cOnnecT with Chelsey Gowan

Chelsey is the UBC MOTI student representative for the CAOT-BC Advisory Committee.

Why did you choose OT as a career?

I graduated with my Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies from the University of Calgary in 2014, and worked in the area of Assistive Technology and Ergonomics for 5 years.

I’ve known that I wanted to work in OT for a long time. I first learned about Occupational Therapy in high school, following aptitude testing. I connected with Capilano University because I wanted to learn more about their rehabilitation program. This was my first foray into the world of rehabilitation and learning more about OT.

I completed the Rehabilitation Assistant Diploma program at Capilano University in 2010. This program solidified my love for rehabilitation, but I was not sure where to go from there. My options were open and my path was either Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy. I landed a job with the Neil Squire Society and fell in love with the client-centeredness of OT. I am fortunate to have worked under 4 amazing OTs and a lot of my love for OT has been fueled by their commitment to their clients. I enjoy working one-on-one with individuals and problem solving to meet their goals.

While I do not yet have a specific area of interest in OT, I have had a number of years of experience with individuals with spinal cord injury. I find this practice area to be very interesting, but am considering myself a sponge for all other areas of OT practice! I am open to learning everything and anything that I can over the rest of the program.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to work with CAOT-BC throughout my OT training, and hope to continue doing so when I graduate in 2017!

Where have you worked over your career? 

As a rehabilitation assistant I worked at the Neil Squire Society and enjoyed the unique field of working with Assistive Technology and Ergonomics with a wide variety of clients. I feel that this work piqued my interest in OT and in the way that OTs can help an individual reach any goal that supports meaningful occupation. I am currently not working, but have had some fantastic fieldwork experiences as an RA and in my first term as an MOT student. I had my first placement in the MOT program in Orthopedics at Surrey Memorial Hospital. This was a wonderful re-entry into rehabilitation and reminded me of how OTs are key to a patient’s success upon discharge. I am headed into my next placement at Royal Columbian Hospital’s Student Run Outpatient Clinic in May, and am really looking forward to it.

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

I decided to take part in the OT student society at UBC because I was interested in working with my classmates to make the program as supportive as possible. The role of Professional Associations Representative (i.e. CAOT Rep) stood out to me. I want to help connect the OT students with professionals who are supportive and aim to help develop new skills. I worked on the Rehabilitation Assistant Association of BC before coming to the MOT program, so I knew that I had an interest in professional associations and their necessity in one’s career. I am glad to be a volunteer for CAOT-BC because I get to work with some amazing OTs and take part in interesting and fun events!

Tell us about someone who has influenced your OT practice?

My OT practice and interest in OT was influenced by my old supervisor. She has been an OT for over 25 years, and has a plethora of experience and amazing stories to share. I worked with her for about 6 years, and learned that OT is not an exact science and that it involves the need for compassion for one’s clients. The biggest thing that I learned from her would be to always look at a situation from another perspective. Each person we work with is unique, and each challenge will be different. If we focus too closely on the problem, we don’t see the growth a person can achieve.

What do you do when you aren't working or volunteering?

When not working or volunteering I enjoy spending time with my family, kayaking and playing video games. I am currently planning my wedding for 2017 (when school is completed!), so that takes up some of my free time!