April Challenge: Offer to speak at a career day

Spring is here, and it is oft the time of career fairs around the area. Representing OT at a career fair is a great service to students and the profession.

OT is a profession growing "much faster than average" per the Bureau of Labor Statistics which makes it an attractive profession for students- it's very nice to know you can get a job after you graduate. At the same time, it is important to increase our work force- our scope of practice is broad, and if OTs cannot fill the need, someone else will. Therefore, the recruitment (and later training) of effective practitioners should be considered the personal business of every OT and OTA.

So today, put forth a little effort into looking for a local career fair. Many middle and high schools offer these in addition to community colleges. If this does not pan out, many teachers are willing to give you a short portion of class time to discuss a relevant career. Girl Scout troops are also a great group to reach out to, since many of the badges and journeys require a career connection.
Developing a presentation shouldn’t be difficult, it's just a time to enthusiastically share some of the numerous possibilities that a life in OT can have. I always try to emphasize the multiple entry points into the profession, give a description of practice in common areas (hospital, school, clinic), and talk briefly about some developing areas of practice (driving, low vision, home mods). You can do a full presentation in 15 minutes and who knows… maybe you’ll be the one who sparks the initial interest of a future master clinician, researcher, or AOTA president. At the very least, you're helping OT to become more widely recognized, which is its own benefit.