Camryn is an OT student at Northern Arizona University with an expected graduation date of May 13, 2023. Read her winning essay below:
I have chosen the occupational therapist career path because of the skill set I have gained through real-life experiences. I was a junior in high school when I recognized an injustice in my school that was seemingly being dismissed by faculty and staff. Students with disabilities had little to no interaction with the typical student body on a daily basis. I took the necessary steps to make a change through speaking with administration and by sharing my vision of providing students with disabilities more natural opportunities for friendships, socialization, and popular high school experiences. Eventually, I was able to found a nationally recognized club that supported the aforementioned vision. This experience brought to light my ability to lead as well as to identify problems, suggest a course of action, implement that action, and then follow up.

As an occupational therapist, I will need to follow a very similar thought process each day. I have witnessed how occupational therapy adds quality of life through enhancing activities of daily living. I chose this career path and course of study because I know that I have valuable insights, experiences, and drive to make an impact on the lives of those I will serve. When I consider the skills that I have acquired, I feel confident that occupational therapy is the career to best exude those skills each day. Ultimately, my degree relates to my immediate goal of being a practicing occupational therapist. But my degree also will bridge the gap between where I came from and who I am. I grew up in the small rural town of Corryton, Tennessee. In this town, only 11 percent of residents hold bachelor’s degrees and less than 6 percent hold a graduate-level degree. I recognize the privilege I have to be pursuing a degree from where I come from.

As a young female, my goal is to one day encourage young girls to pursue big dreams and open up my own clinic in an underserved area. I am passionate about occupational therapy and social justice and want to dedicate my life to advocating for a more equitable society. My ideas for sparking non-traditional, emerging practice areas of occupational therapy in rural communities are endless, but I do have one main theme and vision if I had freedom from corporate limitations. There is very limited research regarding the experiences of occupational therapy practitioners working in rural areas of the United States. There is even less research on the people needing occupational therapy services in rural communities. Individuals living in rural areas have difficulty accessing services due to a shortage of practitioners and a lack of education as to what an occupational therapist could do for them.

The dream that I plan to make a reality one day is to open up a space for adolescents ages 12-18 of all abilities and then utilize occupational therapy to promote meaningful living for an age group that is often neglected in small towns. My main objective with occupational therapy for adolescents is to help them live satisfyingly full lives with as much independence as possible. This means helping to develop the life skills and techniques necessary for everyday self-care, emotional regulation, home management, and appropriate educational pursuits. This would be a group-based clinic that promotes leadership skills and helps develop and inspire the next generation to become more self-reliant and make decisions that spark change and allow for new ideas and growth. This clinic wouldn’t prioritize finances or financial gain but would place patient growth and quality of services first. We would adopt a holistic model and use OT theories such as PEOP (person, environment, occupation, places) and help cultivate a space of research, evidence, and the whole person. Additionally, I will contribute to the lack of research within rural communities for practitioners and people being served by occupational therapy.

The continuation of my personal learning will benefit my patients’ well-being because it will ensure that I utilize current, research-based interventions and techniques. Lifelong learning will result in optimal occupational therapy services and premier care provided by myself as a practitioner. The patient will benefit because when a new difficulty or challenge occurs, my passion for learning will cause me to research methods to address the need in a timely and safe manner. Expanding my knowledge will expand and increase my competency as a practitioner.

I am passionate about one day owning my own practice in a rural community much like the one in which I grew up. I want to provide resources and opportunities to the community I work and serve in. I know that as I pursue a career in occupational therapy and eventually become a practitioner, I will be contributing through research, innovations, and propelling the field of occupational therapy forward by teaching the rising generations. As a future occupational therapist I will provide leadership, consistency, reliability, and positivity. I am eager to learn and poised to make a difference in the lives of those I come across. I have lived a life that has provided me with extremely valuable experiences. Those experiences have helped me recognize and expand my skill set. I am confident that the individual I have become will be an asset to my career in health care.

Submitted by Aimee Bhatia, Therapy Resource, NCI, California
Wervonn “Vonn” Malabanan has been the Director of Rehab at Camarillo Healthcare Center since July 1, 2021. Prior to that, he had been a dedicated and influential member of the therapy team and had participated in the DORiTO program, which allowed him to actively engage in many leadership tasks prior to moving into this role. Vonn has a heart of gold. He leads with a gentle toughness. He is warm and easily approachable and truly cares about his team, yet he leads with a directness and firmness that leaves no gray area.

Throughout his short time at Camarillo, he has already made his mark. He has grown the LTC programming in-house in an admirable way with solid documentation training and with amazing outcomes for the residents. the Part B MSCA results show just how strong this programming is in the facility. Productivity, despite multiple COVID outbreaks in his first year, has been one of the strongest in the market, and his purposeful use of G & C to foster success has been noteworthy. Vonn has also been a leader in the market in better management of managed care. He teamed up with his ED to truly ensure they provide therapy to the contract terms and has come up with creative ways of providing additional opportunities for engagement and progress for the residents.

