Vanessa Stevens

OT5163
Slagle Lecture Annotation 1980

Carolyn Baum is a very important figure within occupational therapy. She was the president of AOTA
from 1981-1982 and also from 2003-2007. Baums major contributions to this profession are within aging as
well as cognitions role in occupational performance. Baum continues to advance our profession and
continually works towards the goals of the Centennial Vision. Baum presented the Slagle Lecture in 1980 titled
Occupational Therapists Put Care in the Health System. This lecture describes the steps that Occupational
Therapists need to make to ensure that a value is placed on individuals and their health status. Baum has made
a lasting impression upon our profession by addressing key characters that need to work together and produce
change in our health care system. She also brought to our attention several key problems and goals that shaped
occupational therapy into a flourishing profession based on the unique individual as well as evidence based
practice.
The lecture started out addressing the need to assess the many characters involved in health care
systems. The consumers need to be viewed as humans as well as individuals. Baum also discusses how the
government has taken over what the public health services should be regulating health promotion. Baum also
mentions how physicians are no longer oriented to humanities and social sciences and tend to only think about
science and sickness. Most importantly, Baum addresses the need for Allied Health Professions to start their
own research inquiry (especially occupational therapy). It is extremely important for our profession to continue
to advance our research inquiries with evidence based research and practice.
Baum also addressed three goals for occupational therapy and occupational therapy education. First,
our profession needs to produce true professionals who are skilled in inventing, inferring, and analyzing
(Baum, 1980, p. 511). She also addressed the need to move away from the Acute Care Model and towards one
that involves the whole community. This is extremely important in contemporary views of occupational
therapy, as you should not just look at the individual, but also the context/environment and community factors.
She advised that occupational therapists need to look at the bigger picture, not just what is going on inside the
hospital. Lastly, Baum states that we need to have human oriented programs as well as empathy for patients.
I truly learned a lot about the history and progression of occupational therapy from the group and
individual assignments. There are so many key therapists that truly helped mold and shape occupational
therapy into what it is today. I hope to also play a key role in this profession and am excited to see what this
profession holds for the future!

Vanessa Stevens
OT5163

Bibliography

Baum, C. M. (1980, August). Occupational Therapists Put Care in the Health Systems. The American
Journal of Occupational Therapy, 34(8), 505-516.