cOnnecT with Sneha Shankar

Why did you choose OT as a career?

There are many reasons I chose Occupational Therapy. Most of all, I wanted to be a part of a profession that enabled individuals to participate in different facets of life. I learned, through my early career as a Kinesiologist, that I loved working with young children and also working with OTs. This was how I first came across OT - I loved their approach in facilitating how children participated in their environment, improved skills, and interacted with others. My work with children inspired me to enter OT, and it was the area of mental health, which inspired me while in this profession. This question made me dig up my letter of intent for the UBC MOT program (which I entered in 2006), to see how I first viewed this career. In my letter, I stated, "I want to take a holistic approach to treatment, addressing not only the physical needs of a person but also psychological and emotional well-being." I have learned as an OT, I have a unique set of skills that enable me to interact with varied individuals, see their strengths, facilitate their engagement in daily activities and also have the potential to improve their overall quality of life.

If you are a volunteer for CAOT-BC. Why do you do it?

We have many great opportunities right now to move our profession forward, and CAOT-BC is providing many innovative avenues to do that. As the Chair for the Measurement Special Interest Group, I choose to volunteer in this role because SIGs are a unique forum to share and learn together. I feel SIGs provide many learning opportunities, for both its members and myself, in terms leadership, teaching and learning. Primarily, I volunteer so that I can facilitate more knowledge transfer between the research and clinical communities, contribute to our profession, and most of all, help foster critical thinking and healthy dialogues between OTs.

What is your personal philosophy about volunteering and giving back to the profession?

Giving begins in places we live and work. My volunteer work reflects areas I would like to continue to learn about, but also areas I wish to support, and see continued improvement in. For me, volunteering keeps me grounded and engaged. I feel that giving back, especially to my profession, is a responsibility. I believe that being an active member of our profession is how we will continue to strengthen and shape our profession.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about becoming an OT?

Like any profession it is not perfect. It is what you make of it and how you engage with it. You will have a wide array of areas to work in and I encourage you to welcome change and challenge as an opportunity for growth and learning. If you are looking for a unique career that has incredible opportunities for diversity and continued learning, consider OT.

What do you think will change/shape practice over the next five years?

I have recently gone back to school to complete my PhD. I am currently studying in a trans-discipline measurement program at UBC. I have done this for a variety of reasons that relate to how practice will be shaped in the future. So, I can speak to change from some of my experiences in research and education, as well as my own personal skills and interest in mental health and measurement. There are 5 things that I think will most change and shape our practice: (a) Research. I believe our practice will be shaped by research that is innovative; research that supports, or challenges how we know what we know, and continue to provide evidence for the breadth and depth of our work. (b) Quality of research. I think our practice will be changed and shaped by critically examining our methods, assumptions and assessments. We need to ensure our measurement procedures and theories are current, and our inferences remain sound. (c) Collaboration. As OTs I believe we need to continue to share our perspectives, continue to learn from others, ask questions and make our voices known in the crowd. (d) New grads, and active voices. I think a big part of how our practice will be changed is by fresh voices that have novel perspectives, and will continue to advocate and challenge our profession. (e) Integrative approaches. Lastly, I think the future will be shaped by continuing to build on treatment approaches that recognize both physical and mental health must be addressed simultaneously to best serve our clients. As OTs we are in an exceptional position to have the skills to lead the way.