Takeaway from Era Presentations

Over the last few weeks, my peers and I have been researching different eras from the 1940's to the 2010's for our Foundations class, and each group presented their findings this week. It was incredible to see how occupational therapy has changed throughout the decades. One woman, Martha Kirkland, influenced the field of OT greatly. She served as the first full-time Executive Director of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF). Martha Kirkland advocated for occupational therapists to use evidence-based practice in their interventions. To this day, it is necessary for an OT to use evidence-based practice with all clients. There is also a scholarship in her honor called the Martha Kirkland Leadership Legacy that members of Pi Theta Epsilon can apply for after their first year of OT school. Martha's leadership and values as an OT have impacted the field and effectiveness of intervention.

Many occupations have evolved over time including the occupations of women. Before the 1940's, it was very common for a man to work and the woman to tend to the house and children. Most women would identify "mother" as their main occupation. During World War II, however, woman began working and taking over the roles of many men as they were off at war. As time continued on, not only was a mother expected to care for her family, but it also became more common for a mother to work and provide for her family as well. In the 1960's, most women worked as teachers, secretaries, and nurses. In the 2010's, there was a rise in women in business. Women have also taken on prestigious positions within their companies or fields of work including leadership in the world of OT. This trend in women in the workforce has continued until the present day and shows no signs of slowing. Women have taken on more roles that make up the occupation of motherhood such as providing care and financial support to the family.

Learning about the changes in occupational therapy throughout the years gave me a new appreciation for the field. OT played a huge role in the lives of many people following World War II as those injured in war returned to life in the United States. In the 1950s, a huge polio outbreak caused OTs to evolve their practices to cater to pediatric clients better. Occupational therapy as a whole has adapted as lifestyles have changed for over a century. Understanding these adaptations has inspired me as a future practitioner to continue adapting as times and values change. Remaining stagnant will not make me a better practitioner; I will focus on life-long learning and continue to find new ways to serve my clients.

I learned several facts about the past of occupational therapy throughout the era presentations, but one that stood out above the rest is that occupational therapy was qualified for home heal benefit in the 1980's under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. I never realize how new this setting was on the timeline of OT. I also found it astounding that there were two recessions within three years in the 1980's; these times of financial distress definitely would have impacted to the lifestyles of people in America. Finally, I was surprised by the shortage in OTs in the 1990s. I have always heard high job satisfaction from every OT that I have observed, so to see that there was high job dissatisfaction in the 90's was shocking.