Meet your CAOT-BC Advisory Committee: Linda Oddo

 

 I graduated from Indiana University in 1985 with a B.S. in Occupational Therapy followed later by an advanced Masters in Occupational Therapy with a focus on administration from the University of Indianapolis.  My professional experience has been diverse.  After graduation I moved from downtown Chicago to Southeast Idaho where I started work on an inpatient rehabilitation unit.    I worked there for five years then moved on to start an OT department in the county hospital with a focus on pediatric services and community collaboration.  OT in NICU was new at that time, and was also a large focus of my work.  Eventually I moved on to the school district and spent a number of years working as the OT for two school districts in Southeast Idaho, as well as consulting as part of a regional team of a physiatrist, neurologist, paediatrician, and social worker servicing outreach clinics for clients with cleft palate, neuro, ortho, and genetic syndromes funded by the District Health Office.  It was a satisfying experience and I found the teamwork really energizing.

I then worked in nursing homes for several years and was recruited to be a clinical director for rehab services over nine nursing homes and a gero-psychiatric facility.  These were mostly scattered across rural Idaho and Washington.  At that time in the States, nursing homes were just beginning to add rehabilitation to their service offerings, so we set up gyms, recruited therapists, and started full rehab services in the nursing homes and the gero-psychiatric facility.  In addition to working with the permanent residents of these facilities, we offered outpatient services for neuro and ortho, home health, and post-rehab with community transition.   Later, I worked for a number of nursing home companies as a rehab director setting up and managing OT, PT, and SLP services and developing their rehab departments.   I worked in several buildings in the Seattle area, and also in Southwest Colorado and Northeast Vermont before moving to Canada. 

In 2010 my family and I moved to Canada where I began work in Cranbrook with Interior Health, East Kootenay Region.  I started out working with community dwelling adults with developmental disabilities, tertiary and community mental health, and acute services.   In June 2012 I began work as the OT-PPL for the East Kootenay Region.  It is exciting to see the community services available and to have the privilege of participating in program development and community collaboration.  I have enjoyed all aspects of my career and look forward to continuing to work in the profession of occupational therapy.