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Elements of Effective Communication Professor: Stephen Reiher Student: Jeridiah Watson Re: Project One (Interviewee one: Cheryl Woodard)

February 12, 2014

Career Research Interviews Program Description: The Program Occupational Therapy is a health profession that provides services to children and adults of all ages whose lives have been disrupted by physical injury or illness, developmental problems, the aging process and/or psychosocial dysfunction. I honestly feel that this is probably one of the most rewarding professions, if you have the creativity, compassion, and practical problem-solving skills, and adaptability (the 4 basics "requirements")!! Occupational Therapy Assistants use occupation and purposeful activity with clients/patients to help them reach their maximum level of independence. Specific tasks may include daily living skill training, fabrication of adaptive equipment, leading individual and group treatment activities, adapting home environments, ADA architectural accessibility standards, enabling computer access for the disabled, cognitive retraining. I was able to learn a lot as From the Interviewees as I asked questions and/or shadowed them on job assignments as they worked with a client. I got to actually witness a miracle before my eyes as an elderly lady who previously had a stroke walked from a chair to counter with the help of an Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapist teamed together. Amazing! (Some excerpts from SLCC course description) Location of Interview one: Jordan Valley Medical Center (Acute Rehab-Across from Jordan Campus). Interviewee one: Cheryl Woodard- OTR Staff at Jordan Valley Medical Center and Faculty at SLCC. 1. Q: What made you decide to become an Occupational Therapist? A: My dad was an EMT Paramedic. I looked into Physical Therapy (PT) and I thought it was boring. Some of my favorite teachers were in Occupational Therapy so I decided to do that instead. 2. Q: How long did it take you to earn your Degree? A: Five years. 3. Q: How does it make you feel to know that you are helping others to succeed? A: In all honesty, not everyone will succeed, but you dont have to take it personal. 4. Q: What age groups, if any, do you most enjoy working with? A: I really enjoy working with people in the ages of twenty to thirty-something. Also middle age men with brain

and spinal injuries. They are sometimes some very unique individuals with interesting life experiences. 5. Q: What is your favorite part of your career? A: There are lots of opportunities for an OTR. Plus lots of diversity from day to day. I am never, never, bored. 6. Q: What is your least favorite part of your career? A: Bureaucracyjust let me help without all the rules and regulations. 7. Q: Can you describe your most epic day as an Occupation Therapist? A: One guy whose family was told that he would never wake up from a coma. Or if he did he would be a vegetable. He came out of the coma, made a miraculous recovery, and was not a vegetable. 8. Q: Can you describe your worse day as an Occupational Therapist? A: The days that I get told what Im going to do by policy and regulations. 9. Q: In your own words, can you describe your career as an Occupational therapist? 10. Q: What is a typical day like as an Occupational Therapist? A: There is no typical days. Sometime it consists of seeing naked people and telling them what they need to do at home. 11. Q: How has your career choice as an Occupational Therapist affected your self worth? A: I cant say that people, who are more confident, are better Occupational Therapists, thats not always the case. 12. Q: If you were to do it over again, would you choose to be an Occupational Therapist? A: Probably not because an OTR has to evaluate. I got in this to help people. 13. Q: What type of person do most of your patients say you are? A: Compassionate and tough. 14. Q: Where did you do your clinical? With what part of the population? A: I did my clinical with both kids and adults. 15. Q: Last question. A: What yearly salary can an OTR expect to make? A: Anywhere from $40,000.00 plus.

Elements of Effective Communication Professor: Stephen Reiher Student: Jeridiah Watson Re: Project One (Interviewee Two: Amanda Call)

