I’d like to add “curiosity” to the list of qualities that supports outstanding occupational therapy.

I have, since childhood, been profoundly curious – especially about people. I think this quality helped me provide better occupational therapy to my patients and better support to their caregivers.

So I was curious…can you strengthen the curiosity muscle? The answer is yes! I found dozens of ideas online and thought I would share some of my favorites.

• Try something outside your comfort zone. Do you hate to talk during all-staff meetings? Make a point of contributing at the next meeting!
• Change your perspective by searching for the positive in every situation. Do you have a challenging patient who is making limited progress? Search for the positive – what you are learning, how you are helping the patient’s caregiver, who has been supportive professionally?
• Use the “Five Whys” to drill down into an issue. Are you unable to come up with a solution to a thorny problem? You might not know the root cause, so try asking “Why?” over and over (5 times is often optimal). This is a proven method of uncovering the cause which can lead to the optimal solution.
• Be willing to ask that “dumb” question. I absolutely believe there is no dumb question, don’t hesitate, be bold and just ask! Then listen to the answer.
• Ban the word “boring” from your vocabulary. Everything is interesting to someone. Even that dreaded documentation at the end of your day drives decisions throughout the organization. So find out how all the requirements are used!

Share how you flexed your curiosity muscle today in your OT practice!

Cheryl Hall, OT