"So what do you do?" is a handy question to ask when meeting people for the first time at social gatherings. The answer gives an insight into who that person is and provides us with avenues for further conversation depending on whether the response is considered interesting or worthy of follow up. My reply used to be "I'm an elementary school teacher". Some people found this interesting and pursued their line of questioning; to others, this answer maybe seemed too 'normal' a profession to warrant further comment. Whether people are interested or not, everyone has a strong conception of teaching as a profession. Most people don't have to think too hard to conjure up images of their favourite or most detested teachers in days gone past. Stories of chalk board erasers flying across the classroom aimed at disruptive pupils' heads or the teacher that could make learning seem interesting and dare I say it, fun, are fondly recounted at reunions of school friends. So like it or not, telling someone you're a teacher immediately provides people with conceptions and probably also misconceptions of who you are, what you're like, what you stand for etc.
Responding to the 'so what do you do?' question with the answer 'occupational therapist' probably makes some people wish they had never asked. When it comes to knowing what OT's do, people seem to divide into three groups: the majority have no idea at all of what an OT is or does - these people are then faced with the awkward decision of whether to pretend they know and then divert the conversation without being discovered or admitting that they don't have a clue what an OT is (I fell into the first category before beginning my OT training); the second group try to posit a definition of what being an OT entails - "so is that like helping people to find jobs or helping people when they are having difficulty doing their jobs" - which is a reasonable attempt considering the words of the job title; the minority of people break into a knowing smile and usually express some favourable comment about the work of OT's - these people, or maybe someone in their family or a friend, have usually experienced OT first hand.
For most people, the word occupation means 'job' so why wouldn't people think OT's are job counselors or career advisers? We don't have any popular tv dramas to publicize, or more accurately sensationalize and glamorize, the nature of our work. Lawyers have Ally McBeal and Boston Legal; medics have ER, House and Gray's Anatomy; teachers have Boston Public and Degrassi High (actually, did those kids ever go to school?); The police have CSI Miami, New York, Vegas and also Cagney and Lacey and CHIPS to take it back a few years. Even members of special intelligence agencies that investigate paranormal phenomena and extraterrestrial beings have their own tv show (The X-Files) even though this must be a pretty niche career.
Explaining to people what an OT does is tough. Launching into definitions of "enabling people to maximize their potential in valued activities" is vague. "Helping people to do, be and become" is even vaguer. When it comes down to it, unless a close friend or family member has had a debilitating illness, injury or condition, most people would not really understand why someone would need help with tasks and activities where the skills required for successful completion are normally regarded as second nature or just 'common sense'. OT's are keen to advocate and publicize their profession. On one level, this is out of necessity to compete for funding dollars, but also it stems from a passion for the profession and having first hand experience of its effectiveness. But the most convincing advocates, from my experience so far, are the recipients of OT services, the clients themselves. The experience of living with disability is a unique perspective from which to explain the challenges that everyday life presents. People with disabilities are likely to express the need for a profession that assists in remediation of every day life challenges in a more meaningful way that most OT's could. Maybe the time has come for a television drama based on the lives and work of OT's. After all, haven't Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse - not to mention Britney - made rehab part of popular culture? Watch out for the new series 'Rehab' - coming to your tv screen soon.
Responding to the 'so what do you do?' question with the answer 'occupational therapist' probably makes some people wish they had never asked. When it comes to knowing what OT's do, people seem to divide into three groups: the majority have no idea at all of what an OT is or does - these people are then faced with the awkward decision of whether to pretend they know and then divert the conversation without being discovered or admitting that they don't have a clue what an OT is (I fell into the first category before beginning my OT training); the second group try to posit a definition of what being an OT entails - "so is that like helping people to find jobs or helping people when they are having difficulty doing their jobs" - which is a reasonable attempt considering the words of the job title; the minority of people break into a knowing smile and usually express some favourable comment about the work of OT's - these people, or maybe someone in their family or a friend, have usually experienced OT first hand.
For most people, the word occupation means 'job' so why wouldn't people think OT's are job counselors or career advisers? We don't have any popular tv dramas to publicize, or more accurately sensationalize and glamorize, the nature of our work. Lawyers have Ally McBeal and Boston Legal; medics have ER, House and Gray's Anatomy; teachers have Boston Public and Degrassi High (actually, did those kids ever go to school?); The police have CSI Miami, New York, Vegas and also Cagney and Lacey and CHIPS to take it back a few years. Even members of special intelligence agencies that investigate paranormal phenomena and extraterrestrial beings have their own tv show (The X-Files) even though this must be a pretty niche career.
Explaining to people what an OT does is tough. Launching into definitions of "enabling people to maximize their potential in valued activities" is vague. "Helping people to do, be and become" is even vaguer. When it comes down to it, unless a close friend or family member has had a debilitating illness, injury or condition, most people would not really understand why someone would need help with tasks and activities where the skills required for successful completion are normally regarded as second nature or just 'common sense'. OT's are keen to advocate and publicize their profession. On one level, this is out of necessity to compete for funding dollars, but also it stems from a passion for the profession and having first hand experience of its effectiveness. But the most convincing advocates, from my experience so far, are the recipients of OT services, the clients themselves. The experience of living with disability is a unique perspective from which to explain the challenges that everyday life presents. People with disabilities are likely to express the need for a profession that assists in remediation of every day life challenges in a more meaningful way that most OT's could. Maybe the time has come for a television drama based on the lives and work of OT's. After all, haven't Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse - not to mention Britney - made rehab part of popular culture? Watch out for the new series 'Rehab' - coming to your tv screen soon.
1 comment:
The other day I had to do my grad transition interview with a new teacher. He asked me what I wanted to be after I left highschool, I answered with OT or PT and it was pretty obvious that he had no clue what an OT was. It got kinda awkward. This article gave me a good laugh since it linked the two togehter. I was also wondering, for the program your in for OT is it the same as PT. Is it a master's degree and do you have to write a thesis at the end of your two years?
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