Conclave: Working with wounded soldiers

If you want to talk about top of the line, technologically advanced vehicles, then the best place to start would be the U.S. military. The vehicles driven by our armed forces are incredibly advanced and innovative. You’ve got the now-oh-so-very familiar Humvee (thanks to the civilian Hummer craze a few years back), but don’t forget the tanks, the tactical vehicles, the Bradley fighting vehicles, the helicopters (like the Black Hawk), and the unmanned aerial vehicles.

It’s not hard to imagine that driving a military vehicle, especially in combat, will be nothing like driving our civilian vehicles—despite the fact that sometimes fellow motorists’ road rage may make you wonder whether they think they actually are in combat. But I digress; soldiers who drive these military vehicles go through intensive training that is nothing like our driver’s education courses and corresponding road test with a Department of Motor Vehicles representative.

Did you know that as a future occupational therapy practitioner you could actually work for the Army as an OT? Working as a practitioner for the Army will be completely different from working with civilians, and at Student Conclave, you will have the opportunity to learn more about these differences.

The Army and occupational therapy session—held on Saturday, November 21—focuses on learning about working with the Army and with wounded soldiers returning from battle. You may not know a lot about this practice area, so this session is a great opportunity to learn about the role of OT in the treatment and support of wounded soldiers.

The best part of this session, is that this year you will not only hear about Army occupational therapy, but you will also meet a true American hero! Sergeant Major Thomas Morrissey is attending the session, and he will share his incredible story about being shot 8 times while deployed in Afghanistan and his recovery through occupational therapy. Hoowah!

Have you registered for Student Conclave? It's November 20-21 in Baltimore, MD.

If you haven't noticed, there's a new countdown clock on the sidebar of this blog letting you know how much time you have left to get the Early Bird Discount. Don't let that clock run out!