Shriners Children's Boston Celebrates Occupational Therapy Month

April is Occupational Therapy (OT) Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the vital role occupational therapists play in enhancing the health and wellness of their patients. At Shriners Children’s Boston, our dedicated OT team works tirelessly to empower children to achieve greater independence and improve their quality of life.

Occupational therapists at Shriners Children’s Boston work with children facing complex medical challenges, including burn injuries, reconstructive surgery and other conditions. Through innovative techniques, compassionate care and cutting-edge technology, our OT team helps children regain confidence in their abilities and reach milestones they once thought impossible. Whether it’s learning how to grasp a toy again, navigate daily routines or return to school activities, our therapists are there every step of the way.

The Role of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists at Shriners Children’s Boston focus on helping children develop, recover and improve the skills needed for daily living. They address physical, cognitive and sensory challenges, enabling our young patients to participate fully in school, social situations and other activities.

One of the unique aspects of working at Shriners Children’s Boston is the ability to follow pediatric patients through their rehabilitation journey. Unlike traditional settings, where an OT working in acute care or inpatient rehabilitation would eventually discharge a patient and refer them to an outpatient provider, the Shriners Children’s OT team can treat patients from the date of their initial injury until they age out of the program.

“My favorite part about being an OT at Shriners Children’s Boston is the versatility” said Jessica Bonfiglio, OTR/L. “We treat on the inpatient/acute unit, in the outpatient clinic, and in the operating room. This brings a lot of variety to our scope and allows us to follow our patients from acute admission to outpatient follow-ups. Because we can follow our patients through their progression of care, we can form strong connections with them and their families built on trust, empathy, collaboration and mutual respect over many months or years.”

This unique setup allows therapists to witness the resilience and growth of their patients firsthand. Jessica Willoughby, MOT, OTR/L, BT-C, noted, “My favorite part of working as an occupational therapist at Shriners Children’s Boston is the patients. I genuinely believe Shriners Children’s Boston has some of the best patients and families in the world. We get to witness our patients’ progress from what is often one of the worst days of their lives to achieving significant milestones in their recovery – whether that means making a sports team, returning to school or graduating from college. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of many of these milestones.”