Occupational Therapy
Mission
The mission for the BAMC Occupational Therapy Service is to promote soldier readiness, healthy living and optimal performance among all DOD beneficiaries using occupational therapy principles and practices. Provide OT services that reflect best clinical practices and are timely and cost efficient. Serve in primary care to diagnose and treat upper extremity injuries and illnesses. Develop ergonomic strategies, policies, and programs to prevent injuries and decrease human and economic costs of injuries in the DOD. Develop versatile, competent OT leaders who successfully manage clinic operations and serve in branch immaterial positions throughout the AMEDD. Develop versatile, competent OT leaders who command in branch immaterial positions throughout the AMEDD.
About Us
What is Occupational Therapy?
The health disciplines of occupational therapy, as much an art form as a science, focuses intervention on how disease or injury affects functional tasks of everyday life. Regardless of frame of reference or medical situation, OT innately seeks out a means to keep our clientele engaged in life, at their highest levels.
What is our GOAL?
Occupational therapists realize and respect the uniqueness of individual lifestyles. Our goal is to help others regain or maintain the essence of their personal definitions of life. In effect, the patients determine their own treatment goals. They provide direction and order of precedence.
In a joint effort with our clientele, we identify pertinent deficits, strengths, and assets. Then together we design the best course of action to achieve the desired outcome. This is what we refer to as the "holistic" approach, one uniquely founded and fostered by OT. Milestones are met through education, management of care, and lots of hard work with the single intent of maximizing independence. However, ultimately the patient must take ownership of the rehabilitative program for a successful outcome.
Humans take on endless roles of life. We are spouses, mothers, fathers, children, siblings, friends, confidants, teammates, Soldiers and, yes, even therapists, to name a few.... all with unique purposes and intrinsic demands that bring contentment to our lives. Our roles define who we are, what we are about and how we live life. These life roles and interests ultimately coalesce to define our lives.
As humans, we all too often erroneously view health in the context of performance level; therefore, poor or lackluster productivity is inaccurately equated with dysfunction. As the tasks associated with each realm of life slowly evolve and change, so too will the individual's definition of "productive" life.
OTs' intervention spans the lifetime. Traditionally, we are found in a multitude of settings: specialized nursing homes, the classical hospital, developmental centers, adolescent behavior shelters, community mental-health facilities, and in the home. Patient groups range from neonate to geriatric. We provide care for patients with developmental delay, spinal cord or traumatic brain injury, and other neurological deficits, generalized de-conditioning, loss of executive functions and basic life skills associated with psychiatric dysfunction, as well as upper extremity orthopedic trauma. Our goal is consistent throughout all these arenas: to increase independence of any patient who is experiencing decline in or decreased ability to function in his or her daily activities.
Not surprisingly, many of the attributes sought in OTs or OT assistants, are patience, empathy, flexibility, creativity, and interpersonal skills. ... Ironically, a myriad of the similar attributes the Army fosters in our warriors on a daily basis.