| Popis: |
Providing occupational therapy (OT) in a deployed environment can be demanding, but the opportunity to provide rehabilitative care for fellow Service Members in a combat theater, although momentous, far outweighs any challenge. Throughout 15 years of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, deployed military occupational therapists (OTs) conducted rehab missions in austere environments, performed therapy in fast-paced nontraditional clinical settings, and adjusted to and overcome provider burnout. This chapter highlights firsthand experiences from OTs who deployed with Army behavioral health (BH) units. Deployed OTs primarily worked in secure locations performing routine rehab missions according to doctrine and training. A few shared their experiences that did not proceed as planned. Risk and challenges exist for everyone over the duration of a deployment, which requires perseverance, prudence, and courage. |
