April is designated as Occupational Therapy Month. OT students and practitioners are encouraged to organize and participate in a events and educational formats promoting the profession. AOTA (American Occupational Therapy Association) strongly supports these efforts and offers various tools and educational materials to be used specifically for promotional activities. To show our support, Centra is dedicating all of its April blogs to topics relevant to the practice of OT and its benefits for patients of all ages.

To begin, here are a few AOTA suggestions for celebrating and promoting your profession:

• Download, view and share the wealth of educational materials available on AOTA’s website with your colleagues and clients. These include practitioner fact sheets and the podcast series “Living Life To Its Fullest”, the AOTA slogan for OT Month 2012.
• Organize and sponsor fundraisers, contests and OT-focused health fairs, designed to highlight the positive effects of OT in the lives of individuals and families. AOTA has a number of items for sale that can be used as prizes or giveaways for these purposes.
• Schedule speaking engagements with local schools and colleges, agencies and institutions for the aged, as well as with local and state government officials to educate about the profession. Augment speeches with newsletters; encourage your city or state to issue proclamations designating April as OT month; and invite local media to cover all of these activities.

Check out the AOTA website for a full list of ideas and promotional materials. Continue reading the Centra blog for trending issues in the field and useful tools to enhance and facilitate your work.

If you are an OT, whether you are just starting out or a seasoned veteran, the Centra Team can locate the best employment situation to start you on your path and showcase your talents in this important and very practical field. Contact us at 800 535 0076.