Helen Cary — PHD, MSC ADV OT, OTR — OT Faculty Profile, USAHS
Graduation day is the favorite for Helen Cary, PHD, MSC ADV OT, OTR, a program director in occupational therapy at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) campus in St. Augustine, Florida. By then, Helen has followed students from their first day through capstone defenses and fieldwork, and can see the occupational therapists they are about to become.
As an occupational therapist, Helen has often been there when someone does something for the first time: a patient in intensive care getting out of bed, a person returning to driving, someone with multiple sclerosis taking a child to school, or someone with a phobia opening the front door and walking outside. Those first times are what make the work special.
What stands out about the St. Augustine campus, in Helen’s view, is a faculty of occupational therapists who teach and who care about each student as an individual.
Transcript
Helen Cary — PHD, MSC ADV OT, OTR — OT Faculty Profile, USAHS
[00:00:00] Helen Cary (OT Faculty): My favorite day is graduation day, because as soon as the student walks across that stage, you see the journey they’ve had. I’m fortunate to have seen them from day one as a program director and watch their journey all the way through, hear their capstone defenses, see them on their field works. And so when they walk across that stage, we know we’ve opened the door to them and we, and we see the great occupational therapist they’re going to be. [00:00:28] As an occupational therapist, because we help people to do things, very often I’m in the most privileged position to see somebody master doing something the first time. So I can think of the person that was in intensive care unit and it was the first time they got out of bed. I think of the first time that somebody was able to get back to driving the car. The first time somebody with multiple sclerosis was able to take their child to school. The first time somebody was able to make a meal for their family. The first time somebody that had a mental health phobia was able to open their front door and walk outside. So for me, there’s magical moments of first times in so many patients. [00:01:18] I can say what is very striking about USAHS and our campus here is our faculty. Our faculty that are all occupational therapists who teach. Our campus that’s a community, and that we have a faculty that truly care about each of our students as individuals.
