Happy New Year, everyone!
I know it has been awhile, but I was super busy finishing up my final fieldwork for the GU OTD program and taking in the entire experience. I will be updating on my overall experience very soon.
If you are an occupational therapy student, you may have heard that there are annual AOTA elections that take place online every January. If you are not familiar with the elections or election process, it is essentially a time for AOTA members to use their voices to vote for new leadership from the AOTA president to student positions on the Assembly of Student Delegates Steering Committee (ASDSC).
Last election cycle, I decided to take the plunge and run for a position on the ASDSC. There were many highly qualified student candidates running and I campaigned hard to reach out to students from other schools across the nation to educate them on why I felt that I was qualified for the position I was running for. Unfortunately, I did not get the position, but I was left with an experience that allowed me to learn how important it is to be involved with our state and national OT associations.
This year, I am running again in hopes to represent OT students across the nation as the next ASDSC Secretary.
I am confident that my previous and current leadership positions within the OT community have prepared me to take on a leadership position within the AOTA ASDSC. If you are a fellow OT student, I would greatly appreciate your consideration for this position and I hope that this encourages other students to take on leadership roles within their state OT associations and AOTA.
Below is my position statement and information on when & where to vote in the 2019 AOTA Elections!
Position Statement
“With the current political and socioeconomic status in our country, it is critical for our Association to continue to examine strategies to increase access to occupational therapy services. In order to do this, we must increase advocacy efforts on personal, federal, and state levels. By increasing engagement within our organization and more specifically with our political action committee, we can continue to build upon efforts to advocate for our profession in a meaningful way. This can include encouraging fundraising efforts for our political action committee to increasing awareness on feasible ways to advocate for evidence-based services for the diverse populations we serve.”
To cast your vote, visit AOTA.org. Polls are open from January 9, 2019 12:00 p.m. EST (noon) until January 30, 2019 11:59 a.m. EST (before noon), so don’t delay!
Thank you!
Sue Ram
