"Never had a thought of going anywhere else." - OT Doctoral Student 特洛伊加拿大08届毕业生

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"Never had a thought of going anywhere else." - OT Doctoral Student 特洛伊加拿大08届毕业生

特洛伊加拿大2008届硕士.S., O.T.R.

从他早年开始, Troy Canada认为，职业疗法可以真正改变人们的生活. 现在, with more than twenty years of practice under his belt, he is pursuing his doctorate in OT through the new post-professional online program 在利记sbo. 我们最近采访了他，谈谈他作为治疗师的经历以及他对未来的计划.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you get started in Occupational Therapy?

当我还是个小孩子，大概十一二岁的时候，我妈妈中风了. 她最终接受了职业治疗和物理治疗. 我看到门诊医生做了什么，在自我照顾方面，让她重新成为一个母亲. When she was done working with therapy, she regained all of her function back, 我小时候就想过, that’s what I want to be when I grow up. I kept that in mind the whole way through, and as soon as I had the opportunity, 我开始了这条职业道路. It’s been a guiding force for me.

我在空军服役8年，在空军国民警卫队服役12年, 总共20年. 上世纪90年代末，我回到学校，拿到了运动科学的学士学位, then my associates in Occupational Therapy in 2001. 在那之后，我报名参加了 Utica的OT周末项目拿到硕士学位. 我曾在普拉茨堡的尚普兰山谷内科医院担任治疗师, NY for more than twenty years.

Q: So you’re an alumnus of the OT Weekend program. 那是什么感觉??

When I took the Weekend OT program, 我在卫队里, working full time as an OT assistant at the hospital, and going back to school on the weekend. 很忙的时候. And on top of that, I played semi-pro football, too. And we had a new baby, towards the end of the program. 现在回想起来，我都不知道我是怎么做到的.

The OT weekend program was every other weekend. 这是我获得硕士学位的唯一途径，我还有其他事情要做. 我一生的梦想是成为一名OT，这个项目让我实现了这个梦想. I had conversations with Paula Carey, 项目主管, 一开始, and she helped me fulfill that dream. I graduated the OT Weekend program in 2008.

Q: What prompted you to pursue your doctorate at Utica?

几年前, 我从尤蒂卡的一位教员那里听说他们正在开设一个博士课程. 我很感兴趣，但是大流行来了，所以一切都暂停了. 然后有一天我在脸谱网上看到一个博士项目的广告. 所以我立刻联系上了尤蒂卡的朱莉·布什教授，她告诉了我这一切.

我认为熟悉这个机构是我选择尤蒂卡项目的一个重要原因. 周末项目的一些教授还在那里. 每个人都乐于助人. 这个项目一有了，我就马上开始了. I never had a thought of going anywhere else.

Q: What has the OTD program been like for you?

该课程完全在线，你可以按照自己的节奏学习. You can go as fast or as slow as you choose to. I’m taking the more aggressive approach. 我一直在上每学期我能上的所有课程.

作为一名治疗师，我的动力一直是帮助别人. If I didn’t have bills, I’d do it for free.

事实证明，这是一个很好的时机，让我有时间去做这件事. 一开始我选了一门商业课程，那是我的第一门选修课，还有一门OT理论课程. 我平均每学期上两到三节课. 我刚从这个学期缓下来，这个夏天我要上一门课. My plan is to be done Spring of next year (2023). 到秋季学期结束时，我还差一门课就毕业了, so I’ll have to take one more in the Spring.

Kyrra Marchese – we went to Utica for our masters together, and we’re in the doctoral program together as well. 我们一直在上同样的课，所以她一直在帮助指导我. She’s a faculty member at Utica as well.

问:这个课程将如何帮助你实现你的职业目标?

Sometimes working in therapy you become a little stagnant, 所以这个项目让我回到了构成OT的基本理论. 它帮助我重新集中注意力，回到那些基础上, so it’s been rewarding in that aspect. That was something I didn’t anticipate experiencing. 博士课程给我带来了很多知识，使我的病人受益，也使我能够帮助我的同事——我与他们分享我学到的很多东西.

Eventually I want to get into teaching. When I retire from working in the hospital, 我希望我的下一个职位是职业治疗教授. This degree will help me achieve that goal.

Q: What do you hope to achieve as an OT professor?

It will be a way for me to pay it forward. 和我妈妈一起工作的心理医生把它传递给了我, and that resulted in me becoming a therapist. 我希望通过分享我的知识和经验，也能把其他人带入这个行业, because you never know what kind of influence you can have. I don’t even remember the name of my mom’s therapist, 我敢肯定，这些人甚至不知道他们的工作对我的生活有多大的影响. 但它激发了我对和我一起工作的人和我看到的病人的热情.

I don’t take that for granted. That’s why every interaction that I have, in the back of my mind I do honestly think, 好吧, you don’t know how you’re going to impact this person. Make sure that you’re helping them reach their goal. And make it a positive interactive.

Q: What would you say to someone considering this program?

每一个交互, 来自财政援助, 给图书管理员, 给教授们, everyone has been enthusiastic and helpful. I talk to people who have attended other institutions, 他们似乎没有同样的经历. 在尤蒂卡，我和任何人都没有过不好的互动. 每个人都很有帮助, 而且似乎很有兴趣帮助我推进我的事业和目标. 如果你选择这个程序, 你可以放心，你会有很多人在你身边，他们会帮助你成功.

I think the flexibility of it is helpful, too. 你可以把它拿走，想快就快，也可以把它分散几年. 如果你想每年上一到两门课，你可以这么做. Anyone looking to go back for their doctorate, that would be something to be aware of, because not all programs are like that. 其中一些, 你有一个队列, 所以你有更多的进展，一旦你开始，你有很长的时间来完成它. 这个更灵活.