OT Through the Years

     Today's class for Foundations of Occupational Therapy was... atypical, to say the least! Our class was split into eight groups of five, and each group was to give a presentation on the decade they were assigned, ranging from the 1940s to the 2010s. In this presentation, we talked about the social perspectives of the decade, technology, leisure activities, as well as how occupational therapy changed during that time. Sounds like it could be kind of boring, right? WRONG!!! It was so much fun and allowed us to bond not just with our group as we worked on the presentation, but also with the rest of the class of 2020. We were encouraged to be creative with this project, and we did not take that lightly! A few groups did Kahoots, which are online quizzes where everyone could answer and compete for the highest score based on correct answers. My group was assigned the 1960s, and we began our presentation with a short dance to the song "Welcome to the 60s" from the musical Hairspray. Other groups did funny skits where they represented people from their decade. Overall, the day was very entertaining, but also incredibly informative.
     It was very interesting to see how occupational therapy has changed over the years and how this profession that started in 1917 has stayed the same. From the beginning, OT has been an altruistic field, where practitioners must focus on the needs and wants of their clients. Many of the groups today mentioned that occupational therapy has been a profession dominated by women. One group mentioned that women during World War II could go to war to work as OTs, which is not an area I would have pictured an occupational therapist working, but as we have learned, OTs must be adaptable! Another group talked about how an OT helped a couple who were both amputees after the bombing at the Boston Marathon, and the OT brought the wife shopping to help her feel more comfortable trying on clothes. These two settings where occupational therapists have worked can show how the profession has changed, but I think that it mostly shows the variety in the field and how we work with people wherever they may need our help. The presentations today have encouraged me to keep an open mind when considering areas where I would like to work in the near future. They were not only entertaining and informative, but also motivating.