Era Presentations

    The era presentations were so fun and I loved how it brought out our creative sides. I think it has helped to break the ice with our classmates and shown our humor. I really liked getting to know the history of occupational therapy and learning how it has been shaped by events from the past. One way that I was surprised was how I never thought about how World War II impacted OT. The idea that there have been OT's in the past who went to school for just 2 weeks to be trained in war times is shocking. It is shocking considering how long we need to be in school for our degrees now. 

    I think one of the most prominent occupational changes was playing. I think our pastimes have changed most drastically from the 90's to the 2010's. In the 90's, we still played with board games and read books. Computers were not much of a pull on children's time. In the 2000's, phones became more commonplace but did not have the same magnitude that they have today. Kids still played with toys mainly and played outside. Today, or in the 2010's, smartphones are a necessity in life. iPads and tablets are commonly used in play. Children want to have tablet time more than they want to play outside with friends. 

    OT as a profession has progressed greatly in the past 80 years. Our scope began in a time when OT's were desperately needed for men coming home from war, which is significant because previously OT's were meant to work with people who had mental health problems. OT lost its way a little bit by becoming more reductionist. And in the 90's we struggled with job satisfaction and changes in healthcare. But thankfully due to work done by some prominent OT's of the 2000's and 2010's, OT has returned to its holistic roots. 

    I think what I gathered from the era presentations were some interesting facts that never occurred to me. I did not know that the first microwave oven was invented in the 1940's. I also really liked learning about different health care innovations such as penicillin and the vaccine for polio. I love history and getting to learn about all the different eras focusing on OT.