FROM VIRGINIA TO IDAHO, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (OT)
by Janice Seargent, M.ED OTR
At this year’s OT annual conference in Burley, Idaho, on Oct. 19, 2024, I was awarded the Becky Stephens Excellence in Occupational Therapy Award. I am grateful and humbled to receive this award. What an honor, and I will attempt to continue to mentor others in our profession.
Although I have been “retired” for almost five years, I want to share with you, the membership, my journey, as an Occupational Therapy Practitioner (OTP) for over 46 years, from Richmond, Virginia, to Idaho Falls, Idaho.
I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in OT from a 4.9 year program in 1972. Upon passing the AOTA exam, I became an Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR). My mentors were my sister, Judith, who is now a retired OTP and the late Mary Fiorentino, a Neuroscience OTR, who rescued and guided me to navigate through OT. Deciding to further my education, I received a Master’s Degree in Education (M.ED) in 1976 with certification in Learning Disabilities and Emotional Disturbance.
In 1981, my family and I moved to Shelley, Idaho, a town of 2,500. I was unaware how limited OT was, especially the number of therapists and assistants: 37 to 40 OTR’s and 8 to 10 OTA’s. Most were located in Boise, Twin Falls, and Pocatello areas. There were none in Idaho Falls, North, East, or West.
I decided to join a Physical Therapy (PT) practice in Idaho Falls, and started to travel to Schools, Nursing Homes, Developmental Disabilities Centers up and down Eastern Idaho. Now, as of July 2024, NBCOT reports there are 706 OTP’s and 303 OTA’s. This is a huge increase and presence of our profession, as noted by earlier numbers.
In 1984, I left the PT practice and opened my practice, named OT LTD. This was the first private practice in Eastern Idaho. I continued to travel a lot, to schools and centers, as the need was great for families and centers to educate and recognize our profession’s value and assistance to all.
In 1986, the Idaho Occupational Therapy Association (IOTA) membership agreed to pursue state licensure, which was difficult and a struggle as many professional groups were adamantly opposed to this: PT, Chiropractors, and the Idaho Hospital Association. Yet, in February of 1988, we achieved this for our therapists and assistants. My number was 009; my license plate on my vehicle was OTR. Remember, we were a small group, but we achieved this with the help of AOTA and our lobbyist.
My practice continued to grow as IOTA did. In April of 1987, OT LTD became incorporated as Occupational Therapy Professional Association (OTPA), and I employed several OTR’s, OTA’s, a PT, and a Speech Therapist.
Several therapists joined together to develop a master’s level program at Idaho State University (ISU), in Pocatello, Idaho through the school of Allied Health Professions. There were already established PT, Nursing, Speech and Language, and Psychology programs. The School of OT Masters level program opened in August 1994. Now, they have a campus in Meridian, Idaho. This is absolutely amazing, and incredible; this predicts a great future for Occupational Therapy, as the need continues to be great.
I joined the faculty as an adjunct professor from 2004-2009. Working with future therapists was a highlight of my career, while maintaining my private practice in Idaho Falls.
You, as students and entry level OTP’s and OTA’s, are our future of Occupational Therapy. With increasing financial limitations by insurance coverage and increasing demand to define and delineate (OT) from other therapy groups, we must continue to practice Client Centered, Holistic, and Reality based treatment therapy for our patients. We must be an active and integrative member of the “TEAM”, willing to work collaboratively with our therapy colleagues, for optimal care of our patients in the most efficient and timely way for assisting them to reach their maximum potential.
This can be frustrating and hard, but this is why we chose Occupation Therapy, or why OT chooses us. We enable change to adapt healthcare for our clients, and their families. OT is becoming more community based which will help us to provide more care for our friends, neighbors, and citizens to improve mental and physical health challenges that so many face. Maybe Senior Centers will consider Wellness Clinics that will enable help from OT as well as other therapy professions, in assisting those in the community to receive maximum care for their well-being. In some rural areas, these clinics are occurring, but we need to expand them everywhere. Future student clinicians could do their fieldwork there, be part of a team, and increase their personal identity of OT.
So, in closing, my journey of OT is that I never fully retired. I am so proud of IOTA, and our School of OT at ISU and its expansion to Meridian, Idaho. To know that OT is available and present in schools, developmental centers, and assisted living centers, again, shows our future is promising and continues to thrive. There are now several private practices of OT that employ our colleagues throughout the state.
Once again, thank you for this award. To all the students, therapists, and educators across Idaho, I know that we will continue to grow and sustain our identity within our profession. The future is “Bright”. Let us continue to work together, helping each other as well as our patients, to shine light on our profession, and fulfill ourselves as to why we chose Occupational Therapy as our career.