Muhlenberg athletes are spending the summer of 2024 enjoying fantastic experiences on campus, in their hometowns, across the country and even around the world. Rising senior softball player Kaitlyn Buurman, a double major in biology and psychology, wrote about how a connection with a Muhlenberg alum helped her land a rewarding shadowing opportunity in occupational therapy.

This summer, I have been lucky enough to volunteer and shadow a licensed occupational therapist through United Methodist Communities at Bristol Glen, an assisted living facility located in Newton, New Jersey, that I learned about through a friend who had also done her shadowing experience there. 

Upon reaching out to the center to learn more about what they stood for, I was able to connect with Rebecca Roe, who graduated from Muhlenberg in 2012 with a history and political science degree. Roe, director of communications and public relations for United Methodist Communities, was able to then connect me with Wendy Russell (Bristol Glen's rehab director) and Beverly Hotz (their volunteer coordinator) so that I could begin my shadowing experience in June. 

Occupational therapy focuses on helping people perform activities of daily living, such as dressing and bathing, allowing them to maximize their independence. I decided to gain more knowledge about and learn directly from occupational therapists because after completing my undergraduate degree at Muhlenberg, I have intentions of going on to graduate school to get my master's degree in occupational therapy. 

I have always wanted to go into a profession in which I could help others, and through talking to and learning from those in the profession, I will be all the more equipped to go into the field with grace! Being an occupational therapist allows for such patient-centric care, and to be able to learn about a person's life and experiences that brought them in while helping guide them through challenges to get back to their everyday lives – one of the many things I appreciate about the profession.

Being a double major in biology and psychology has allowed me to have a more well-rounded and enriching experience in my shadowing thus far. The complexity of the conditions these patients come in with and are experiencing has allowed me to pull from various psychology courses I have taken right alongside some biology courses. Taking Anatomy and Physiology 1 through Muhlenberg's online course options this summer while completing these shadowing hours has also allowed for my experience to be one that I have a deeper understanding of.

Rachel Crothers, a graduate of Quinnipiac University, is a licensed occupational therapist who recently completed her board certification in gerontology. Through my shadowing experience, I have been able to see how she adapts to the daily changes and challenges that come with the complex care of senior citizens. She includes me in her morning check-ins of who she is to treat that day, allows me to be involved in her treatment of patients and educates me on why she does what she does when choosing a certain approach or angle in her patient care. 

However, what she does would not be successful if it were not for the constant collaboration she and her occupational therapy assistant Lily, physical therapists, exercise therapists, speech-language pathologists and respiratory therapists regularly utilize between their respective spaces. I have really enjoyed the positive work environment these ladies have created for their therapy suite and the fact that the job calls for flexibility and consistent use of critical/creative thinking skills to treat patients to reach their ever-changing goals. 

For example, I got to work with a 102-year-old patient and helped her reach her occupational therapy goals! She came in quiet and afraid and is being discharged a lot more talkative and confident in herself. Seeing the progress that these patients make week to week allows for the occupational therapist's hard work, along with the efforts of the patient, to become tangible, which is so rewarding. 

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