5. Creativity
There’s not always just a checklist of items that you can go down to help your patients. If being an OTA were as simple as following a flowchart, anyone could do it! While the OT is usually in charge of treatment plans, the OTA is the one who implements them. No OT wants an OTA who checks back with them on every detail, so when you encounter an issue that might need immediate attention, you need to be able to first solve the problem on your own. Afterwards, carefully catalog details in the Daily Notes and then work out a plan with your OT on how to best proceed.
Of course you need to implement the plan of care created by the OT, but sometimes a problem will fall solely on your shoulders. Creativity helps solve these problems and also benefits OTAs helping patients with their mental health. A creative OTA can help patients deal with the often-grueling drudgery of recovery in unique and meaningful ways.
6. Determination
Sometimes, being an OTA isn’t going to be pleasant. You’ll have to help people with difficult situations that can be taxing both physically and mentally, and you’ll come home exhausted and drained. Even the best OTAs feel this way sometimes! The mark of a great OTA isn’t that they never get tired or weary; it’s that they keep pushing through even when they do.
Know that you’re making your patients’ lives better. Be committed to, and passionate about, helping them, and keep pushing through it, even when it’s tough.