Occupational Therapy
Day in the Life
Hi! My name is Caitlin Hammerstein, and I am a second-year Occupational Therapy (OT) student. Prior to Salus, I graduated from West Chester University, majoring in Health Sciences, with an Occupational Therapy concentration and a minor in Psychology. I also work in behavioral health outside of school! I have always been motivated to help others, and the outstanding academics of this program confirmed that this was the right school for me. I am currently a student mentor, president of my OT class council, and president of the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity and Inclusion (COTAD) group on campus.
I had the opportunity to study abroad while in the program, and I am delighted to walk you through a typical day of therapy in the country of Belize! With the interprofessional collaboration of the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program, we assisted both children and adults in accomplishing their goals. In this country, therapy services are not as readily available, so this opportunity is both beneficial for the students to gain experience, and for the clients that need increased support to thrive.
Our day typically starts at 7 a.m., where the group meets in a common area for breakfast. During this time, we review clients, debrief past sessions, and plan for the day ahead. At 8:15 a.m., the children receiving services come for three hours of fun! Sessions involve a story time with a craft, fine motor, gross motor, “snacktivity,” and an individual session component.
After the kiddos leave at 11:15 a.m., we get together to break down how the day went and our thoughts on what went well and what we could change for the next session. After the debrief, we have lunch from 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.
On this day, after lunch we had the opportunity to visit Cahal Pech Archeological site. This site was created by the Mayas and housed close to 10,000- 15,000 people! The ruins date back to 1200 B.C. and is the oldest site found in Belize. Unlike other Mayan sites, we were able to climb the ancient steps of this area. After the adventure concluded, we had individual sessions with clients, both adolescent and adult, from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
We typically have dinner around 6:30 p.m. Today we walked as a group and went to a local restaurant in town, where I had jerk chicken and potatoes. The people are always so friendly, and the food is delicious! We then concluded our night by bonding with one another and completing documentation.
Study abroad has great learning opportunities as well as amazing opportunities to immerse in cultures different then your own. We had the privilege to visit community markets, eat local food, Zumba with residents, and learn how to make pottery and tortillas from scratch. We also went to the beach, snorkeled in the second largest barrier reef in the world, and went cave tubing and ziplining. As a student, this is an awesome way to gain knowledge about various cultures and help individuals that have limited resources to be successful in all areas of occupation.
The curriculum that Salus offers and the amazing faculty in our OT and SLP departments were a tremendous asset for us to be successful in this unique opportunity. We have been told by professors that therapy can be provided with the items in your pocket, and with this experience we were able to see what that really meant. We had the ability to display our potential to be wonderful clinicians to ourselves, our faculty, and to the individuals receiving services. As a student of Salus at Drexel, I highly recommend immersing yourselves in a study abroad adventure!
