Iðjuþjálfinn - 01.05.2006, Síða 8
n Sem svar vi› kalli náttúrunnar, er
ég a› skipuleggja vikulangt ævin-
t‡ri á Hornstrandir. Hornstrandir,
eins og þi› viti›, eru nyrsti hluti
vestfjar›a og eru vægast sagt mjög
afskekktur sta›ur. Þegar ég undirb‡
mig fyrir þetta ævint‡ri, þá kemur
mér á óvart hversu líkir þeir hlutir
sem ég hef me›fer›is: bakpoki,
svefnpoki, primus, matur, vatn, átta-
viti, stígvél og föt, eru þeim hug-
tökum, þekkingu og styrk, sem eru
mikilvægir fyrir frama i›juþjálfunar
á íslandi næstu 30 árin. vi› ver›um
a› vera frams‡n og velja þá framtí›
sem vi› óskum okkar starfsstétt.
Hversu vel vi› skipuleggjum þessa
framtí› mun hafa áhrif á hvernig
i›juþjálfun mun blómstra í umhverfi
sem ver›ur sífellt þróa›ra, í meiri
fjárhagslegri samkeppni og þar sem
pólitísk ábyrg› eykst stö›ugt.
How Full is Your Backpack?
Heeding the call of the wild, I am planning a weeklong wilderness adventure to Horn
strandir. Hornstrandir, as you know,
is the most northern part of the West
fjords and is very isolated. As I prep
are for this trek, I am struck by how
closely the items I am selecting such
as a backpack, sleeping bag, cooking
equipment, food, water, navigational
tools, boots & clothing, represent those
items, skills, and resources that will be
crucial for the growth of occupational
therapy in Iceland over the next 30 ye
ars. We must be farsighted and choose
the future we desire for our profession.
How effectively we prepare for this
future will have an impact on occupa
tional therapy's ability to flourish in
a terrain that will be more technolog
ically complex, economically competiti
ve, and politically accountable.
Selecting a Well-Designed
Backpack
The backpack seems a particularly
apt metaphor for the structure that
will carry the resources and tools of
our profession into its new era, and
can be used to promote our vision that
occupation is essential to individuals'
and society's health and well being.
Selecting a backpack is the first step
in preparing for our trek. It must be
designed appropriately, and should be
tailored to size and capabilities of the
wearerof the individual practitioner
and of our profession as a whole. Our
backpack should be sturdily construct
ed with wellpadded shoulder straps,
waist and pelvic belts and padded back
panels to prevent abrasion and to en
hance stability, and should include ref
lective trim for increased visibility. We
must work diligently, individually and
collectively, to ensure that occupation,
be recognized as method, outcome,
and core of occupational therapy thro
ugh infusion in education, research,
and practice. We must also be aggressi
ve in our support of and advocacy
for scientific inquiry and pragmatic in
vestigation that builds the occupational
therapy profession's evidencebased
body of knowledge. We must participa
te in strategic partnerships to achieve
communities where human occupation
is recognized as fundamental to qu
ality of life and social participation, as
well as central to social, educational,
and health care policies in Iceland.
One strategic partnership with The
Public Health Institute of Iceland for
National Backpack Awareness Week
and the translation of Stretch Break for
Kids (http://people.bu.edu/kjacobs/)
into Icelandic provides a good model,
but more partnerships are needed.
Loading the Backpack
Selecting the appropriate items to
go in the backpack is vital, especially
when the terrain in rugged, isolated,
and sometimes, unknown. Sometimes
the sheer amount and variety of hik
ing gear to choose from can be intim
idating. Because unwise choices can
result in inadequate preparation for the
wild, overloading, or unbalanced loads,
mentors should be consulted as reso
urces in this selection and resource
distribution process. These mentors
can be our former academic instruct
ors, colleagues, peers and others. The
only criterion is that this longterm
relationship focuses on our personal
and professional growth.
Creativity would be one “light
weight“ skill I would load in my back
pack. Robert K. Cooper, author of The
Performance Edge (Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 1991), provides suggestions for
developing a creative attitude. These
include establishing and maintaining
an open mind and spirit of inquiry;
removing hidden obstacles to creati
ve thinking, such as preconceived
notions; looking for anomalies and
rejecting old explanations; asking cr
eative questions; listening and paying
attention; continually expanding and
developing expertise in work and play;
being willing to be uncertain; gather
ing data; and being goaldirected, not
goalgoverned. To enhance creativity,
occupational therapists will also need
n I‹JUÞJÁLFINN 1 / 2006
n Karen Jacobs, Ed.D., OTR/L, FAOTA
Clinical Professor
Boston University
Department of Occupational Therapy &
Rehabilitation Counseling
635 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215 USA
n LykILORÐ
Advocacy, negotiation skills,
occupation