), work, education, and leisure. My personal experiences, education, and professional experiences

Since a master's degree is required to become an occupational therapist I spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out what undergraduate degree would best align with my goal of becoming an occupational therapist. During this time, my 17-year-old sister ruptured her Achilles tendon during basketball practice and required surgery. It was the first major injury anyone in my immediate family had experienced and I remember seeing how much my sister hated bathing post-surgery. Since she could not get her stitches wet I assisted her and washed her hair in the sink. She was extremely frustrated with not being able to participate in her own self-care as independently as she did prior to the injury. As she healed she eventually utilized a shower chair and waterproof boot covers so she could shower on her own again and I noticed how much happier it made her to perform aspects of her own self-care. It made me understand the importance of being able to provide people with the equipment and interventions they need to complete tasks independently and strengthened my desire to want to work with people to achieve their own goals and complete the tasks they wish to

I reached out to various facilities to try and secure an in-person experience and was approved to shadow the Hand Therapy team at JAG-ONE Physical Therapy. The shadowing experience taught me more about the specialty such as the types of interventions implemented, the equipment used, and the range of conditions treated by a hand therapist. The best part of the experience was talking with the clients and hearing how much occupational therapy has impacted their lives. Listening to the personal stories of regaining confidence, strength, and independence to return to work or leisure has shown me that occupational therapy is exactly the career I want to pursue to achieve my professional goals, as I want to be able to contribute to that positive impact in someone's