04/20/2022
Meet Abbey Rolf, MA, OTR/L
Business Owner and Low Vision Occupational Therapist, Waconia MN
OT School: The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN (2005/2006) & University of Alabama Birmingham for Low Vision Graduate Certificate (2015)
Why did you want to become an occupational therapist?
Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. I vividly remember playing school with other kids at a young age and how much I enjoyed sharing knowledge and teaching. In high school I was intrigued by health sciences and at that time, I felt that physical therapy might be a good fit for me. One day in class, I remember being given the assignment to look through a career book. While looking through the career book, I came across occupational therapy and upon learning more about it, I knew this was the direction I wanted to go. I envisioned it as a career that would blend my love for teaching others, my passion for health and science, and at the same time, it gave me the opportunity to mix in some creativity. Shortly thereafter, I started my college search for occupational therapy programs, fell in love with the College of St. Scholastica, applied and was accepted!
What is your current position as an Occupational Therapist?
I recently started a mobile occupational therapy business. I serve the Twin Cities West Metro with the focus on providing low vision services in the patient’s home. My training, education, and experience allows me to provide services such as home safety evaluations and dementia evaluations with family/carepartner training/education as needed. Additionally, I can provide treatment of many conditions including chronic pain and neurological diseases such as MS, Parkinson’s Disease, stroke, brain injury, neuro-oncology.
What do you love about being an Occupational Therapist?
The ability to help someone regain independence, confidence, and grow/develop one’s purpose in life despite challenges presented are the things I like most about being an occupational therapist. I love that occupational therapy provided an opportunity for me to flex my creativity and embrace a holistic, patient-centered treatment style. I love seeing patients thrive and be successful.
What is your definition of occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy is a holistic approach to patient care that allows an individual to engage in daily occupations and activities in everyday life. This is done through environmental and activity adaptations while supporting health and well-being.
What advice do you have for OT/OTA new graduates/students?
First, never stop learning! Continue to educate yourself and share your knowledge with others. Second, make it a point to experience many different areas of occupational therapy, especially as a new graduate. I was able to gain experience in acute care, in-patient rehabilitation unit, home care and outpatient OT. My experiences in a variety of different settings opened my mind to a better understanding of what a patient experiences along one’s journey to health and recovery.
Photo Credit: My dear friend Maureen Flavion
