At the end of the last class on Wednesday, we watched a video on empathy and perspective. The video was only a few minutes long, but it was filled with several scenarios that really made me think. The video took place in a hospital, and it panned over several different people going through different circumstances. Some people were looking sad because they had family members that were dying or terminally ill; some looked scared as they awaited a diagnosis or treatment. There was a little girl that was entering the hospital to say goodbye to her father, a man struggling to move around on crutches, and a nurse who had worked a long, 12-hour shift.
The purpose of the video was to really make the viewer consider what other people are going through. As a healthcare professional, I am going to be in contact with a lot of people who may not be very nice to me or have the best attitude about a treatment. There may be some days that clients refuse to participate, and that can be frustrating as an OT. It may be easy to judge them at first, but it's important to take into consideration that I do not know what is going on in their lives or in the head. They could be having a bad day because of a dying family member or new medication they are on. Looking at things from different perspective can help me get a sense of what someone else is feeling. Being empathetic as an occupational therapist a quality that is 100% necessary in the profession to be successful and client-centered.
Very well said, Tori!
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