Sarah Lyon, OTR/L, launched OT Potential in 2011 as a way to bridge the gap between the latest OT research and everyday OT practice.
After beginning her career as a hospital OT, Sarah felt like she was constantly reinventing the wheel. She knew there were so many OTs out there doing excellent work that she could learn from - but she had no way of connecting with them.
This experience sparked the idea to create an online club for OT professionals who wanted to learn from one another - and who shared a deep passion for evidence-based care. And thus, OT Potential was born.
Over the last 10-plus years, OT Potential has grown into an all-in-one occupational therapy toolset for professionals across more than 40 countries. Members have access to unlimited online CEU courses (delivered in a podcast format), an OT Assessment Search, OT documentation examples, a listing on our public-facing OT Directory, and much more.
This is awesome!!! I’ve been playing with AI and recently started integrating the language models into my daily life and professional life… the potential is amazing. We must learn and keep up with it to not be left behind (in my opinion).
Great video! I think it would be interesting to do a video (or even research!) on the comparison between the experience of PP-OTD students and Entry-Level OTD students. I have heard subjective input from colleagues that feel as if the capstone experience and resulting research may be more impactful from the PP-OTD perspective. This could be attributed to the fact that PP-OTD students are typically bringing extensive work experiences with them to the program, therefore improving their ability to identify meaningful practice issues/gaps to address. Some of my Entry-Level OTD fieldwork students have expressed that they feel like it was difficult for them to identify an area of need that was meaningful to them and the profession because they haven't worked outside of fieldwork or explored what their true interests are in independent (post-graduate) practice. As someone that is currently in a PP-OTD program, I was surprised to hear these concerns because I felt like I entered my program feeling like I had an abundance of practice needs I wanted to address from my early intervention work experience; so my perspective and experience was notably different. I'm curious about what this means when suggesting pathways for others. Does this suggest that the optimal path may be doing an MOT, practicing for a few years, then going for a PP-OTD once you’ve identified your professional passions and acknowledged the obstacles you’ve faced in practice? As well as determining if the OTD is even for you as you may learn that you're satisfied with your MOT degree? Either way, both paths are great and fantastic research has come from both types of programs. ☺ I think this is such an interesting conversation!
I love this video. I am doing my post-professional OTD and I'm an EI OT focusing my capstone research on an EI topic (improving parent skills/success with home programming in EI). Glad that I'm helping achieve the goal identified in this video.
This was an amazing topic- I am a mom and am convinced this would be a great help to my 11 year old. My question is - where as a parent do I begin to find help for this problem? Pediatrician has always minimized that’s it’s just something we will live with and recommends Miralax. Thank you
Wow. What an impactful podcast/ OT potential production. I want to say that I am a devotee of Arameh probably old enough to be her mom but I feel like I planted a seed….. where she landed early in her career at CCS in Reseda. CA and have since been inspired by her as I followed her career as a Black OT Leader. I often refer to her as Arameh Anvisonarizedeh as she is about DOING …. and this subject is about doing! In our Black American culture it has been said “ if you can see it, you can be it” … being both a Visual & Auditory “sensor”, I have added “if you hear it, you bear it” and as a self-admitted senior with ADHD I'm hoping to organize and mobilize! I've had great intentions across my very long career and the impact I have made has been at the intervention and FWE levels ……NOT at the policy level! Looking at these numbers and hearing Sarah & Arameh …. as I am only 4 months away from Medicare eligibility …..Health Equity looms LARGE. I feel this may be my jumping in point to the Double Dutch Action Rope! Thank you Sarah and Arameh for this very important podcast especially as it comes in January ushering in February Black History Month and March Women's History Month while bumping up against April OT Month. Wow how strategically positioned was this for me and I hope for many many others. Let’s get into some “Good Trouble” Janyce MJOT-2-West
Very informative 👏 especially where she highlighted " we already know the existing problems therefore, we should be talking about the changes and whether we're ready for the change".
@@otpotential totally. I love your podcast they're very educative. Your topics (research) really helps me to be more creative with my activities analysis and intervention for my clients.
Oh thank you so much for saying this! Seriously never hesitate to send me any suggestions for improvements! I love this work and am always seeking to grow! @@salomeallotey1922
Yes!! I'm so glad you listened, and more than ever I'm hopeful to see some concrete steps taken data reporting, and strategic steps around building the future workforce.
Thank you so much for saying this! After we wrapped up the conversation, I was struck by how little in life I've gotten to be a part of or even hear conversations where different perspectives are brought forth and challenged.... not for the sake of tearing each other down, but for the sake of building each other up. It was a great honor to be part of this, and I'm so thankful to Ryan and Carin for making this convo possible!
Thank you for this. After working 15 years with the government, experiencibg burnout, feeling like I am always trying to figure something out because we are so generalists, these quotes are speaking to me "start now" and "you dont need more specializations before starting". Imposter's sybdrome is big with OT'S. I always think I need to be an expert to start taking control of my practice. Thank you so much, Melanie
I'm so glad this resonated with you! I just think Doug was so spot on with the "start now" advice! There is so much to learn, and so much joy in the process, just start now and enjoy the journey!
ABSOLUTELY! Whether or not you end up running a business, learning about the underlying business operations will help you thrive no matter where you work!
100% - I never think it is too early to start considering the business side of things and it can shift your perspective in how you look at what you are learning in school and how to apply them to your business. Good luck!
If you're a member of the OT Potential Club, you can login and download the checklist on the course page. Or, you could try reaching out to Dora directly and she may be able to share it with you!
Yes - meanwhile the cost of living keeps going up which is a very bad cycle to be in! I think learning how to value your services, price them appropriately, and transform your clients lives without relying on insurance is the way to go!
You're nailing it! Your dedication to helping others through your resources is seriously cool. Keep up the fantastic work, and keep shining in the OT world! 🌟
Thank you, Frank! It has been an incredible process to start sharing our podcasts on RU-vid!! Looking forward to continuing to up our game in this space!
