Christina Eulau’s Path to Occupational Therapy

Christina Eulau, an occupational therapist, always loved the idea of helping others, especially when it came to “activity-based therapy”. She observed many OTs, learning of their dedication, compassion, and creativity when it came to finding out what motivates their patients and helping them to live their best lives.

After deciding on occupational therapy, Christina began her journey. While she was in school, Christina was required to earn her Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy after first completing her undergraduate requirements. She then had to sit for her national board exam. However, requirements have changed since then. You must now earn a doctorate in order to work as a practicing occupational therapist rather than a master’s degree.

Now that Christina has worked as a hospital-based occupational therapist for quite some time, her typical day consists of initial evaluations of new patients, as well as following up with current patients and rounding with the hospital team. 

When completing an initial evaluation of a new patient, Christina assesses the patient's overall function abilities, which include gross strength, coordination, balance, range of motion, and cognitive abilities. She also looks at how the patient’s impairments compare to their baseline. She will then work with the patient to determine how they can progress to this baseline during their time in the hospital.

At any given time, Christina can have a caseload of approximately twenty-five to thirty cases. This means that she must work diligently to ensure that she is following up with these patients regularly. She strives to meet with them three or more times per week throughout their hospital stay.

Christina loves working with her patients, helping them to not only feel better but also helping them find comfort and reassurance. However, working as an occupational therapist also has many challenges. When working with patients that are in extremely rough patches of their lives, it can become somewhat of an emotional burden. She must help them to cope with illnesses or disabilities on top of their prior struggles, which can put a heavyweight not only on the patient but also on their caregiver.

In addition to this, Christina’s work as an occupational therapist was greatly affected by the coronavirus. Prior to vaccinations, she would see a large number of patients die in the hospital after being admitted with the virus. This put another layer of emotional stress on Christina.

Despite these challenges, Christina loves her role in these patient’s journeys and takes pride in the work that she and others in her profession are able to do. She wants students to know that whatever you choose to do, you will be able to find both joy and a sense of purpose. And while it may not always be “fun”, as long as there are enough positive aspects to focus on, you will be able to make a lasting career out of it.