Keeping an Open Mind in Practice Settings as a Student
When applying for occupational therapy (OT) programs, many of us have an idea of which setting we'd like to work in. I know I sure did! Before attending OT school, I worked as a rehabilitation aide in various settings, including a skilled nursing facility, adult inpatient rehabilitation, and a pediatric outpatient clinic. Because I had experience working as an aide in different settings, I was confident in my preference for pediatrics (because who doesn't love PLAY!). However, I'd like to share my experience about the importance of open-mindedness.
During my OT program at Samuel Merritt University, I recall my professors advised us to remember that we would be "generalist OTs" and to keep an open mind about practice settings. While selecting my fieldwork preferences, I initially chose pediatric placements as my top three choices. But then I began to reflect on what I wanted to achieve as an occupational therapist and concluded that I did not want to limit myself and wanted to become a well-rounded generalist practitioner to support myself and future clients.
During my Fieldwork rotations, I completed the following: Fieldwork I, which was school-based OT; Fieldwork IIA, which was outpatient pediatrics; and Fieldwork IIB, which was outpatient older adults. At the time, I was most excited about the pediatric rotations because I was determined to only work in pediatrics. However, fast forward to the fall of 2023, when I completed my fieldwork level IIB rotation at an outpatient clinic in a center for older adults. Initially, I felt disconnected from the older adult population since all my recent experience was in pediatrics. During my mid-term review with my fieldwork educator, I felt that I could improve my performance by truly embracing and immersing myself in this setting. Suddenly, I gained self-confidence in my abilities, developed my skill set, and found myself collaborating with the physical therapist to implement a fall prevention work group. I finally felt like an OT. On my last day of fieldwork level IIB, a center participant told me, "I bet you didn't realize the impact you would make coming here, but you'll always carry a piece of this center in your heart." At that moment, I realized that this was a tough goodbye and that I am an OT who enjoys working in multiple practice settings.
Cristyn Amaral (middle) with her Fieldwork educator Darlyn San Jose (right) and Physical Therapist Karen Soulette-Cea (left) during her Level IIB Fieldwork experience.
The most valuable lesson I have learned from my fieldwork experiences is that exposure to different settings is important to understand your interests. What I love about the OT profession is the variety of settings and the feeling that you're not "stuck" in any one setting. You'll find your niche or niches as you continue to keep an open mind and explore different settings. I am very thankful for all my fieldwork experiences and fieldwork educators who have all been an integral part of this journey. I would also like to thank the center staff and participants for opening my mind to a different population and practice setting and making my experience truly wonderful.
Remember to always self-reflect and keep an open mind throughout your journey as a generalist occupational therapy student. You might be surprised where the journey takes you.
Cristyn Amaral earned her doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Samuel Merritt University in May 2024, joining the 1% of Latinas with a doctoral degree. She recently learned that she passed the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.