What got you interested in occupational therapy?
My interest in occupational therapy began during a “Health and Safety – Human Resources” class in my undergraduate studies. I wanted to apply a biopsychosocial lens to help cultivate healthy work environments. A quick peek at the faculty biographies of Professors Andrea Duncan and Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia confirmed this program was the right fit for me.
What will you remember most about your time in the program?
This takes me down memory lane! I will remember the various opportunities such as having incredible fieldwork placements, meeting ambitious change-makers, being on the Student Affairs Committee, and creating a role-emerging placement at Sun Life Financial. Role-emerging placements occur when a student OT works with an organization that does not have an OT but would benefit from having OT services. This is an opportunity to create your own placement by collaborating with the fieldwork coordinator and the organization to propose a placement.
Other fond memories include getting to know my classmates outside of school, study group meetings, exploring Toronto, presenting at the CAOT conference, being in awe when classmates shared their individual journeys, and starting OTech Canada with my two (now lifelong) friends.
OTech started at the University of Toronto when Shahrose Aratia, Karishma Patel, and I noticed a need to actively engage OT students in the possibilities that lie at the intersection of healthcare and technology. We are now a national student-run organization that aims to prepare students to be knowledgeable about health technologies and become active contributors in this technological revolution. We’ve held speaker sessions, facility tours, networking events and built community partnerships. There are now three OTech Chapters across Canada with 100+ active members!
What are your areas of interest?
I started the program knowing that I wanted to work as a non-clinical occupational therapist when I graduated. My main field of interest is vocational rehabilitation which I am lucky enough to be exploring in my current role as a Rehabilitation Consultant at Sun Life Financial. I am also interested in healthcare operations and technology.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
That’s a good question! I am extremely fortunate to have an OT lens and experience working on the front lines. In five years, I see myself working in one of my areas of interest, possibly in operations management in healthcare. This profession can take you in many different directions. Stay tuned!
What advice do you have for incoming students?
Everything is planned for you when you are in school. You know exactly when assignments are due and what is expected of you. It can be tempting to get caught up in this routine. I encourage you to remind yourself of why you are in OT school and what your purpose is. Reading your personal statement from your application is a good reminder of this. Ask yourself if there’s something you could be doing outside of class to achieve this purpose.
Did a guest speaker inspire you? Approach them after class.
Seeing a gap for something that could addressed? Start a passion project.
Find an OT who is working in an area you are interested in? Reach out to them for an informational interview and ask how you can contribute.
Be intentional with what you do throughout these two years. You have a lot to offer as an Occupational Therapy student at the University of Toronto! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyathakkar25/