Centennial
Alta Fried, MSOT ‘14: Hands- On Therapist
After sustaining a critical injury to her left hand from a motor vehicle accident, Alta Fried, OTS, MSOT ’14 decided to become an occupational therapist that specializes in hand therapy – and what a good decision that has proven to be.
Since earning her degree in occupational therapy (OT) just a few short years ago, Fried continued on to pass her Specialty Certification in Hand Therapy (CHT) exam, which requires 4,000 hours of hand therapy practice plus the extensive examination offered only twice a year. From there, she opened her own occupational therapy practice in central New Jersey and recently created a hand therapy program for Atlantic Physical Therapy Center, also located in central N.J., where she is the current director of hand therapy.
Initially receiving her liberal arts degree from Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, N.J., Fried did not possess any interest in healthcare.
But after being a hand therapy patient for three years following her severe degloving injury in 2010, she was inspired by her own therapists to pursue occupational therapy. Though the process was grueling, Fried believes her time spent undergoing hand surgery and later therapy is what gave her a new perspective on OT and the discipline to pursue a career in this profession.
Fried is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), which is dedicated to assuring the quality of occupational therapy services, improving consumer access to healthcare services, and promoting the professional development of its members. She is also a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT), the national society for hand therapists that provide a wealth of information and courses for hand therapists. Additionally, Fried is a part of an American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) run e-group, where OTs can post ideas, questions and tips. “I gain a good amount of knowledge from those discussions,” she said.
Fried continues to remain a part of the Salus community as a lab assistant and instructor for the Orthotics and Modalities course in the OT Master’s Program. Her favorite time of the year is when she teaches her students about the beauty and intricacies of hand therapy. To current Salus students, Fried gives this advice, “You don’t need to know which field you would like to go into, keep your options open and enjoy the classes that Salus has to offer - take it all in because that will help mold your decision and your clinical skills.”
Fried touts her biggest accomplishment was being accepted to the Hand Rehabilitation Foundation’s Fellowship Program. The program, which takes place at the The Philadelphia Hand Center, only accepts two fellows each period. “I felt privileged and honored to have been chosen,” she said. “The fellowship reignited my passion for hand therapy as I was treating trauma cases and meeting patients in similar situations to my own – and I was so happy to help them physically, join in their empathy and give back to the profession that contributed so much to my healing process.”
Fried also completed a second fellowship at Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center. The fellowship is one of the longest running fellowship programs in the country and is highly sought after by many professionals as it offers a genuinely unique experience for its participants.
Not short on things to do, Fried also penned two articles depicting her journey to a career in hand therapy while being in and out of surgery, one of which was featured in Advance for Occupational Therapy Practitioners.
As if not quite satisfied, Fried has even further aspirations for her career. “My goal is to expand our hand therapy practice around N.J. as the elite hand therapy practice which will be a first choice for patients and physicians alike,” she said. “I hope to provide best practice services to our patients and help patients return to function after trauma or injury.”
