RE: What's wrong with OT (long)

[Joanne Seng]

Let me try this again. With respect, I do not agree that Ron is "whining about OT.". In my opinion, he brings to the table some of the most important issues that we are all struggling with as OT's. I see his concerns every day in my job as a department head and with the therapists I supervise. I hope I can adequately explain:   I work in a residential state facility for 357 persons who have severe/profound DD. I am very lucky to work with three other OTR's and 8 COTA's. The staff in my department assist with self care, spend a lot of time in the dining rooms and assist with leisure activities. Additionally, our administrators "restructured" so that our teacher and educational assistant staff work more in the homes, on weekends and second shift. So, there are far fewer teachers working at our three Learning Resource Centers. As a consequence, I have been told that my staff will be a part of the LRC's and have "classes". My staff are ready to mutiny. They feel I/we should adopt a "medical model" so that we can keep our professional identity. I resist, saying that we are a health care profession, not just medical. Sometimes it is not what we do but the quality of what we do and how we do it that set's us apart from other professions. Interestingly, it is the COTA's that have a harder time with  with professional identity that the OTR's. Perhaps it is because they do not have as much training in theory as OTR's   I think being holistic and broad- based is a blessing and a curse at the same time. At times, I sigh and wish I had become a nurse. After all, no one questions what they do. I think we need to face the idea that "occupation" and "purposeful activity" are a PART of every health care profession. Teachers would argue that they are preparing students for occupation as adults and engaging their students in purposeful activity, nurses want their patients as independent as possible, too. Psychologists want their patients to be able to function in society, hold down jobs and have quality of life. To others, it may appear that we have taken bit and pieces of their profession and made it a part of our own. In this respect, have other professions encroached on our "turf" or have we encroached on others professions'? I don't think the answer is all that simple.   But I love OT and want it to be able to mesh theory and practice in a way that will make sense to us, to the people we serve and to the people who pay our salaries.       -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Irene Phillips Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 1:16 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: What's wrong with OT Ron,   Let me start with my disclaimer...you, Ron, may be offended by what I am about to say.   What's wrong with OT is "people like you." Since your creation of this list you have done nothing but whine about OT. You need to ask yourself the question, what is it about OT that bothers you so much? Perhaps, OT is not your calling and you should consider a career change.   I believe that we should continue to debate how we practice, and how we can keep pace with the trends in this global economy. There are many OTs out in the practice arena who like what they do and do it well. If there is a disparity between theory and practice, and if you are as good an educator as you think that you are, it is your responsibility to bridge theory and practice by integrating such into the curriculum of your OT program. Education is designed to teach students how to think--it cannot make them into an OT. Practice makes one into an OT.   Your email is a "disparity" piece itself. Reread what Reilly said..."Our failure to appreciate what we do for patients will be the cause of our disappearance."  Ron, your failure to appreciate the profession of OT and whatever role you think you have in it will contribute to our disappearance.   We live in a capitalistic and competitive society. This will not change. The issue is for OT to keep pace in this kind of an environment. Therefore, unless you can constructively contribute to this dialogue, instead of whining and bashing people the majority of the time, I suggest that you move on and out of our way. If you have created the OT list for it to be your "personal forum to vent your frustration," perhaps this list has out-lived its meaning and usefulness.     Challenging feedback does not offend me. What offends me are assumptions not based upon substantive research.   Irene Phillips, ABD, MPA, MA OTR/L Assistant Professor Winston-Salem State University     ----- Original Message ----- From: Ron Carson Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 8:11 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: What's wrong with OT   Hello: OK, I need to start with a disclaimer... I'm probably getting ready to say some things that may offend some readers and things that are much more personal opinion rather than any sort of fact.  I need to vent some frustration and OTnow seems like a perfect forum!  So, here goes! I don't think it will come as a big surprise to most that there's something "wrong" with the profession of OT.  To me the biggest symptom of this "wrongness" is the fact that we've been in existence for almost 100 years and people still don't know who we are.  Obviously, there are reasons for this lack of identity but what are they?  I'll be the first to say that I neither know exactly what nor why our profession has identity issues, but I sometimes feel like I have insight into some possibilities. To me, I think the biggest single problem with OT having poor identity is that we have little continuity between what our profession say's it does and what practitioners and educators are doing.  IF, this is an accurate assumption (granted, it's a big if), then the consequences are potentially grave. If practitioners are not practicing in a manner consistent with our theoretical foundations then they have little theoretical support for what they are doing. Likewise, if the profession's theoretical base is not being practiced then there's little likelihood that that base will be validated or continue to expand and grow.  Either of these situations is bad enough, but taken together, they yield a profession that is floundering in its own 'ignorance'.  (Sorry,I know that will offend some).  Gosh, though, we MUST do something about our profession's identity problem.  Otherwise, I sincerely believe that OT will cease to exist.  In fact there's a great quote by Mary Reilly [unknown source or date] that says this same thing:        "We won't be put out of business by any budget change or any malice        from any other group or any kind of neglect on the part of society.        It will be because we who are out practicing in the field fail to        realize the enormous nature of the work that we do.  Our failure to        appreciate what we do for patients will be the cause of our        disappearance". I think Ms. Reilly is 100% accurate and additionally, General Patton has words of wisdom for us:  "We have met the enemy and he is us". Well, IF (another big if)we are our worst enemy then there is no reason why can't become our own best ally. Along those lines, I would like to challenge readers to engage in dialogue within themselves, among their peers, among students, with other colleagues and providers, and with AOTA to discuss the issue of disparity between theory and practice. And to discuss and other issues of disparity about our profession. Thanks, Ron ~~~~~ www.OTnow.com *********��*********** Unsubscribe? Send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message's *body*, put the following text: unsubscribe OTlist ** List messages are archived at: http://www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com *********��***********