On the latest edition of The FOX Five, we chat with FOX occupational therapist, Dara Spezial, OT, who was part of our FOX Student program and then joined the practice when she graduated from school. Dara talks through the support she was given, why FOX initially appealed to her, and the excitement she currently has for treating older adult patients in both senior living communities and our House Calls model.

Jim: Welcome to The FOX Five, the show that explores the wonderful world of FOX Rehabilitation through an original list created by a FOX colleague. That FOX colleague today is Dara Spezial, welcome.

Dara: Thank you so much, happy to be here.

Jim: Dara is an occupational therapist extraordinaire from New Hampshire. Dara, what is your FOX Five today?

Dara: Well, my FOX Five is, Five Things I Learned as a FOX Student. In grad school, one day we were learning about different opportunities for OTs and one of the topics in class was “missions and visions,” and up on the screen [I saw] FOX Rehabilitation. My eyes lit up the moment I saw the missions the visions—the ideologies—I'm like, okay, I want to be a student there, I want to work there. That's what I want to do as an OT. That sounds really fulfilling.

Jim: Alright, so what is number one on your FOX Five?

Dara: Well, Number one was learning about the visions and missions through fieldwork. I think it was really meaningful to learn more about how we can empower patients and empower autonomy and independence. Something that's really fresh and really vibrant as an occupational therapist is wanting your clients to succeed and achieve all their goals. Learning all the ways that I can promote a lot of satisfaction in my patients' lives ties into FOX, and that's what we want to do! I learned so much, that's what I want to do as well.

Jim: What is number two on your FOX Five? I have a couple questions, but maybe they will be answered, we'll see.

Dara: Number two, it's learning a bit more about Raintree. Months of learning how to document through Raintree and having that practice has made my transition as an OT so much easier and so much more effective.

Jim: You weren't starting out cold. You went from student who learned the ropes, and then when you got out of school, you're like, oh yeah, I'm ready to go.

Dara: Exactly, and then training with my incredible supervisor I learned how to document through Raintree and now practicing, almost six months as an OT by myself, I'm really good at it.

Jim: Yes, that's good to hear. Dara what is number three on your FOX Five?

Dara: Something I really loved about being a student was the interdisciplinary aspect of FOX. In past field works before FOX, that's something I really craved. I really wanted to work with other PTs, SLPs, and other OTS, and it was lacking in other field works, but in FOX I was with so many other PTs, so many speech therapists, and it was awesome collaborating and talking about all of the different variations of, “Hey, can I run this patient by you?,” “What kind of goals are you working on?,” and forming those friendships that I still have today. We're a team and we're really good as a team.

Jim: Amen!

Dara: Amen.

Jim: What is number four on your FOX Five?

Dara: Number four was learning how to provide OT in senior living communities and in homes.

Jim: Two different settings.

Dara: Exactly, and now looking back as a FOX OT I loved having both of those experiences. Working in those SLCs, working in memory care units, and in homes right off the bat, it was incredible to have those experiences, because now I learned, you know, in the SLCs I can help with functional tasks, I can help with balance, I can help with anything where they’re having difficulty. In memory care it was really diving deep into dementia and communication, and adaptions to make communication easier. [In the house call setting] you can dive in, change different aspects, and add adaptive equipment. It's just like OT heaven, having those three different worlds right off the bat, and then now as a clinician, I'm so prepped.

Jim: Do you like the change of scenery between the SLC and the home environment?

Dara: I do, I think it's really refreshing. I like having that variety and completely different environments on a day-to-day basis. I think it's really exciting.

Jim: You’re custom-built for FOX. You chose the right place! That brings us to number five on your FOX Five.

Dara: Well, finally it opened new doors for me to find my job now. As I fell in love with being a FOX student and I fell in love with this different side of occupational therapy, I thankfully can say I love what I do. I love being an OT, and I love being in FOX. As my experience grew as a student, I found people to help me get those interviews, get those applications, taking my NBCOT, and getting my OT license for New Hampshire. It was so easy.

Jim: One question that I still have, did you always want to work with older adults?

Dara: No.

Jim: Did you learn that as a FOX student?

Dara: I knew this was my craft. I knew this is where I wanted to be in school. I thought it was going to be pediatrics, and I love that side, too, but there's something so special about this field that I love and I'm so thankful that I'm here.

Jim: When did it click for you? I'm just curious.

Dara: Yeah, I think it clicked in grad school initially learning more about the adult population, learning more about the different opportunities for OTs, and then learning about FOX in that grad school program—that clicked. I was like, that's what I want to do. I'm going to make it my mission to get there, and here I am.

Jim: My next mission, I should write this down, I need you to meet our founder, Dr. Tim Fox.

Dara: Oh, that would be a dream!

Jim: Because your energy level is almost on par with his.

Dara: That would be such a cool opportunity, I would die.

Jim: Thank you so much, we'll have to have you back on The FOX Five.

Dara: Sure, absolutely.