Leadership development is another strength Vonn possesses. He has uplifted many of his therapy team members by giving them opportunities to grow — anything from encouraging student mentorship and working with IDT for care plan meetings to empowering the team to engage in leadership tasks throughout the day and allowing his teams to engage in decision-making.

Vonn has done an amazing job fostering relationships with many therapy schools across the country. It is not rare for the team to host five or six students at a time year-round. It is one of the most robust student programs I have seen anywhere. Even Vonn takes on students in order to avoid saying “no” to schools. The hiring Vonn has done in his time there has been top-notch as well, with a thorough interview process, team involvement in hiring, and good mentorship to ensure an easy transition for new-hires.

Not only have Vonn’s metrics been extremely solid, but his dedication to the building has been remarkable, too. Vonn has a deep love for the entire facility. He works with DSD and Nursing to provide training to CNAs upon hire and as needed to ensure proper body mechanics, safety, and knowledge in caring for their residents. He steps in with other department heads to fill in and assist wherever needed. . He actively participates in facility celebrations and activities, helping to foster a greater relationship between Therapy and the rest of the facility. He is also an extremely valued partner to his DON and ED. The amount of pride they take in what he brings to the facility is amazing to see. It is not often I have EDs and DONs reaching out to me to nominate their therapy leaders for CTO, and certainly not this early in a leadership role. Vonn has made a tremendous impact and truly has a great future in the facility and the organization as a whole.

Vonn has great ideas, he has amazing clinical skills, and the solid leadership he brings to his team has made a remarkable impact on the facility.

Submitted by Sarah Scott MS, CCC-SLP, Pointe Meadows Health and Rehabilitation, Lehi, UT
Micki Allred is a new addition to the ranks of Ensign Affiliate SLPs! She was a graduate student clinician at Pointe Meadows Health and Rehabilitation with a considerable aptitude for AAC and working with dementia patients. She accepted a position with Pointe Meadows and Provo Rehab and quickly became full time at Provo. Within her first month of full-time employment, Micki has been changing lives.

Pointe Meadows has a long-term resident, Jim, who has dementia and a history of CVA. Additionally, he has late-life loss of vision and became totally blind four years ago. Jim is a complex and dynamic personality with a lifetime of experiences. He raised five children as a single dad, ran his own business, played professionally as a jazz musician (drummer), and earned a black belt in martial arts.

Jim lived at an assisted living facility and declined in functional ability prior to admission to Pointe Meadows. At the time of admission, the patient spent the majority of his time in bed, resisted wheelchair and other activities, and stated, “I have no purpose.” He had a significantly reduced tolerance of ambient noise with hearing loss and demonstrated agitation in complex environments like the dining room.

Enter Micki. Micki earned a master’s degree in music prior to earning her master’s in communication disorders. She discovered through interview and personal history questions that JMicki’s husband, John (who is also a musician), and Jim have common connections. John’s friend Lars, who is a well-known bass player, played in a band with Jim in the 1960s. Micki went to work to create a meaningful group experience for Jim and many other residents and patients on speech therapy. John and Lars performed jazz music, demonstrating concepts Micki taught, including music dynamics (pianissimo, mezzo-forte, fortissimo), improvisation, melody, etc.

Notably, 30 residents and patients attended the group with rapt attention. Several “wanderers” engaged in the lesson/performance without loss of attention. The SLP team and graduate students circulated to facilitate participation and accuracy. Jim sat front and center for the 50-minute-long group, stayed to visit with other residents for an hour, and then ate lunch in the dining room. After lunch, he had plenty of energy and willingness to participate in OT.

Thank you, Micki, for bringing Jim and the Pointe Meadows crew “All That Jazz.”

By Scott Hollander, Therapy Recruiting Resource
The therapy recruiting resource team wants to express how much we appreciate each of you who contributed and participated in therapy recruiting in 2022. This past year, we had the privilege of getting back in-person with students and veteran therapists in career fair and convention settings and professional healthcare networking mixers. Leaders being present at these events has been the best part of this return to in-person events. Many of you have had a career fair suitcase mailed to you and have been the sole representative in these efforts. Thank you!

Significant impact was made at ASHA and AOTA. At ASHA, we had three of our SLP master clinicians present, and it was great to see the therapy recruiting resources step back and watch Sarah Scott, Melissa Alexander, and Hannah Allen take the spotlight and share who we are as an organization and the impact that we are having on long-term care and post-acute rehab in the eyes of the world. At AOTA, it was great to have so many of our OTs and COTAs come to our booth and share with others how special it is to be a part of our organization. Stephanie Cole, Patty Fantauzzo, Joe Pergamo, Mira Waszak, TJ Petty, Sarah Boone, Martin Monarrez, Denny Davis, Jenny Farley and Lito Ortiz’s team have all helped with guest lectures at universities across the country. We have held healthcare professional networking events in Rhode Island, New York, Tennessee, Texas (Stephanie Winkler is the highlight of all of these in Texas), California, Washington, Utah, Arizona, and Nebraska and appreciate everyone who has contributed to these events.

We are privileged to work with so many great leaders and with such a unique and strong organization. We love and appreciate every one of you. We wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!