Home Health OT Might Be For Me

Before entering OT school, I completed my observations at a couple of settings—acute care at a hospital and an out-patient rehab clinic. Without the experience of working in all OT settings, it’s difficult for me to know which setting I’d thrive in as a professional OT and what I’d like to specialize in, but I feel more “in my element” working with adults. When I think about home health, it seems like the type of setting that would require lots of creativity and ingenuity, maybe more so than in a clinic, because each client’s house is unique and so are their needs. I can see it keeping an OT on his or her toes! But there is another part of me that is kind of freaked out at the thought of entering a home that may be unsafe, or in an unsafe area—or what if it’s unclean and smells? I don’t want my fear to keep me from trying home health, so it was nice to listen to the Home Health OT podcast, with Monika Lukasiewicz OTR/L.

Ms. Lukasiewicz spoke about several things that I found interesting: (1) home health as a 360° experience, (2) flexibility and travel, and (3) helping a client advocate for their medical needs. When she compared the home health experience as 360° versus 180° (doing therapy inside an OT facility), it helped me visualize working with a client in their home and problem-solving to meet their occupational goal. She also talked about traveling, which I have spent years traveling as a health educator and a wellness coordinator for the state government—I loved the traveling part. One of the things that attracted me to the OT profession is the many different settings to choose from and the flexibility that comes with it. Lastly, she expressed ways she helped client’s advocate for themselves, for instance, if they needed a medical device or a prescription refilled. Some of the needs of a client were revealed while doing an intervention at their home, which may not have been clear elsewhere. I am enthusiastic about working with clients and helping them achieve their goals, so I feel a lot better about the possibility of doing home health OT.