Meet Our Alums – Andres Silva – Discovering the Great World of Occupational Therapy
Published October 4, 2022
By Darlene Muguiro
UTEP College of Health Sciences
What sparked your interest in the Occupational Therapy Program at UTEP?
First, an Army buddy who is also a UTEP OT alumnus, recommended the program. Second, the years of combined experience of the faculty made it an easy decision.
Did you always want to be an occupational therapist?
No, I wanted to be a stockbroker once I was out of the Army. Then, I was in a car accident in my last months before leaving the service. After the car accident, I needed therapy for my hand, and that’s where I discovered the great world of occupational therapy.
Tell us about the most exciting experience you had as an OT student.
The best experience I had was going to the national AOTA conference. All the learning and networking that can be accomplished in a single weekend is truly amazing. I’m thankful to the faculty for encouraging my peers and me to go to the conferences and see firsthand how huge the OT world is. I would recommend going to the conference to any student, especially in the first year of the program. It gives you a boost in motivation and a leg up on the next courses.
Tell us about your current work. What are some of the skills you learned as an OT student that you use on a daily basis?
I work as a traveling OT in the DC area. The settings I work in are skilled nursing facilities, inpatient rehab, and home health, depending on the contract. The skills I use the most are communication skills, personal skills, and organizational skills. Personal skills are very important when working with the geriatric population.
If you could go back in time to your first year as an OT student, what advice would you give yourself?
I would tell myself: "Quit your part-time job.” During the entire 2.5-year program, I was working 24 hours a week at an auto parts store. It was a real time consumer, and I felt I was always behind in my studies and burned out all the time.
What would you tell students who are thinking about joining the UTEP OT program?
The UTEP OT program is great. It will prepare you for the national exam and in your career as an OT. Nonetheless, the program is not easy, as it requires lots of hours of studying, late nights working on projects in groups, and a great deal of problem-solving.
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Go Miners!
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