It is hard for me to remember how or when I lost it. My mojo somehow slipped away over the last two years. I started serving decaf OT and occasionally found myself going through the motions of ADLs. Perhaps it was the overwhelming caseload, the new emphasis on productivity, or the chronic stressful hospital environment. Somehow I lost the enthusiasm that I had when I graduated and I had a feeling I wasn't not alone. Many new grads enter the field full of hope for their potential to create a systemic change, make a good wage, or at least to constantly give their best everyday to their clients.
Yet slowly over time, after consistently hearing, "No, you can't do that" or "Sorry, but we've put a hold on raises for the year" or "I just wanna know if they can go home alone" your career satisfaction begins to dip and you forget the real meaning and purpose of our work. Especially in this economy where the drive is to do more with less. This can be the beginning of a very dangerous slope filled with apathy, unprofessional behaviors, and contagious malcontent. However, I found the antidote. This week in Orlando, I found my mojo.
It has been two years since I've been to an AOTA conference and I had forgotten the inspiring power of this 4 day event. Dancing in the aisles at Opening Ceremony with 3,000 other OTs, meeting and sitting in lectures with Trombly, Fleming, and Gillen (celebrities in the world of OT), testing out the latest inventions at the expo and talking with the inventors, learning the cutting edge evidence for our practice- it certainly has all the elements necessary to recharge one's OT battery. Now I hope to bring this new found energy and rediscovered passion to work with me tomorrow morning!
