Proud to Be an Occupational Therapist: Connor Brinsmead’s Story
Qi Creative was founded by Jon Jon Rivero, who trained in Occupational Therapy (OT) formally through university and as a caregiver to his dad, a brain injury survivor.
Qi Creative now employs a great group of OT’s within its multidisciplinary team, who are committed to creating and sharing their awesome strengths and talents with the clients we serve. This year’s theme for World Occupational Therapy Day is “Reimagine Doing”.
Connor Brinsmead, BA, MScOT, has been with our practice for almost a year and has a few words to share about his and his colleagues’ experiences as Occupational Therapists. Are you interested in OT one day? Scroll down to learn a little more about the expertise of Occupational Therapy, reimagining participation in activities and occupations that provide value and meaning to everyday life.
I love my career with Qi Creative
I’d always figured I’d end up working with kids and now I have a job that enables me to do just that.
It also allows me to travel our beautiful province, meaningfully support families, and keep playing throughout my adulthood.
It’s perfect for me, but maybe it’s not for everyone. What’s amazing is that I have so many fellow OTs working in their own dream jobs that look very different from mine.
I know OTs working in the fast-paced world of physical Acute Care, supporting a large, ever-changing caseload of patients who need to be supported toward safe recovery.
I know OTs working in long-term care facilities who love to problem-solve the tiny nuances of a perfect wheelchair fit.
I know OTs working in a community mental health environment for people who are managing addictions.
Day-to-day, all these occupations look very different, but they are all within the scope of occupational therapy.
Occupational Therapy allows you to help people in the way that suits you best.
I frequently hear people say “I want a career where I can help people” as a motivator for becoming a physician, nurse, or physiotherapist.
These are obviously amazing careers and I encourage you to pursue them if they match your passions!
However, maybe you’re like me and don’t have the mindset or patience for 9 years of intense medical school, or you don’t have the endurance to work the difficult hours expected of most nurses, or don’t have the memory to perfectly learn the function of every muscle in the body so you can become a physiotherapist. Occupational Therapy allows you to help people in the way that suits you best.
If you have a real technical brain, you can set yourself up in a physical rehab clinic, working with peoples’ bodies and medical needs.
If you’re a psychology-minded person, you can work in mental health.
If you just like to shake things up, you can work in a variety of totally unique settings across your career!
People have asked me, “what do OTs actually do?” and that’s a big question because it varies so much between positions.
I like to simply tell people that we are all trained problem solvers.
The problems we solve are the gap between a person’s current situation and the activities they want to comfortably perform.
The skill of problem-solving can apply to almost any human in any setting, which makes OT an incredibly diverse profession.
“Helping People” is the core of OT practice, and you can do it in your own preferred niche. I think that is what makes this career so special.
I’m proud to be an Occupational Therapist.
WOOSH!