Student Self-Assessment

Elizabeth Clinch
Utica College

Self-Assessment
It is not only important to possess efficient yet persuasive writing abilities, but vital in the
field of occupational therapy. Successful documentation may be the winning factor in obtaining
necessary therapy services for deserving clients. This professional writing portfolio showcases a
variety of academic written, and recorded artifacts completed during my career as a graduate
student in the occupational therapy program at Utica College. Throughout my experience
learning at this prestigious establishment, I have grown in a multitude of ways. While reading
this portfolio, please note the professional progression from graduate student, to my present role,
a practicing occupational therapist.
Upon entering the occupational therapy program, I possessed a decades worth of
experience working in the healthcare field. During this time, I learned many valuable skills
associated with providing direct support care to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Those
experiences equipped me with the knowledge, and confidence required to begin my graduate
degree. Although, there were specific academic areas that did require additional attention, more
so than others. One area that called for consistent growth was my professional writing skills, and
knowledge of medical terminology.
Unknowingly at the time, my documentation skills would become one of the most vital
areas to be fostered during my academic career. The ability to write successfully in order to
justify services, statements of need, and advocate through writing, for clients was not a skill that
I was confident in early on in my studies. However, throughout my academic experience I
practiced, and implement proper grammar, professional, and medical terminology to produce
quality written works consistent with those of an occupational therapy practitioner.

Description of Artifacts
The written, and recorded works compiled in this professional portfolio are briefly
explained below to provide the reader with the background information of each piece. My
writing skill progression may be noted while transitioning from one piece to the next. The
following artifacts have been organized to showcase growth, starting with my first semester, as a
graduate student, on through each semester of the occupational therapy program.
Interview & Evaluation Note
This piece was completed as a requirement for my occupational performance course, taken
during my first semester of the occupational therapy program. This major assignment entailed
interviewing an individual of our choice who was living with a health condition that impacted
their functional performance. Applying knowledge of the evaluation process to address, and
form key components was necessary to complete this assignment. Although, a quality piece of
work, it is apparent that my style of writing an occupational profile was not concise.
Occupational Therapy Evaluation Report
This written piece, completed during my second semester, is a continuation of the Interview
and Evaluation Note. It entailed reestablishing contact with the interviewee to complete the
components of the assignment. An in-depth understanding of the evaluation process was
required so that functional modifiers, and g-codes could be determined after analyzing, and
scoring two assessments. I chose this piece since it shows thorough knowledge of client centered
goal writing, and intervention planning, founded on evidence based practice. At this point in my
college career my ability to write detailed yet specific goals was somewhat limited.

World Health Organization Power Point

I chose this power point presentation because it demonstrates my ability to form a
professional presentation. To complete this assignment, it was a required to apply the rules of
power point building, to allow the viewer to easily follow, and comprehend the information. I
enjoyed completing this power point assignment because it gave me the opportunity to learn
more about the World Health Organization, as well as their relationship with the World
Federation of Occupational Therapists.
Evidence Based Practice: Alzheimers Disease
I chose this piece because it highlights my ability to collaborate with others to complete a
project. To produce this written artifact my classmate, and I researched client centered, and
evidence based interventions for individuals living with Alzheimers Disease. We individually
chose two research articles to analyze, summarize, and discuss during our presentation to our
class following this assignment. This piece showcases my writing progression when compared
to others, as it was completed at the end of my second semester.
Advocacy Video: Stress Management Techniques used by Occupational Therapists
My classmate, and I completed this video for an occupational therapy advocacy project. We
compiled evidence based stress management techniques used by occupational therapists. This
video was uploaded to YouTube.com to help advocate, and promote the profession. There was a
steep learning curve in creating this video as this was something that I had never done before.
Pediatric Evaluation Report
This evaluation piece was created during my third semester of the program. For this written
work, it was required to interview a child, and their guardian to form an occupational profile.

Then, taking their condition, challenges, and development into account, two assessments were
chosen. An occupation based assessment, and a skill based assessment were completed in the
childs natural environment. There are notable writing skill and grammar improvements
compared to my first evaluation piece. Here, I concisely but accurately formed the childs
occupational profile without going into too great of detail. This assignment gave me the
opportunity to not only administer two assessments, but score, analyze, and suggest
recommendations for the child, accordingly.
Parent Newsletter
This piece was completed during my third semester of the program. It was my first-time
compiling information to form a parent newsletter. I was interested in focusing on a healthy
transition from school to summer. It was important that all the activities were fun, and
interesting to students, as well as easy to implement for their parents. I compiled successful
activities from parent, and teacher blogs. Organizing, and explaining the activities was the most
challenging aspect of the assignment. Since there is not a maximal amount of room to work
with, this assignment required brief yet descriptive explanations of each activity.
Legislative Letter
For this piece, I chose to write our Senator on Capitol Hill Day to advocate for the profession
of occupational therapy. Specifically, I chose to write Senator Schumer about the importance of
passing the Access to Frontline Health Care Act, Bill H.R. 1707. Having this opportunity broadened my
writing lens, as I was required to learn the proper etiquette, and format of a business letter. Before this, I
had never contacted a branch of legislation. Therefore, there was a steep learning curve attached to this
task. Proper grammar, and flawless writing skills were vital when completing this piece.