Oct 30, 2024

Class of 2024: occupational therapy and physical therapy students celebrate their graduation

Students, Education

By Rachel LeBeau

Issa Peter Abi-Najem, MScOT

During my undergraduate studies, I worked as the head athletic trainer for our student accessibility services where I worked with and learned from students with a variety of abilities who were interested in exercising. To best serve the students, I researched ways to modify and adapt the gym environment to cater to their needs. During my research, I stumbled upon occupational therapy and learned that occupational therapists work not only at the person level, but also modify the environment. Their holistic approach to treatment is what inspired me to pursue this profession.

There have been so many memorable moments from this program. There was the anatomy cadaver lab, the semi-formal events, trivia nights with Rob, etc. However, for me, the most memorable moment from the program was when I met one of my now best friends, Renis. He was the only other guy at the UTSG campus. It was the first day of school. We both looked at each other from across the classroom, gave each other a nod, and the rest was history. We have been close friends ever since.

If I could go back and give advice to my first-year self, I would tell him to remember the forest from the trees; there is going to be a lot of information coming your way but remember the big picture and ask yourself, "How will I use this as an occupational therapist?" I would also tell him that connections are sometimes more important than the content. The content is important, but the two years go by quickly so take this time to foster meaningful connections with your peers, professors and mentors. You have your entire life to learn, but these connections are what will take you far. To add to that, as you go into your placement, remember that while you may not be an expert yet, one thing you can be is a good person with all the patients you interact with.

Currently, I am really interested in the return-to-work side of occupational therapy, so I will be pursuing work in that field. However, the beauty of this profession is that our potential is limitless. Our niche as occupational therapists is that we have many niches — we are jacks of all trades.

Renis Cuko, MScOT

After graduating with a degree in kinesiology, I had the opportunity to work closely with an occupational therapist. What immediately stood out to me was the holistic approach to care, which aims to understand clients within the context of their daily lives, not just their medical conditions. This approach to care — empowering clients, involving them as collaborators, and acknowledging them as experts in their health journey — resonated with me and inspired me to pursue a career in occupational therapy.

A very memorable moment during the program was during our foot lecture. Our professor put out a call asking a student to volunteer as a participant in the foot lecture. My friend, thinking he would get a simple and free walking assessment, signed up. When we arrived at class, my friend was asked to remove his shoes and socks in front of the class while a camera zoomed in and out on his feet to provide a livestream to our classmates at the Mississauga campus. It was a hilarious moment that brought our class closer and is something we still joke about to this day!

If I could give my first-year self advice, I would tell him that chasing a perfect grade point average may open doors, but meaningful connections truly unlock them. When I started, I was heavily focused on getting top grades. I quickly learned that while mastering the material is important, real growth comes from forming genuine relationships with classmates, professors, mentors and clinicians. These connections are about mutual support, sharing knowledge and collaboration. As a clinician, you'll be a lifelong learner, but this is a rare opportunity to learn alongside and from others in a rich, supportive environment. Embrace it fully. That, and I would have told him, “Don’t count how many times the players pass the basketball, look for the gorilla.”

I am currently interested in developing my clinical skills, particularly in community-based practice. I am especially interested in honing my expertise in wheelchair prescription and assistive technology to enhance mobility and independence for individuals. I believe that occupational therapists are well-positioned to transition into consulting roles, where we can bring our holistic, client-centered approach to influence policy, program development and organizational practices. I plan to pursue opportunities that allow me to blend hands-on clinical work with leadership and advocacy to create broader impacts in the field of occupational therapy.

Amy Thompson, MScOT

I was inspired to pursue occupational therapy by my mom, who has been an occupational therapist for over 30 years. Growing up, I saw how passionate she was about her work and the fulfillment she got from helping people develop or regain their independence. The idea of helping individuals engage meaningfully in their daily lives was something that I also aspired to do. Once I learned about the breadth of the profession and its holistic, client-centered approach, I knew it was the perfect fit for me. I am happy to say that I now share the same passion for the profession as my mom.

Throughout the program, there have been so many memorable moments — study group meetings, class formals, fieldwork placements and guest lectures. My most memorable moment was attending MScOT Student Leadership Day with my classmates at the end of our second year. We shared tangible ways that we can be leaders in health care, drawing on our unique fieldwork experiences and the skills we developed together. I felt so proud and empowered thinking about the future of the profession after reflecting on how far my classmates and I have come since our first day in the program.

If I could give my first-year self advice, I would tell her that the program goes by in the blink of an eye. Be gentle to yourself and enjoy the opportunity to learn and grow as a person and professional. Find balance in your life and seek out opportunities to uncover your own new meaningful occupations. I would also tell myself to take time to foster relationships with professors, preceptors, and classmates as they will become your friends, colleagues, and your biggest support system.

I am currently working in an orthopaedics unit at an acute care hospital in Toronto. I look forward to continuing to develop my clinical skills in this role. In the future, I plan to contribute to the development and expansion of best-practice initiatives surrounding the occupational therapy scope of practice in sexual health.

Tosh Whitley, MScOT

Engaging in movement has always brought me fulfillment, meaning and an understanding of myself. For these reasons, I have always been an advocate for movement and passionate about supporting others in their wellness journey. I knew I wanted to go into a profession that allowed me to achieve both of those things — I just didn’t know exactly what that was. As an adult, I learned that sustainable well-being encompasses more than just movement, but also a number of personalized, meaningful occupations that contribute synergistically to our mental, cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being.

One memorable moment during this program was playing intramural volleyball with our cohort. While we lost every game that season, we did bring home the win in our very last game – a joyous moment shared amongst friends! My favourite memories though are showing up to those first lectures after being away on fieldwork placements. There was always an abundance of warmth, comfort, and togetherness being re-united again with all our friends in the program. Our lecture halls were always booming with excitement, hugs, laughter and so many new stories to tell.

