Occupational Therapy Student Focused on the Future
April 21, 2023—Hayley Dues is earning her occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) at Kettering College. She graduates next week and has had a job waiting for her since the beginning of the year. Occupational therapy (OT) is a career she has been interested in since middle school and has proven to herself that when you follow your passion and devote work and time to it, you can accomplish your goals.
When Hayley was in seventh grade, she was helping teach dance classes to young students. She noticed a girl in one of her classes who couldn’t speak, and the child’s mom was using American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with her. Hayley was bothered the other teachers were not doing more to include the child, who was learning in the corner while her mom translated. Whereas most middle schoolers might brush this experience off, Hayley went straight to the library and got every book on ASL she could find.
She proceeded to teach herself ASL and designated herself to be the student’s aid and advocate. A few weeks later, the child’s mom told Hayley the dance student was making great improvements in her OT sessions, and no one knew why she was experiencing such rapid progress. The mom told Hayley she believed it was due to the work Hayley was doing with her child.
Hayley had no idea what OT was at that time, but she knew if it were a career that helps people the way she had done with the child, she would be very curious to find out more. She did just that. Next week she graduates with an OTD, and she is still filled with that same excitement and drive to help others as she was as in middle school.
As Hayley began to think of ideas to focus on for her final projects of a literature review and capstone project, she decided to delve into topics that affect the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), most importantly the parents and caregivers. She specifically looked at the SENSE program, which stands for Supporting and Enhancing Neonatal Sensory Experiences. That program aims to put the parents in charge to empower them to best care for their babies.
She was excited about the research she was uncovering and began talking about it with her colleagues while conducting field work at Reid Health in Richmond, Indiana last summer. An OT on staff informed Hayley they were beginning a new NICU the next year at Reid and she would love to see her research.
In January, Hayley emailed her research and capstone project to the OT at Reid. She immediately received a job offer from them to be a pediatric OT. She will be collaborating with others on staff to develop their new NICU and present her research that helps parents best care for their children in the NICU.
Hayley says, “It was humbling. It went from me just working on my computer for this project to now maybe getting the chance to I hope change someone’s life one day.” Her research has become much more than a step toward graduating—it is now a tool to implement change and lead the way towards better healthcare.
“It was humbling. It went from me just working on my computer for this project to now maybe getting the chance to I hope change someone’s life one day.”
-Hayley Dues, OTD Student
As Hayley starts a career of being an OTD, she knows she wants to always be in patient care. She initially thought she would focus more on research and teaching, but she knows with certainty now her calling is to work directly with people.
Her mother had cancer and passed away almost two years ago, and Hayley witnessed firsthand the power of helping someone. She says, “I always knew this, but it became too valuable to me to be willing to give that up. Being with my mom and being her home health OT made me realize I always want to work with patients.”
As she graduates and steps into her career as an OTD, her focus is where it has always been: on people. She wants to be a certified neonatal therapist and continue to be an advocate for parents and caregivers. Her desire to help others was awakened in her as a middle schooler who was eager to assist a child who wasn’t being included. And now she continues to answer that call as she embarks on her professional journey to use her experiences, knowledge, and passion to improve lives.
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