Y is for… “Yes, and…”

This one here, this letter Y, is the only repeat I have in my 2022 #abcsofOT from my 2021 posts. There are many occupational therapy and higher education related things that start with Y — yesterday, young at heart, yoga, yare, yawp… and yes I did look those last two up online! For me, though, the expression “Yes, and…” is literally what occupational therapy is all about, so I have decided that, as long as I am participating in the #abcsofOT, I will continue to use it.

Last year, I used “Yes, and…” to compare OT to improv comedy. Re-reading the post, it is still an appropriate comparison. This year, I’m using the expression in a different way: this year, I am using “Yes, and…” to explain why I decided to return to UW-Milwaukee to pursue my PhD in Occupational Therapy.

Why did you stop working in the hospital? Don’t you love being an occupational therapist? Yes, and part of what I love about being an OT is the ever changing best practices. I love reading articles about research in the field, I love learning about new equipment, I love learning new ways to promote occupational independence. I see this next degree as the best way for me to bridge those loves together.

Don’t you miss your OT income? Yes, and I recognize that this is a temporary loss of those finances. Realistically, I’m still a licensed OT, so I could pick up some PRN work if I truly wanted to. However, I’m so busy with school, research, and my family that the thought of adding one more thing to my load is unbearable at the moment.

Do you love school that much? Yes, and I have always been this way! For heaven’s sake, I went back to school to become an occupational therapist! My BS and my MS were in addition to the BA that I had already earned seven years earlier.  

Do you love research that much? Yes, and I recognize that the only way to pursue it in the way I want to — as a full-time career — is to go back and earn this PhD. That’s just how it is. I could become an MD, but my husband has already expressed his displeasure at that idea. I’m still holding out hope that he will approve of medical school as my retirement plan.

Don’t you hate statistics? Yes, and I recognize that if I put my nose to the books and focus, not only will I learn a few things from these classes, I might actually come to appreciate them. Plus, they are temporary. No one semester is forever.

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End of the Semester Reflections

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R is for… Research!