Emerging Areas of Practice and Vision 2025

Before I became an occupational therapy student, I had never imagined working in the field of oncology. Since my freshman year of college, I was dead set on working in pediatrics, and nothing was going to change my mind. I even did an undergraduate internship in a pediatric speech, OT, and PT clinic. Since I started dating my boyfriend, Andy in October and learning more and more about his brain tumor, the field of oncology has sparked an interest in me. Andy's brain tumor was benign, but his story is incredible in that his craniopharyngioma reared its ugly head THREE TIMES in his life; first when he was 10 years old, again at age 15, and as recently as age 23. Talking with him and getting to know him has really changed my outlook on life, and what truly matters. He has told me that he feels like his outlook on life is much different from the experiences he has had compared to his peers, which I totally agree with. He appreciates the little things in life, and doesn't take a single day for granted.

As I've learned in my graduate studies about brain tumors and reading Professor Lancaster's story about her father's experience with cancer, I can't help but feel compelled to help these individuals diagnosed with this horrible disease. After reading about the emerging area of oncology on the AOTA website, I discovered that almost 1 in 20 adults and 1 in 5 people over the age of 65 have survived cancer. Studies have shown that individuals with cancer who receive occupational therapy treatment live a few months longer, and have a better quality of life than those who only receive standard care. At first, I was worried about not being able to make lasting relationships with my patients and clients, since I would not know how long they would even be alive. Now I understand that it is not about saving the client's life, but just making it a more quality one. Wouldn't it be rewarding to know that you made someone's final days worth living, just by being there with them?

AOTA's Vision 2025 states: "Occupational therapy maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living." I feel that every single part of this Vision 2025 can be related to working with someone in oncology. By treating someone with a terminal diagnosis, we want to maximize their health and ensure their best quality of life through meaningful occupations. Though we are not able to cure their disease or illness, we are able to make their final days worth living by letting them participate in activities that are important to them. Every person that has either survived cancer, or is currently going through it, can benefit from occupational therapy intervention. I hope that I am one day able to purse this as an area of interest when I become an occupational therapy practitioner.