Finding the balance between education, work, and family is a hard task! And with all the places we want to go, things we want to do, and hobbies we have it can feel impossible to find time for it all. (Did I mention that you also have to get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep?)

Recently, I had an interview with Dr. Glen Cotton, a professor in the entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) program at Midwestern University. He has started to tackle the issue of balance with the OTD 2024 cohort at Midwestern University by creating a student-run Wellness Group. In this interview, he and I discuss the motivation behind creating the committee as well as the importance of teaching future OTPs strategies to maintain balance in life.

Can you tell me about the OT Student Wellness Group? 

The Wellness Group was formed by a student-directed committee to promote wellness among students and to help students create a work-life balance as they go through graduate school. The committee seeks to educate students on how to apply strategies on a daily basis to promote wellness. 

What inspired you to start the Group? 

I covered the topic of “wellness” in the Therapeutic Communications course for the OTD program at Midwestern University.  The focus of the topic was on wellness for practitioners, to maintain balance, and to prevent provider burnout. 

Promoting wellness can begin as an OTD student. Graduate students face many challenges that come with juggling so many demands during graduate school. Because these demands can overwhelm students, it is important that they are introduced to wellness strategies that they can incorporate on a daily basis. Being unable to establish balance in one’s life can influence performance in school. 

The Wellness Group Committee plans to provide information and support that promotes student wellness and encourages students to establish personal strategies they can use when they begin working as OT practitioners. The Committee plans to host guest speakers and activities.

What are your future plans for the committee? 

The Committee plans on hosting speakers with expertise on wellness topics each quarter. This spring, Dr. Rachel Piszczor, an associate professor from the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Midwestern University, is speaking on sleep health in graduate school. The Committee is also planning on having Dr. Torgerson, Associate Dean of Student Services at Midwestern University, present strategies to help manage anxiety during graduate school. 

The Committee is looking to utilize Midwestern University faculty with expertise in areas related to wellness. While the Committee, composed of first-year students, has come up with initial ideas for speaker topics, they plan to seek input from OTD students representing all cohorts. Decisions regarding events and activities will be a collaborative effort. Activities may include social events, active leisure events such as hiking, and quiet leisure like game nights.  

What is the importance of work-life balance in OT practice? Do you think incorporating these lessons into the curriculum is important? 

With any profession, it is important to have balance. When working in a healthcare field, provider burnout can occur in settings where there are consistently complex clients, with multiple conditions and accompanying psychosocial issues. There are other factors that contribute to burnout as well. Having a work-life balance reduces the likelihood of burnout. Graduate students can experience burnout as well. A student’s mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing can be affected. So, it is important to incorporate strategies to maintain balance throughout the course of the program. There may be opportunities to incorporate the topic of wellness in short courses offered to third-year students, just prior to graduation.

What kinds of wellness strategies do you hope to cover with the committee?

The Committee hopes to address such strategies as mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. These are some of the topics that the Committee has brainstormed through their meetings, but they are also planning on listening to student feedback about the topics they want to know more about before they go into the OT profession. 

What would be your advice for other OT programs that might want to start a wellness committee? 

OT/OTA programs should consider ways in which they can help students establish good habits and apply strategies that support wellness. Healthy habits and effective strategies not only help OT/OTA students succeed in school but in future practice as well. OT/OTA programs can help students be prepared for the demands of practice and minimize burnout and compassion fatigue.

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” -Eleanor Roosevelt. Four photographs of nature over a light blue background.