Seven ways to increase your impact as a student
Passion. Advocacy. Awareness. I always wondered as a kid what it truly meant to care about a cause. It baffled me how people could devote all their time and energy to raising awareness for a movement. I distinctly remember the moment I realized my passion for occupational therapy. I was helping a child with autism spectrum disorder crawl from point A to point B. This child needed to be more motivated to participate in the activity, so I decided to crawl with him. I knew then that I wanted to be an occupational therapist for the rest of my life. This profession requires practitioners to be aware of the interplay between the profession’s core beliefs and the daily lives of our patients. This tenet is why I became an adamant advocate for occupational therapy and for raising awareness of the profession’s importance and values.
Here are seven ways to become more involved in the occupational therapy community as a student that I participated in:
1. Join your student OT club as a board member
Many programs have their own Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA), which OT and OTA students can participate in for the duration of their respective program. Every SOTA has a student board where you are actively involved in the club in a leadership position to advocate for occupational therapy as a group within the campus and community. I joined the SOTA of my school as its Social Media Chairperson. I run the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) social media account to help increase awareness of occupational therapy as a whole and promote NYIT’s OT program to prospective students.
2. Apply for the Institute of Future Scientists in Occupational Therapy
The Institute for Future Scientists in Occupational Therapy is a program supported by AOTA and the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) to support students interested in doing future research. If accepted, you can connect with students across the country, developing an extensive peer network at AOTA INSPIRE | Annual Conference & Expo. Students are also presented with opportunities to meet and have discussions with esteemed AOTF award-winning researchers. Each student is also matched with an experienced current researcher as their mentor, allowing them to network within their mentor’s circles and receive 1-on-1 mentorship on their scientific work.
3. Join your state’s occupational therapy organization
Become a member of your state OT association through their website and stay updated with local occupational therapy issues. I joined the New York State OT Association as a member to get access to more affordable resources such as conferences, and to access information on different ways to be involved.
4. Present at your high school about occupational therapy
I recently contacted the high school I attended and inquired about opportunities to present on occupational therapy to educate high school students about the field. I presented on, “What is Occupational Therapy?” to 100 students to highlight the positives of the profession and provide interactive activities (e.g., fine motor skills and dressing) to demonstrate the necessity of occupational therapy. Every student enthusiastically participated in the activities and some shared their interest in pursuing occupational therapy as a career.
5. Create a social media account dedicated to posting about occupational therapy
Consider using popular social media platforms such as Instagram or TikTok to create content that educates students and the public about occupational therapy and your journey to becoming an OT. I have made an Instagram account called @OTwithKush that is dedicated to advocating for occupational therapy and becoming a platform for students to learn about my journey in OT school.
6. Apply for AOTA’s Special Interest Sections Student Internship Program
This program, which connects students with one of AOTA's nine Special Interest Sections to volunteer as an intern, begins applications in late spring. This virtual internship allows students to expand their understanding of their specific area of interest (e.g., Mental Health, Sensory Integration & Processing, Developmental Disabilities). SIS interns can collaborate with OTs and OTAs who serve as SIS Standing Committee members and collaborate on resources such as CommunOT posts, articles in the SIS Quarterly, and more.
7. Apply to be a Student Associate Editor at the OT Student Pulse
The Student Pulse is always seeking more student voices to volunteer with this publication. Volunteer Associate Editors contribute to the monthly article line up and work with authors to provide insightful perspectives for students. The Student Pulse is also a great way to connect with other occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students and help raise awareness for advocacy issues within the profession.
Occupational therapy advocacy is equivalent to investing in myself, as occupational therapy is an important part of my identity. I seek to bring awareness of occupational therapy and encourage active participation by other students because I want more people to see the captivating intricacies of our profession, adding to the inspirational community connecting all of us. Through immersion into these engagement opportunities, you too can embrace your identity as an occupational therapy student and future practitioner.
Resources
American Occupational Therapy Association. (n.d.). Apply to be an editor of the OT Student Pulse. https://www.aota.org/publications/student-articles/student-leadership-advocacy/otsp-editor
American Occupational Therapy Association. (n.d.). Institute for future scientists in occupational therapy. https://www.aota.org/community/get-involved/for-students/institute-for-future-scientists-in-ot
Lassem, S., Nadeau, M., Swaringen, K., Warholak, L., & Wellman, T. (2021, March 25). Interested in an Internship? Student Experiences From the Special Interest Section Internship. https://www.aota.org/publications/student-articles/school-tips/special-interest-section-internship
Kushal (Kush) Shah is a first-year occupational therapy doctorate student at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). He is the 2023–2024 Social Media Chairperson for NYIT SOTA and loves advocating for occupational therapy at local high schools. Kush also loves reading, exploring coffee shops, and playing beach volleyball. He is the 2024 AOTA Future Scientist Award Winner. He has an active Instagram account dedicated to advocating for occupational therapy for students called @OTwithKush.