Courtney Robertson, OTD, OTR/L
Acute Care Quality and Service Excellence Coordinator for Rehab Services
CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy
Please share a little bit about yourself. How did you decide to become an occupational therapist? Do you have a specialty and/or favorite area of focus?
I was initially interested in pharmacy and was working as a pharmacy technician in an IV room. While I enjoyed working as a pharmacy technician, the nature of the work did not allow me to engage with others throughout the day as often as I would have liked. One day, while compounding IV's, a fellow technician and I were chatting. My co-worker was in physical therapy school at the time and he thought I might be interested in occupational therapy. I read up on the occupational therapy career path and I thought it seemed like a great fit for me. In researching schools, my top choice was Creighton. I had completed my undergraduate degree at that time and just by chance, I already had all the required prerequisites completed for admission to the Creighton OT program. The stars really aligned for me in that regard and I never looked back. I'm fortunate my colleague made the suggestion at the time, otherwise I might not have ever known what occupational therapy was! My background is in intensive care and I love the challenge that area presents. I started as a student in the trauma ICU and once hired on staff, I settled into the medical/surgical ICU.
Can you share your education journey? We would love to hear about your coursework, practicum, boards, etc.
I went to Bellevue University and earned my Bachelor's degree in Health Science with minors in Economics and Psychology, which took 4 years. I attended Creighton University to obtain my degree in occupational therapy. At Creighton, students are able to obtain their OT degree in three years, as students attend courses during the summer months. I completed my longer rotations at Hillcrest Skilled Nursing, the American Stroke Foundation and completed my doctoral experiential component (now referred to as the DCE) at CUMC-Bergan Mercy Hospital in the trauma ICU. I enjoyed the practicums provided by Creighton, as we worked with "standardized patients," and had the opportunity to engage with members of the community who helped facilitate our learning by being physically present and engaging in practice conversations with us. I also thoroughly enjoyed our anatomy course, as working and learning from a real human body was invaluable. I remain incredibly thankful for the individuals who donated their bodies to the university so that we could expand our knowledge as student learners. In regards to boards, I continued studying the human body through interactive platforms online, read and reviewed many study prep books and collaborated with my peers to facilitate a dynamic study experience. Sitting for boards was an intimidating experience, but you must remind yourself that you are well-prepared and go into the test with confidence. It's a truly rewarding experience after it's completed and the hard work has come to fruition.
What kind of licensure is required to practice? Can you share an overview of how you prepared?
Occupational therapists are certified both nationally and by state. As previously mentioned, I studied for my licensure exam with various techniques that fit my learning style. I personally tend to learn better in my own environment, a quiet setting where I can process the information in a way that makes sense to me. After I have had time to do this, I find it helpful to collaborate with peers to discern whether we are processing the information in a similar manner. If I'm struggling to retain any pieces of information, this is typically the time I will bounce ideas off my peer group. I feel the most confident when I am able to take in the information and then answer questions about it afterwards - flashcards are my typical go-to. I was getting married a few months after I graduated from Creighton and for me, it made the most sense to take boards right away. I felt that the information was fresh in my memory and setting a date would hold me accountable to a study schedule. Once the date was set, I created my study schedule by pre-selecting material that I would focus on studying each day and dedicated several hours a day to review. It was a time consuming process, but worth every minute. I gave myself Sunday's off, because balance is important!
What led you to working with Creighton University?
After completing my 16-week clinical rotation in the ICU at CUMC-Bergan, I absolutely fell in love with it! The medical complexity of the patients, along with engaged team members and the ability to educate others was an excellent match for me.
Are you part of any professional organizations or interest groups?
Nationally, I am a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association. From a Commonspirit health standpoint, I am one of the chairs for the education committee and sit on several other committees and subgroups. A few of those include the stroke committee, pressure injury work group, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation team and hospital emergency responses training team. I recently stepped into a new role overseeing acute care quality and excellence projects and I'm excited to see the amazing work this group facilitates.
What is your least favorite (or most challenging) part about being an occupational therapist? Conversely, what is your favorite part?
When I was more clinical, documentation was always the least favorite part of my day. However, I tried to have a positive attitude regarding documentation because this is a component of care where occupational therapists can really assist the patient by writing skilled notes, articulating their needs and the interventions required to help them improve. My favorite part about being an occupational therapist is the opportunity it affords me to interact with others. Whether it be patients, colleagues or students, I truly enjoy engaging in meaningful conversations and helping people maximize their potential.
What’s something that people might not know about being an occupational therapist?
Becoming an occupational therapist comes with a great opportunity for variability and that's something I really appreciate about this field. There's opportunity to work along the entire continuum of care, in multiple different settings and with patients of all ages. There's opportunity to work clinically and in the academic setting. In general, there's so many ways to grow, which is one of the reasons this career was appealing to me.
What advice do you have for someone who is interested in starting their own journey to becoming an occupational therapist?
Explore your options and don't hesitate to try something new. You might find something you absolutely love, or you might learn that you are really uninterested in a certain setting, but either way - you learn more about yourself! Taking the time to really reflect on what you're passionate about can help shape your future and put you in a position to do something you really enjoy for the rest of your life.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy spending time with my kids, husband and family in general. We really like to spend time outside, whether it be a state park or our backyard. I am also an adjunct faculty member at Bellevue University and I enjoy getting to know my students + help them grow as individuals by being a small part of the learning journey.
Do you have a favorite book, television show, film, or podcast?
The podcast "walking home from the ICU" is a great listen if you've got the chance, it gives helpful information about strategies to successfully implement a culture for wakefulness and ambulation in intensive care, which is often plagued by sedation and prolonged periods of time spent at bed level. It's very eye opening and medically complex patients can often engage more than we sometimes realize.