Savannah Frederick
Why did you choose occupational therapy as
a career?
I’ve always wanted to help people ever
since I can remember. I stumbled across occupational therapy in my 3rd
year of my undergrad at UBCO and it was as if a lightbulb went off, this is what I
want to do. I was fascinated by the variety of work OTs can do and how this
rehabilitative profession takes a holistic approach to care. One area of OT
that hit home for me was hand therapy. When I was young, I seriously injured my
dominant hand leaving me with some impaired function but also a determination
that I wasn’t going to let this stop me. Unfortunately, I was not offered the services
of an OT and had to struggle to modify activities on my own. However, through
trial and error I built a repertoire of strategies to modify for limited wrist
extension and was able to share my knowledge while working with an older adult
population as a personal trainer.
What is your favourite thing about CAOT-BC?
CAOT-BC has a community feeling about it. BC is unique in that we have multiple health regions and through the ability of this organization this community can stay connected. CAOT-BC is also constantly look for ways to engage with members and grow this profession through educational opportunities for its members and advocacy to the public about this profession.
What
has the journey to being an OT student like for you?
To be honest, it has been a real
rollercoaster of a journey thus far. Covid-19 has had a major impact from a
student’s perspective. Starting a new program in a different province for me
was a new challenge, not knowing my classmates and being isolated in an apartment
was not how I envisioned my first year of OT school going. However, my cohort at
the U of A is made up of very strong individuals that came up with creative
ways to get to know one another from having virtual game nights, connecting
through social media, and making the most out of the in-person camp weeks to
make friends. In some ways, I would say my connection with my friends in the
program were made stronger by the joint struggle of online learning.
What
do you like about occupational therapy?
What I like most about occupational therapy
is at the fundamental core of this profession it recognizes that everyone is an
individual. Occupational therapy strives to meet people where they are at and makes
sure as a patient, they have a seat at the table for their recovery.
Tell
me about someone who has influenced your occupational therapy journey?
I think the biggest influence on my
occupational journey are all the ladies at Spectrum Rehabilitation Services Inc.
in Kelowna. Through all the amazing OTs and OTA, I was allowed to explore a portion
of what OTs do in the area of post-concussion and brain injury. One individual
in particular who really took me under their wing, and I will be forever grateful
for is Taryn Hughson who was the OTA for Spectrum. She showed me the power of active
listening and how vital it is to connect with the client in order to aid in
their recovery. My experience with Spectrum really solidified my choice in signing
up to do my masters.
What
might someone be surprised to know about you?
I tend to find ways that extend my student
career without truly planning to. In high school I decided to take a gap year
in between grade 11 and 12 to do a Rotary Youth Exchange to Austria and in my undergrad,
I signed up to be the first Human Kinetics student to participate in the Co-op
program. Apparently, I like extending everything by a year so who knows how
long my masters will take me.
What
would you tell someone who is thinking about becoming an OT?
Get ready to think outside the box! There
is no such thing as a one size fits all and everyone is different.
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