Her Story
About Caterina
I've been an occupational therapy practitioner for almost 20 years, working primarily with people 65 years old and older who have had accidents, operations, or lingering diagnoses like COPD. I help rehabilitate them to get stronger so they can go back home and return to their functional life. My journey into this field began when my son was 2 years old and had a developmental delay. Watching what an occupational therapist did with him was amazing, and I knew I wanted to do that one day. I got an opportunity and went back to school to pursue this career. I became a widow in my 30s with a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, and I raised them on my own. They're very successful now, and I'm pretty proud of what I did and how I've overcome obstacles. I work well with people and have a natural ability to speak to them and make them feel that they're going to be okay, showing them little by little that they are okay. I'm currently trying to transition into a non-clinical position.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Caterina
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to actually seeing progress with my patients and seeing them overcome things. What really got me into this field was when my son was 2 years old and he wasn't talking and would run around everywhere. The preschool teacher told me they were concerned and wanted to do some testing. He had a developmental delay, and then I saw what an occupational therapist did with him. I said to myself, wow, this is amazing, I would love to do this one day. Then I got an opportunity and went back to school. That experience of seeing the impact therapy could have on someone's life, especially my own son, is what drives my success in helping others.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to not stress yourself out and don't bring your work home. When you're working with patients who are going through difficult times, it's better to just leave it at work and not bring it home. I know it's easier said than done, but I think that advice goes for a lot of different areas of work. It helps you maintain boundaries and take care of yourself while still being able to help others effectively.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women entering this industry to just be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to how you feel when you start to give people therapy, just to figure out if it's for you. It does sometimes stress you out, and it can burn you out if you're working all kinds of crazy hours. Some of these places will throw 15 patients at you in one day, and that's a little too much, that's crazy. Just be mindful and don't get taken advantage of, because this is a health industry and people will try to take advantage of you if they can. We should all have boundaries, and that's fair.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in my field right now is giving all my patients exactly what they need. I do my best, but sometimes it's hard to meet their daily needs every single day. Although I do my best, I think that's a big challenge, especially when you're seeing 10 or 11 patients a day, and that's still a lot. It's difficult to provide each person with the individual attention and care they deserve when you have that many people to see in one day.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are that I treat people with kindness and that I'm a good listener. I believe in never saying anything or doing anything to anyone that I wouldn't want done to myself. Basically, I treat others like I want to be treated. These principles guide how I interact with my patients and everyone in my life.
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