Occupation-based Final Reflection

Throughout my time at TUN my perception and understanding of

occupation-based practice has evolved. When first starting school, my
shadowing had mainly been within a child-based setting, with the main
occupation I observed being play. At the conclusion of my older adult
semester, I better understood the importance of occupations within
interventions and to the practice of occupational therapy. I now know that
occupations can serve to be a means to an end, or be the final goal. I believe
one of the most important concepts within occupation-based practice that I
have come to learn is finding meaningful occupations for my clients. This in
turn increases the motivation and encourages a client centered intervention.
Several artifacts throughout my semesters at TUN represent my
growth within occupation-based practice. The first was my OCCT 506
Occupational Analysis Paper. The artifact is occupation-based because it
allowed me the opportunity to interact with my client within an occupation
that was important to him, which is of great importance when choosing an
occupation. Additionally, it allowed me the experience to complete an
occupational analysis of the client performing the activity. From there I was
able to determine all of the factors needed to participate in the occupation
and provide recommendations to maintain health and prevent injury. This
artifact is important to me because it allowed me the opportunity to start
thinking like an occupational therapist during my first semester.

Another artifact that stood out to me was my child-based group case

study. When starting this project I didn't realize how much effort and thought
it would take to complete an intervention and occupational analysis on an
adolescent. One of the main aspects of this project that I struggled with, and
one that I learned the most about, was finding interventions that are age
appropriate. From that struggle, when looking into different intervention
ideas within my pediatric setting I always now think about if the activity is
age appropriate for the individual. This project also helped me in working as
a part of a team and listening to others, especially during long discussions of
possible intervention ideas. From this, I also better understand the
importance of researching different medical conditions, as I needed to during
this project to better understand my client.
Overall, my attitude toward occupation-based practice has changed. I
now better understand the importance of utilizing meaningful occupations
within an intervention. In completing my level II FW, I hope to include
occupations within my skilled interventions at the rehab facility. I know this
will also be an area of growth for me as well, with adults being a new setting
for me and one that I have lots to learn in.