Friday 6 December 2013

cOnnecT with Sarabjeet Charchun


What made you choose OT as your career?
I have always loved the sciences so a career in health care was very attractive to me. I just wanted to work at something that was serving people and bringing something valuable to their lives. The variety of places that I could work in and the unlimited practice areas was appealing to me because I felt that my work experiences working would have the potential to be very extensive and have the diversity I was looking for.

Where have you worked over your career?
I graduated from UBC in 1998 and I have worked at Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey, BC ever since I graduated. I love that I am part of this growing community as this has given me so many opportunities to shape how occupational therapy is delivered at our hospital site. Each time the hospital site expands its services, I have had, if I wanted, the opportunity to try a different practice area. A few examples of the areas I have worked in include neonatal intensive care, pediatric feeding and development, cardiac educational services, acute medical and surgical units and on a high intensive rehabilitation unit.  All these opportunities have enabled me to develop numerous skills and have given me a chance, especially in my first 5 years of working, to figure out where my practice area passion may be.  This passion area of late has been neurology, patient education and team building. Currently, I am the Clinical Supervisor of the Community Rehabilitation Early Discharge (Redi) program at Surrey Memorial Hospital. This position has certainly provided me with a forum to combine all three passion areas of practice.

What do you find most challenging about working as an OT?
There is still misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about what Occupational Therapy is. This frustrates me on two levels. The first level is when other health professionals do not understand what we can offer. The second level is the public knowledge of our profession. This is certainly a reason I have given so much of my volunteer time to occupational therapy professional organizations to educate and promote our profession. I try to take every opportunity to inform others of what occupational therapy is and the services we can provide.  My experience is that when others find out what we can offer, they are appreciative and seek us out.  

I believe it has been essential to my development and journey in maturing in my profession. The volunteer opportunities have given me experiences and brought me to people I may never have the pleasure to learn from and talk with had I not volunteered. Volunteering in whatever capacity is part of what being a professional is and can only enrich your ability to serve those in your practice. It has never been optional for me. 

What would you tell someone who is thinking about becoming an OT?
Go for it! If you like supporting others in achieving their goals and making a difference in a life, being creative in your approach to solutions and being a lifelong learner, this is for you.  If you enjoy working with people and seeing them as a whole person in the big picture of life, this is for you.  The I would ask “How can I help you become an OT?”

What do you do when you aren't (working, volunteering)?
I am really enjoying my role as a mother and being with my family. Watching my children evolve has been pure joy…and nurturing them takes a lot of work.
As my children learn new things, I get to learn new things. The best example is my children learning to play the piano.  I sit with them in class and practice with them as they take their weekly lessons.  I have always wanted to learn to play the piano and discover music in a whole way. My music appreciation, especially for the classics, has increased my enjoyment of music and has been enriched to my life.






















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