February 17, 2014

Career Research Interviews (Interview two) Location of interview two: Avalon Valley Rehabilitation Center. Interviewee two: Amanda Call- Occupational Therapist and Manager. 1. Q: What made you decide to become an Occupational Therapist? A: When I was growing up, my mom was a Nurse and I went with her to visit a girl with a severe developmental disability. It was at that time, I knew that I would be an Occupational Therapist. 2. Q: How long did it take you to earn your Degree? A: from start to finish, I finished in about five years. I did my entire Undergrad in just under three years. Then another two and a half years for my Masters. 3. Q: So you actually have a Masters Degree? A: Yes. All Occupational Therapist have to hold a Masters Degree. 4. Q: So did you do all your Undergraduate classes at the University of Utah? A: No. I did my Undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University. 5. Q: How does it make you feel knowing that you are helping others to succeed? A: I get a lot of positive aspects doing this. I get to actually help people which are in my care. It also helps to kind of helps in other ways. I have to manage things around here as well. I am a manager. So this part helping people is the part that keeps me sane. 6. Q: What are some of the rewards? A: helping people to be mobile and walk, especially ones have not been able to for a long time. 7. Q: What age group preference do you most enjoy working with? A: I love working with the older population, so I am going to say Geriatrics. 8. Q: What is your favorite part of your career? A: My career? HmmmI dont know. Working with patients is fun. Im not too sure about the career part. Thats the more political part. There is a lot more opportunities for an OT and thats nice. 9. Q: Okay, since I asked that question, you know that I have to ask the other question right? A: (Haa haa haa). You mean whats my least favorite part? I dont like the Its all about the money part that the companies have. It can be very frustratingespecially when you just want to help people. I sometimes just have to let me do what I do, make them money. I mean a lot of times I have to deal with the medical insurance and all that

to make sure that services get covered. I mean you will eventually have to deal with that day by day, no matter what setting you are in. 10. Q: In the scheme of things though, do you feel like you have a more personal investment with helping the people? A: Exactly, most Occupational Therapist just want to come in and help the people. I mean, we dont really care whether we make money or not. Its nice to be able to pay rent, but I dont really care if I am making more or less money. 11. Q: Can you describe your most epic day as an Occupational Therapist? A: UmmmI wouldnt say that I have had an epic day. 12. Q: Nothing comes to mind? A: Every day is crazyevery day is different. There are times, especially working with kids. Where there is the breakthrough, and all of a sudden they can do something that they were not doing before. Like being able to stand on their feet or stand on one foot. The same foot which, in the previous week they were unable to stand on. This is awesome! 13. Can you recall your worst day as an Occupational Therapist? A: Oh there is too many, they run together. There are times when patients are simply refusing to try and get better. Then you have to go back to see them again like four times to see if they are willing to be part of their own breakthrough so that they can get better. 14. Q: Can you provide a job description in your own words? A: Nothat was too hard. Ummm..Occupational Therapists teach people the skills of living. Q: The skills of living? A: Yeah..well go with that. 15. Q: What would be a typical day of an Occupational Therapist? A: There are no typical days. Q: There are no typical days? A: No..every day is different, but usually I spend about half of my day in meetings and making schedules. I have a couple of regulars that I see in the morning. Then I take care of all the Supervisor stuff and prepare individualized treatment plans. The treatment plan for each individual varies widely. I help get them dressed. Then bring them down here to do a lot of exercises with their arms and legs. This is to get their range of motion (ROM) going so much better. 16. Q: Is there any weights involved with that? A: Yes. 17. Q: Do you guys have a weight room, or is this mostly it here? A: We have most of them in here. Just have to calculate the weights for older people. 18. Q: how has your career choice as an Occupational Therapist affected your self-worth? A: I have not really thought about that one, but I love what I do, by helping others and making a difference. I think at the same time, I develop myself. 19. Q: If you were to do it over, would you choose to be an Occupational therapist? A: Yes, I knew what I wanted to do early on. 20. Q: What kind of person would your patients say you are? (Physical Therapist says, why dont we let the patient answer? Patient A: Truthful and hopeful. 21. Q: What kind of yearly salary can an Occupational Therapist expect to make starting out? A: Anywhere from fifty thousand up. There is a possibility of up to one hundred thousand

a year in California. Outstanding! So this this like a very rewarding career doing something worthwhile helping others, and as Amanda mentioned, being financial stable as well. In retrospect of both interviews, the future of Occupational Therapists and the need for them looks very bright as more and more of the baby boomer generation retires, it will be time for Generation X people and others to step up to the plate. End of interviews.