Justice

AOTA Code of Ethics Deep Dive Part 2 (PDE) 10-3-22 

           We all think of the term Justice in a perspective of doing what is right even if we have the opportunity to benefit personally off of another route. We think of superheroes providing “justice” to the town by taking down the antagonist of the show. We think of integrity and doing the right thing because we have the power to.

              In Occupational Therapy school we are given all of the tools, knowledge, and skills to carry with us for the practice of caring for our clients. This statement means that typically our clients are not always aware of what should be occurring in therapy services and what should not (unless they have prior therapeutic knowledge). The power dynamic between the therapist and client can be detrimental to services if justice is not present in our practice.

              We have rules, guidelines, and objectives to follow as Occupational Therapists. Justice is the core of these values when we are in the field. We took this career path with the same hope to provide comfort and independence to our clients and we can only do this if we stay true to our evidence-based knowledge and practical skills we learned in our extensive schooling. Our client come to us in a vulnerable state and deserve to be given the most professional and proper care that we can provide. This is where justice comes in – knowing our scope, being inclusive, moral and adequate in our care.

Resource:

American Occupational Therapy Association. (1993). Core values and attitudes of occupational therapy practice. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 47, 1085–1086. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.47.12.1085