If It’s To Be…. It’s Up To Me! Pamela E. Toto, PhD, OTR/L, BCG, FAOTA AOTA Board of Directors

Rejected presentation titles:  There is no “they” in AOTA  Who are “they” and what do you expect “them” to do for you?

Our “Vision”  Powerful  Widely Recognized  Science-Driven  Evidence-Based  Globally Connected  Diverse  *Essential and Effective*

External Challenges  Reimbursement  Competition from other professions  Rapidly changing needs of our consumers

Internal Opportunities  Ambassadors  Salespersons  Leaders  Magicians  Artists  Scientists

Passion A man’s passion proclaims his destiny and anchors his life. So fall in love with something. It will decide everything. Destiny is not a matter of chance But a matter of choice. Ray Werner

OT 101: Strategies for Everyone

Distinct and Essential  Focus on Participation  Everyone now focuses on “function”  Practice OCCUPATION  Avoid “short-selling” the value of occupational therapy  “Common sense”  Lack of evidence  Deference of clinical judgment to other professionals

Seen and Heard  Act and Lead  Resist “going along with the crowd” if you feel otherwise  Seek opportunities to represent OT and the greater rehabilitation/healthcare team  Names matter  Call yourself an occupational therapist or an occupational therapy assistant  Nametags, Business Cards  Be prepared to succinctly describe what you do

Happy to be another face in the crowd...  Representation by disciplines other than occupational therapy  Avoiding the “limelight”  More comfortable interacting with clients than decision-makers  More comfortable advocating for others than yourself  Who are "they”?

Define what you do  The “elevator” definition  Brief (20 sec)  One to two sentences  Word choice depending on your audience  The “unabridged” version  2 minutes  Don’t limit to one population  Use examples  Word choice depending on your audience

“Don’ts” for defining what you do…  Don’t be too narrow in focus  Don’t describe OT by relating how it is different from another profession (i.e. physical therapy)  Don’t use too much OT jargon  Who else “doffs” their socks except occupational therapy practitioners?  Don’t be too wordy – make your point!

Expand the “Army” of Occupational Therapy Advocates  Clients as advocates for occupational therapy  Must know who provided the service  Must understand how the intervention has impacted their occupations and participation  Encourage to promote and talk about the benefits of occupational therapy  Apply to family and friends

Practice Consistency As an occupational therapy practitioner…  The areas you address  The services you provide  Your assessment and intervention approach vs.

OT 201: Becoming an Occupational Therapy Leader

Types of Leaders  Charismatic  Innovative  Command and Control  Laissez-Faire  Pace Setter  Servant  Situational  Transformational Blanken, R. (2013). Lead with style. Associations Now, 9(1),

OT Leadership Options AdvocacyPracticeOrganizationScience

Leadership: Organization  AOTA  Representative Assembly  Commission on Practice, Commission on Education  Ad Hoc Committees  State OT Associations  State or local representative  Conference/CE committee  Clinical Department/Employer

Leadership: Advocacy  AOTPAC  Hill Day  Fundraising  State PAC  NBCOT  Item writer  Survey respondent  State Licensure Board

Leadership: Science  AOTA  Evidence-based practice guidelines  Evidence exchange  AJOT  AOTF  Clinic  Journal club  Implementing EBP assessments and interventions  Collaboration/Data collection with research

Leadership: Practice  AOTA  Special Interest Sections  Student representatives  Board and specialty certifications  OT Practice  Writer  Reviewer  State OT Associations  Employment Site

If it’s to be, it’s up to me!  Powerful  Widely Recognized  Science-Driven  Evidence-Based  Globally Connected  Diverse

Thank you