Blog Post Challenge 6 Professional Development and Ethics!

I would consider professional development and ethics two of the most important aspects of being an OT. When I envision myself as an OT one day, I don’t see myself doing to a 9-5 job every day without any change or growth in my career, I would consider that insanity, and not a life that I would find very enjoyable. I want to grow every day, and wake up every day with new goals and desires in my field of practice. I want to bring PASSION to work every day, I don’t want to just be good, I want to be GREAT! (I would also like to mention that I look forward to reading the book “Good To Great”). So how do you keep yourself from being complacent and not having growth? Well I believe everyone have ways they keep themselves motivated, rather it be through reading motivational books, listening to inspiring podcasts, or just constantly having positive self-talk. We could all use a little boost when it comes to staying motivated in any aspect of life, especially work. Luckily as OT’s we constantly are given opportunities to grow our professional development and in a way, are required to be “lifelong learners”.  This is great for our field because it keeps our minds innovated and our passion for knowledge satisfied. We will never all be true experts in the field, but if we come to work every day with a learners’ mindset, we will truly be some the best professionals around!

I wanted to quickly mention the important of ethics and how we should view it as OT’s. It’s important to understand that our code of ethics should be thought of as a guide rather than a concrete answer to every possible dilemma we may encounter on and OFF the job. I believe deep in your heart you know if something is right or wrong, but if you’re ever uncertain, just do the right thing ;)