Her Story
About Jessica
Jessica Daugherty Peters is an occupational therapist with 20 years of experience working in healthcare. She began her journey after observing therapists while working as a nurse aide in high school and pursued a career in occupational therapy. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 2005 and later returned to complete her OTD in 2023. Throughout her career, she has worked with elderly populations in various settings including nursing homes. Currently, she works for a PACE program where she conducts home assessments to evaluate safety and environmental barriers that could impede aging in place. She also performs home safety evaluations on weekends for a non-profit Housing Coalition in Kentucky, assessing fall risks and recommending modifications. She attributes her success to a supportive family and values respect for elders and caring for others, influences drawn from living with her great-grandmother.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jessica
01What do you attribute your success to?
I had a very supportive family when I was growing up, and I was a first-generation college graduate in my family, so it was always very important to my parents that I go to college, so I always had a lot of encouragement with that. And then my husband has also always been very supportive of my career, when I decided to go back and get my doctorate degree, you know, he was 100% on board, and without his support, my kids' support, I don't think I could have successfully done that.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think probably to Never stop learning, and always be teachable. I know sometimes if you start having some success, it's easy to think, I know everything, but we don't, and we always need to keep learning.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Let's say just pursue your dreams. I've grown up with divorced parents, and I know it's not as much so now, but not that long ago, women didn't have the freedom that they do now, you know, a lot of their freedoms was based off what their husbands would allow them to do, and we have a lot more freedom now, and I think we should take advantage of it. You know, if you've got a dream, pursue it.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I've worked with the elderly most of my career in several different settings. I currently work for a PACE program, which has been a great opportunity because it allows therapists the flexibility to provide the services that our participants actually need, not based off a payment model. But I know the healthcare industry in general is very much based off what insurance will pay for, so that has always been a challenge throughout the career, and just proving our worth to the people who are approving our services.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think my values I always was taught, you know, just to respect Respect your elders, and care for others, and I went into healthcare knowing that I wanted to help people, and Within my family, you know, I value my family and my children more than anything, and I lived with my great-grandmother when I was growing up, and she was a big influence on me, and kind of had a big influence on my decision to want to work with older people.
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