I always thought I understood what the field of occupational therapy involved since many in my family have professions in rehab. However, it was not until my sophomore year of college that I had the opportunity to see an occupational therapist at work. It was at this moment that I began to understand the amount of creativity, perceptiveness, and compassion necessary for an OT to succeed in helping patients thrive in society. I observed as therapists used specific equipment and materials that both interested and aided patients in integrating their sensory systems, regaining upper extremity strength, and improving motor coordination to independently perform activities of daily living. I watched therapists analyze the difficulties of various patients and respond creatively to help them overcome their physical challenges and activity limitations. While some patients did not exhibit immediate progress, it astounded me to watch them accomplish some aspects of the therapists’ goals and, as a result, achieve more independence. This experience motivated me to observe several more OTs in various settings to gain a more holistic view of the field. My passion for occupational therapy grew as I continued to observe the therapists’ attention to fine motor movement, the communication and collaboration between different therapists and doctors, as well as the diversity of disciples within the field.
My fascination with fine motor movement manifested when I began college as a piano major. My freshman year, I struggled to play the piece La fille aux cheveux de lin by Claude Debussy with the right intonation and expressivity needed to capture the essence of the piece. My professor explained that my fingers lacked force control because of my upper body posture and the tightness of my shoulder muscles. While it took several months for me to understand how to address the problem, I will never forget how drastically my performances improved once I realized how to relax my shoulder muscles. After this experience, I paid more attention to how my muscles impacted my overall performance. I was even able to identify the weaknesses in my abilities to play due to improper hand positions and find ways to alter my hand posture to eliminate noticeable difficulties throughout my performance. I credit these seemingly minor changes in the way I postured my shoulders and hands to the drastic change in my piano performance that eventually led me to win various piano awards. These experiences taught me to analyze and think creatively in order to solve difficult fine motor problems and to achieve the complex task of ultimately creating something beautiful in the form of music. It amazes me that a single muscle or muscle group can alter my ability to perform simple and complex tasks, and I desire to help others understand and achieve their potential in performing daily tasks, which will enable them to achieve significant, lifelong goals.
