What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy is a rehabilitative service that encompasses screening, evaluating, treatment, and education. It is directed toward developing, improving, sustaining or restoring patient daily living skills. Daily living skills may include self-care skills, interactions with others and the environment, work readiness or work performance, educational skills, and leisure activities.
The Army Occupational Therapy Mission
- To promote Soldier readiness, healthy living and optimal performance among all Department of Defense (DoD)
beneficiaries using occupational therapy principles and practices.
- Provide OT services that reflect best clinical practices, are timely, and are 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.
- Provide OT services within Warrior Transition Units (WTU) for reintegration of Soldiers as they return to work and productive living.
- Develop versatile, competent OT leaders who successfully manage clinic operation
Army Occupational Therapy Vision
Army Occupational Therapists are the human performance experts and dedicated leaders whose
innovative programs and services will help to optimize soldier performance and readiness in theater
and garrison. Army OTs are valuable members on the team that will lead the AMEDD into the 21st
century by:
- Creating new and innovative applications within the Army Occupational Therapy services that
maximize soldier readiness and promote healthy living among all DoD beneficiaries.
- Increasing Army OT’s value through demonstrated cost effectiveness of services.
Clinic Statement: The practice of Occupational Therapy in the Army Medical Center is based on the premise that the human being is a complex organism, born with the potential to attain the highest level of existence. The individual is a bio-psycho-social being, an open system, which seeks active participation in interaction and adaptation with the external environment. Through this interaction the individual receives feedback to determine self-potentials and limitations to maintain a state of health. Throughout life, each individual progresses through a developmental continuum of occupational roles which is evident from pre-schooler to student to wage earner and homemaker to retiree. The ability to maintain competency in role performance is contingent upon acquisition of critical skills and an interrelated balance of work, play, rest and sleep. The status of one’s health is demonstrated through one’s use of activity and time, and success in performance of occupational and societal roles. Illness or injury may alter the person’s capacity to actively adapt and competently perform role-related tasks and behaviors. Through intrinsic motivation, the use of purposeful activity and repetition in the performance of relevant tasks, skill acquisition is accomplished. Capacity to resume role performance may be achieved even though symptoms related to the medical condition remain. The individual is then able to influence personal health, receives feedback on performance through active participation and regains competency, recognition and societal worth.