Professional Assessment Tool

Strengths (1 – strongest; 5 – weakest):

1. Upholding Principles of Integrity and Respect (Show how)

2. Reliability and Accountability (Show how)
3. Relationships with Others (Show how)
4. Citizenship and Professional Engagement (Show)
5. Lifelong Learning and Adaptability (Know how)

After taking the Professionalism Assessment Tool, I found my greatest strengths were in upholding
principles of integrity and respect, reliability and accountability, and relationships with others.
While my greatest weaknesses were in citizenship and professional engagement and lifelong
learning and adaptability. The rankings were not unexpected. I find my upbringing and core values
help me in regard to upholding principles of integrity and respect. I also believe that I have always
seen strength in reliability and accountability. I find those components say a lot about a person as
a whole, so I really try to stand out in those areas. Being an OT student, I think that my ability to
relate to others has grown exponentially in the past few semesters. I find it much easier to
communicate with all populations. When I look at my personality, I definitely struggle through
changes and adaptation. I tend to dwell on the changes that occur in my life rather than going
forward. In regard to citizenship and professional engagement, I still feel I have a lot more to learn
in this section before I feel comfortable showing my professional development in OT within the
community.

Below is long-term goals (LTGs) and short-term goals (STGs) for both citizenship and
professional engagement and lifelong learning and adaptability:

1. Citizenship and Professional Engagement

 LTG: Utilize my professional development in OT by attending and actively
participating in trainings, such as I did for Assistive Technology, to gain more
expertise in areas of OT.
1. STG: Look into the possibility of gaining a mentor through previous students
who went through the OTD program.
2. STG: Begin reading the journals AOTA sends me in the mail to stay up to date
on current issues relative to OT.
3. STG: Volunteer within the community with other OT’s to increase awareness
for future training sessions.
2. Lifelong Learning and Adaptability
 LTG: Take change as a positive and be able to effectively adapt my actions and
behaviors to move myself forward during a change.
1. STG: Journal how I feel when changes occur – writing down my inner feelings
and frustrations relating to the change.
2. STG: When trying to move forward/adapting through a change, make a pro
and con list to establish what my actions could hinder or benefit.
3. STG: Be more open about how I feel when I’m going through changes with
others – have a discussion about the change and how it is affecting them/me.
 4. STG: Develop coping strategies to effectively get through the negative
thoughts surrounding changes – journaling, meditation, exercising.

I chose the above goals because I feel they will help me be a better professional and OT. I think
being able to engage professionally is so important when attending future conferences or even just
communicating in fieldwork or future work environments. If I am able to attend smaller trainings
in the next 9 months and increase my awareness and overall knowledge in various OT areas, I
think I will be a more well-rounded professional. Being able to effectively adapt to changes is
crucial in the OT world. Treatments wont also go as planned and, as an OT, I must be able to
quickly adapt to any possible changes I must make to engage in an effective treatment session.