Grace Elliott

I would attribute my success to my hard work and my family, as I would be nowhere near the person I am today without them. Even when things seem impossible to get through, my parents, Cory and Joel, and my sister, Hope, have always helped me find the light at the end of the tunnel. I would also attribute my success to those whom I have learned from, for knowledge is everything in my field. I had the pleasure of studying under both Dr. Shay Dawson, CTRS, and Professor Laura Johnson, CTRS, at Central Michigan University. They both taught me what it means to be a professional in our field. Finally, I'd like to thank my incredible patients, every single one of you, for teaching me new things every day.

The best piece of career advice that I have received is that everything in life happens for a reason. Maybe the session you run won't go as planned, maybe the job you thought you wanted wasn't what was best for you. Sometimes, things just work out how they are supposed to. All you can do is keep a good head on your shoulders and learn to adapt when things get rough. That advice will take you further than dwelling on unchangeable circumstances ever will.

My best piece of advice is not to be afraid to make mistakes, because you can't learn anything unless you try and fail. I live by that motto every single day. I have had sessions with my patients that I thought were going to be enjoyable, and all of them chose to leave during the middle of my explanation of the activity. On the other hand, I've had sessions that I thought maybe only one or two patients would want to engage in, and have ended up with all sixteen patients showing up! No one can be perfect all the time, and I promise, no one expects you to be. Just give it your all!

I would say staffing is the biggest challenge. It's not easy, throughout all healthcare settings, to find compassionate workers who don't get burnt out quickly. It's just as important to take care of your health and well-being before attempting to caring for others. This is the reason that I implore new all new healthcare professionals to figure out what it is that keeps you motivated within your field, for both your sake and your patients' sake. Another major challenge has to do with the healthcare administration. As of right now, recreational therapy is not a billable service by insurance. If patients want to receive recreational therapy programming outside of the hospital, they have to pay out of pocket for it in most cases, even though we're classified as a healthcare service. This puts a huge damper on the patients and their access to necessary treatments. Hopefully, someday soon, therapeutic recreation will become a billable service insurance wise, because it will only benefit both patients and professionals.

The most important values in my work and personal life are responsibility, accountability, and determination because they reflect the kind of person and professional I want to be. Responsibility matters to me because I want people to know they can rely on me. In healthcare, especially, people are depending on me to show up, be present, and do my job well. I don’t take that lightly. Even outside of work, I value being someone who follows through and keeps my word. It gives me a sense of purpose and integrity. Accountability and determination are important to me because I’m always trying to grow and push myself to be better. I don’t want to make excuses. If I make a mistake, I want to learn from it. That builds trust with the people I work with and care for. Determination is what keeps me going when things get hard, whether that's during shifts or working toward long-term goals. I don’t give up easily, and I take pride in that. These values guide how I show up every day and shape the kind of impact I want to have.