Students, You Can (And Should) Advocate!

By Rachel Read, MS, OTR/L, CAPS

Electronic Health Record Clinical Director

You ask a child what they want to be when they grow up. How likely is it that an occupational therapist is going to be their answer?

You ask chemistry majors down the hall what an occupational therapist does. What’s more likely: They answer someone who helps with resume writing or someone who helps with the development, the rehabilitation, or maintenance of activities of daily living?

My point: Many people likely don’t understand what we do.

What’s the big deal? Sure, there are not too many issues with some kid or chemistry student not knowing OT. However, what about a politician – the people signing laws and passing budgets?

“Your House, your Senate, your hill, your nation’s capital.”

This was the message delivered at a recent town hall meeting that I attended with a representative from Pennsylvania.

These were motivating words to hear from a member of Congress and a strong reminder that they are working for us, the people of the United States.

As I reflected back on this message, the reality set in.

While they are working for us, they need our assistance. The members of Congress are expected to know everything in order to make an informed decision on a multitude of subjects. We must educate and inform because we are the experts in occupational therapy. We must use our voice, our presence, and we must take action. Our profession, our livelihood, and our patients depend on it!

Knowing is half of the battle, and you know occupational therapy.

Apply that knowledge and lobby.

Share your success stories – your personal experiences – and make the emotional connection between legislation and the impact it has on someone’s life.

Know the legislative issues that are impacting occupational therapy so you can directly correlate your experiences with it.

So how do you take action?

• 1. Lobby in Washington DC. Make an appointment with your senator or representative and visit them in our nation’s capital. A face-to-face meeting is extremely powerful and allows you the opportunity to develop a relationship and leave a lasting impression.
• 2. Invite your U.S. Representative and/or Senators to your workplace or school. Invite the constituents and allow them to have a voice. Prepare the constituents for the meeting and ask them to provide personal stories of how therapy has impacted their quality of life.
• 3. Attend a town hall for your members of Congress. During congressional recess periods, congressional representatives usually schedule town hall meetings. Call the local office to obtain the schedule and plan to attend the town hall meeting. This provides you an opportunity to discuss occupational therapy with a crowd that may not know what the profession is and the value of our services.
• 4. Schedule a face-to-face meeting with your members of Congress at their local office. Locate the congressional representative’s schedule to determine when they are on recess and back in their local offices.
• 5. Write or call your members of Congress. State your concern and the support you are looking for. If it is regarding a specific piece of legislation, discuss it and add a personal connection to the letter or discussion.
• 6. Begin a letter-writing campaign with the constituents of the senator and/or representative. Draft a letter that explains the legislative issues you are hoping to seek support in and exchange them with the constituents. Have them sign and return the letters. You can then send all the letters into the congressman’s office and show the power in numbers.

If you’re not familiar with your representatives, they won’t be familiar with you.

Let’s say you have a representative in the House who was elected in 2016. On average according to the Congressional Research Service, their tenure will be just shy of 10 years. If they’re a senator, their tenure averages just over 10 years. If you plan on being an OT in 2027, there are going a lot of laws and budgets that’ll impact how you treat.

This year alone, there’s the Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act which aims to permanently repeal the therapy cap. This has the potential to further your ability to get your patients with Medicare to meet their full potential. That is happening right now.

Advocacy is crucial to protect our profession and our patient’s access to much-needed services. It is our due diligence to teach and empower members of Congress regarding the critical changes in health care. It is our country, our people, our lives that are impacted. Advocate and raise your voice. Now is the time!