Foundations Course Wrap-Up

I very much enjoyed taking our Foundations of Occupation-Centered Practice course. At the beginning of this class, I knew what occupational therapy was, but I was not able to give a great definition of it to someone else, or thoroughly explain what occupational therapists do. After completing some of our assignments, such as the occupational profile, era presentations, activity analysis, and conceptual diagram of the field of OT, I have a much better understanding of what occupational therapy is, and the role of an OT practitioner. 

When I first started this program, I thought, "How am I going to possibly be able to learn everything I need to know about being an OT? I love occupational therapy, but I don't know if I will really be prepared to be a practitioner once I leave UTHSC." I can now confidently say that even with a few weeks left in my first semester, I feel much more at ease about learning all of the material I need to in order to pass my board exam and to be a great OT. I know I still have a lot left to learn and more skills to develop and cultivate, but this Foundations course has really given me a good, solid base of my knowledge of OT and how I can tell other people about what I am studying. 

I have learned more about myself and about the field of OT in this class than I have ever in any kind of internship or clinical setting. It has truly opened my eyes to what the distinct value of OT is and how OTs can help make a difference in the world. I feel like I am very prepared to take on the next semester of coursework and use the knowledge I learned from this class in order to be successful throughout the duration of the OT program.