Philosophical statement and core principles

Philosophical Statement

Occupational Therapy is probably the most diverse and rewarding career a health care or social worker can choose. Personally, my choice towards this career stems from my desire to not only to help others, but also to do so with the greatest scope I can possibly manage. This entails working effectively not only with the clients I serve directly, but also making an impact in my field by means of leadership and continued learning.

In medical science, we live in fortunate times, where health is no longer the sole responsibility of the professional, but also that of the client (Meyer, 1922). This enables the occupational therapist to offer his or her expertise in helping the client help him- or herself. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (2011), for example, the occupational therapist's main function is to offer rehabilitative service and improve a person's quality of life. Helping people to live better -- I cannot think of a higher or more satisfying calling in life.

Of course, leadership plays a vital role in achieving a basis from which I can provide the most effective and wide ranging help possible. Snodgrass et al. (2008) suggest that, in occupational therapy, the transformational and transactional leadership styles are likely to be the most effective. In my leadership role in the profession, I will seek to inspire my employees to achieve the greatest good they possibly can in working with their clients. To do this, I will ensure that I continually communicate with my team to maintain the best practice when working with clients.

Leadership also extends to the occupational therapist's work in the community. In this way, one might see that occupational therapy institution as a micro-community, while the community receiving service can be seen as a macro-community. The main important thing is a focus on the fact that our work does not occur in isolation. Hence, our work must include not only other professionals in the field and the things we can most effectively learn from them, but it must also be driven by the community within which we work and the needs that they identify (Ohio State University).

Because human life is a phenomenon of continual adaptation in terms of both physical and mental growth, I believe that continuing education is one of the most important components of an occupational therapy philosophy. In thinking about education, I believe it is necessary to not only continually educate myself regarding evolutions in the occupational therapy field, but also to engage in communication within the community to educate others in my field, as well as the community at large. In this way, I fulfill my duty not only to my clients, but also to the community that helps me to accomplish the fulfilment of this duty (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2005).

The central premise of my philosophy is therefore to connect with clients on a personal level, determine what they need, and work with them to achieve the results they desire. For this reason, I expect that my engagement in scholarship will be mainly with the "scholarship of application" and the "scholarship of discovery," as suggested by the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. It is only by sharing findings that the occupational therapy field developed as far as it has today. Indeed, even the earliest occupational therapists recognized the importance of sharing their findings with the rest of the community (Meyer, 1922).