My Interest and Skills, Goals and Professional Accomplishments, Essay Example

My decision to pursue further graduate education is a function of my desire to learn more about occupational therapy in order to accomplish my future goals in the field.  I have long held an intense interest in helping people through improving their quality of life. My initial decision to study occupational therapy was predicated on the notion of helping patients, many of them recovering from severe injuries that prevented them from performing daily tasks. As a result, I studied occupational therapy classes as an undergraduate to become more familiar with the field and the opportunities it offered as a career choice. I thoroughly enjoyed classes; they not only met my expectations but exceeded them as I found them to be challenging and rewarding.

Numerous fieldwork opportunities intensified my interest in the field as I worked with a diverse range of clients and rehabilitation needs.  My summer field work experience at a geriatric skilled nursing facility taught me the importance of communication and facing challenging problems with an optimistic attitude. The ability to work with senior citizens, and having a palpable impact on their recovery, solidified my interest in occupational therapy and expanded my understanding of the discipline as a powerful tool.  I also recently volunteered to help individuals at a hand clinic who were recovering from serious injuries.

The decision to pursue graduate education in occupational therapy is in order to pursue my main long-term goal: To work in the lifestyle redesign program for patients with multiple scoliosis and the lifestyle redesign for pressure ulcer prevention with spinal cord injuries.  Although I have a basic background in the field, I have found through my various field experiences that I lack the theoretical foundation to help patients rehabilitate with more serious conditions- particularly with multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries. In addition, I need more direction in understanding how occupational therapy can serve as a key process to help patients in resuming their daily activities.  These goals can only be achieved through more education and immersion in the field that will equip me to become a more effective and knowledgeable occupational therapist.