Professional Development Plans

With graduation on the horizon, I have considered getting some sort of specialty certification later down the road. Whether that be the CAPS (certified aging in place specialist) when working in home health, LSVT Loud when working with the parkinson's population, or even becoming a certified hand therapist (CHT) if i decide after my level II fieldwork at Baylor, Scott, and White in Texas that I could see myself doing hand therapy. All three of these specialty certifications interest me at the moment, and I can't wait to decide which one I will ultimately choose while out on my level II fieldwork rotations. The reason I am interested in the CAPS certification, is because I am interested in ultimately transitioning over to home health after I have a few years under my belt. I fully believe that everyone deserves the right to stay at home as long as they possibly can and I would love to be able to make that a reality for my future clients. My decision for this specialty will come from my second level II rotation at Vanderbilt doing home health care. The reason I am interested in obtaining a LSVT Loud certification, is actually due to my grandfather who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's. His diagnosis has made me really want to work with the Parkinson's population in some way after graduation and to use my knowledge to give them the best quality of life as possible. The reason I am interested in potentially obtaining my CHT certification, is because my first level II fieldwork will be in an ortho/hand outpatient clinic. I might find out if I really do love this niche specialty and I would definitely consider the possibility of obtaining this certification. I enjoyed making splint in our special topics course as I got to embrace my creative and perfectionist nature while designing some for a classmate. 

At the current moment, I do not believe I will want to continue my education and receive another degree after graduation or even years down the road. I am very excited for my chapter as a student to close and become an occupational therapist. I am not interested in teaching or research, therefore I don't think it would benefit me to receive a higher education. My passion for occupational therapy is in the hands-on treatment of clients and I believe I am right where I want to be at this moment of time. Who knows, maybe years down the road I might change my mind, but for now, Riley Burford, (future) MOT sounds pretty good to me.