The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

59 therapists find themselves writing for varying audiences, a task which mandates flexibility in writing style. As a whole, their job necessitates a skill level in writing that enables them to construct progress notes, evaluations, peer-reviewed articles, etc., in such a way as to concisely establish the relevancy and validity of their writing, while simultaneously maintaining an educational, formal tone. Masne Kadar, Rachael McDonald, and Primrose Lentin capture this skillset in an article they had published in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. As with many occupations that interact with patients on a day-to-day basis, the writing of occupational therapists may manifest itself in many different forms. Beginning at the graduate level, prospective occupational therapists encounter a variety of writing projects, most of which usually develop from a research- oriented foundation. Although not identical in nature, physical therapists and occupational therapists often utilize similar forms of writing in their fields. According to Dr. Sled, a physical therapist and professor at Cedarville University, many of her graduate courses required the submission of papers, some types of which included research papers, critical appraisals, and research proposals. The common theme between all of these pieces lies in their reliance on research. Whether the piece presents new findings or analyzes the results of others, the research basis ultimately acts in enabling the field of occupational therapy to continue advancing at a rapid rate. Some other research-based items Dr. Sled recalled writing included applications for research grants, three ten-page papers on randomly assigned topics, and her graduate school thesis. Eventually, once out of graduate school, occupational therapists may contribute new ideas to this bank of research by conducting their own studies and publishing their findings in academic, peer- reviewed journals (Sled). Outside of these intense studies, clinical occupational therapists also constantly record daily progress notes during each patient’s visit (Barbieri). In the case of Debra Barbieri, a practicing physical therapist in Virginia, her notes follow the pattern abbreviated as SOAP—subjective, objective, assessment, plan. To complete her report, she then develops an evaluation after working with and observing the individual. In general, the types of writing occupational therapists do often depends on the role they choose to pursue within the field.