Program: Occupational Therapy
Class of 2017
Hometown: Victoria, B.C.
What attracted you to your field of study?
So much! Initially, what attracted me to OT was my joint interest in physical and mental health (having completed my undergraduate degree in a combined biology and psychology program). OT is very much a holistic healthcare profession. I also believe that all people deserve an equal opportunity to do the things they want and need to do in their daily lives, and that “health is more than the absence of disease,” as the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists so perfectly puts it. Supporting people in accomplishing their personal goals, which in turn increases their independence and overall health and well-being, will be extremely rewarding in my career as an occupational therapist.
What excites you about the upcoming year?
I’m very much looking forward to getting back to class to continue learning about occupational therapy interventions for different populations. I’m also looking forward to completing my upper-level fieldwork placements; my third (out of five) will be with a school-based therapy team near my hometown.
What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
This past June, I joined the ‘Healthcare Travelling Roadshow’ and visited Haida Gwaii and Prince Rupert with an inter-professional team of healthcare students from across B.C to talk to high school students about occupational therapy. They were so engaged, and it was fun to showcase some of the things OTs get to do (like prescribing adaptive equipment and creating custom-fabricated hand-splints).
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Working in an area of OT that I’m absolutely in love with, right now I think that might be in neurorehabilitation or management of acquired brain injury. But, I’m enjoying all of my fieldwork experiences so it’s hard to say! I also hope to be renovating my first home around that time, and I’ll definitely have my first dog.
Best piece of advice: Be kind, and approach new situations with curiosity. Also, as a healthcare student, be grateful for the things you’re learning and opportunities you’re given to engage with patients/clients.
Last vacation destination: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It was for my friend’s wedding (also an OT student at UBC!), and it was absolutely beautiful.