Looking back, the advice I would give myself is to openly embrace the opportunities and experiences, remain authentic to who you are, trust your instincts, know that there will always be room for growth, remain brave enough to face challenges and courageous enough to try new things. I have come to learn that some of the most rewarding moments in life come from accomplishing things we didn’t think we could do. In these moments of reflection, we gain a greater understanding of ourselves and carve a new pathway for our future.

In this program, I realized how meaningful it was for me to be involved in the recovery and rehabilitation for traumatic brain injuries and stroke care. I am open, though, to many opportunities, and the beautiful thing about occupational therapy is that our world is composed of diverse populations filled with meaningful occupations. In my career, I aspire to be a compassionate occupational therapist who will not only help clients return to their desired occupations, but also help them re-discover their strengths and support them in gaining a deeper understanding of themselves and their abilities.

Alyssa Benitez, MScPT

I pursued physical therapy because I was inspired by the life-changing work of the physical therapists I’ve met throughout my life. I admire how they were able to help my loved ones reach their goals after injury. My curiosity about the profession led me to volunteer in clinical settings where I saw physical therapists in action, offering compassion and care to help individuals find hope and strength along their recovery. The hope and resilience I witnessed inspired me to dedicate my life to supporting people in achieving their goals and uplifting my community.

As I reflect on the past two years, many moments bring a smile to my face, but one that stands out occurred during Unit 10 when Professor Euson Yeung started dancing during a clinical skills lab! It was a particularly challenging time in the program and his spontaneous dance made the whole class burst into laughter. It served as a great reminder that learning can be fun and that my professors are truly awesome people.

If I could go back to the start of the program, I would tell my first-year self to not be so hard on myself. It took a lot of hard work to get to where I am now, but before you know it, the experience will be over, so enjoy every moment!

I am so excited to be starting my career at The Physio Spot in Markham to serve the community where I grew up. I hope to continue improving my clinical reasoning and hands-on skills through professional development courses. I also hope to pursue research in health systems innovation to find ways to enhance accessibility of community-based rehabilitation services for under-served populations. In general, I want to be a life-long learner.

Jacqueline Bond, MScPT

I was inspired to pursue physical therapy because I grew up dancing, which made me curious about how our bodies move and what they are capable of. I am also passionate about helping people improve their quality of life and wanted a career in health care, so physical therapy just made sense for me.

One of my most memorable moments from the program was having the opportunity to do a clinical internship at SickKids in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. It was an amazing experience that taught me a lot and I am very grateful for my time there.

If I could go back to when I was starting the program, the advice I would give to my first-year self would be to soak everything in and try to enjoy every moment of my time in the program because the time flies by. It is also important to have a good work-life balance, so make time to go do fun things with friends and classmates while we are all in the same city.

I am excited to share that I have started working as a physical therapist at Belleville General Hospital in their internal medicine unit. Throughout my career, I hope to continue to have opportunities to work with cardiorespiratory, neurological, and paediatric populations.

Shaheer Khawar, MScPT

I was inspired to pursue physical therapy to help people get back to the things that matter most to them, whether that be sports or their day-to-day activities. I was fortunate to have first-hand experience with physical therapy as a former athlete and I was able to witness the profound impact that physical therapy has on others. This helped me realize that this was a career that I was passionate about.

My most memorable moments from the program are all of the opportunities to meet so many other passionate and great people in my class. I have made lifelong friendships throughout the MScPT program.

If I could give advice to my first-year self, I would tell him that the MScPT program is a place where you can challenge yourself to be the best physical therapist and person you can be. The faculty members are incredibly supportive, and I would tell my first-year self to be more open to approaching them — they want to see you grow and succeed!

I am looking forward to clinical orthopaedic practice at Kings Cross Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Practice in Brampton. In this next phase, I am looking forward to continuing to develop my orthopaedic skills and providing high quality, personalized care to each patient that I see. In the future, I want to make physical therapy more accessible and affordable to the public.

Madi Mayhew, MScPT

My desire to pursue physical therapy stems from my background as an athlete. I spent much of my life on the soccer field and figure skating rink, but two ACL tears shifted my perspective on recovery. The care and encouragement I received from my rehabilitation team had a lasting impact and inspired me to explore physical therapy. After completing my undergraduate degree, I pursued training as an occupational therapist assistant and physiotherapist assistant, which deepened my understanding of how rewarding it is to help others regain their health and independence. That experience solidified my passion for this career and my commitment to making a meaningful difference in people’s lives, which led me to the MScPT program.

Reflecting on my time in the program, the past two years have been some of the best of my life. One of my favourite moments happened before classes even started, when our class gathered at Queen's Park to introduce ourselves and meet the people we’d be spending the next two years with. From the very first moment, I felt welcomed into the physical therapy community with open arms and knew I had found my people. We all share the same commitment to helping others, and that sense of connection has stayed with me throughout the program.

If I could offer advice to my first-year self, it would be to trust in your knowledge and abilities. Confidence goes a long way — believe in yourself and everything will fall into place. While the first few placements may feel daunting, remember that with each experience, you are shaping into the health care professional you’re destined to become.

Looking ahead, I am grateful to be working at Michael Garron Hospital, where I previously completed a clinical internship. This position has deepened my passion for acute care, especially in the areas of acute stroke rehabilitation, geriatrics and general medicine. I am eager to advance my research in neurological rehabilitation, as I believe it is vital for enhancing treatment options for stroke patients. By balancing my clinical work with research, I hope to make meaningful contributions to the field. Additionally, I plan to complete my neuro-developmental treatment training, which will allow me to provide even more effective care during the critical early days following a stroke.

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