Elevator Speech--PDE Goals

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 At the beginning of OT school I struggled to explain OT to others. I obviously knew what it meant to me and I had experience in observing it in action. However, I couldn't accurately describe it on the fly. Some of the questions like, "Isn't it like PT?" or "So you help people get jobs?" are certainly frustrating after hearing time and time again. This is why advocacy is still a huge part of my responsibility as a student and future practitioner. Through identifying my personal development goals in Leadership 431 I have been able to put this responsibility to practice. Now, eight months in to OT school I feel very confident explaining my chosen profession. I am excited to talk about OT because I am prepared to explain the joy that is found in encouraging people to find ways to be be independent despite their limitations. Some of the successful conversation elements I use are: inquiring what the person already knows about OT, building off of their previous knowledge and redirecting if needed, then adding what OT means to me. People love a story! I definitely feel like OT has become part of mine in a DESCRIBABLE way that I now love to share. 

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