Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Vivian Nguyen, OT
“I was born with cerebral palsy and received a lot of occupational and physical therapy as a child. This greatly influenced my decision to go into health care and sparked my interest in occupational therapy. I have faced a lot of adversity but have also had wonderful people in my life who supported me in my growth and my success.
“I am an occupational therapist in an outpatient setting in San Diego. I work with individuals who have orthopedic hand, wrist, and elbow injuries. I also work with babies and children with developmental delays. An important part of what I do is caregiver education, which includes teaching families how to help their children succeed.
“From a personal perspective, I have learned to think outside the box and come up with different ways to do things. I incorporate this mentality in collaborating with patients to maximize their independence. We can provide therapeutic exercise, fabricate custom orthosis, activity modification, or recommend adaptive equipment. There are different ways for people to be successful; it’s not just a linear path. I take a lot from my personal experience and incorporate that into my work.
“I walk with crutches, so it’s very apparent. From time-to-time people can make insensitive judgments or comments without knowing you. Sometimes a new person will come in looking at me like, ‘how is she going to help me.’ I’ve been an occupational therapist for 14 years. However, by the end of our treatment, most people appreciate the clinical knowledge I have shared and the insight that I’ve given them. People have said I motivate them to keep going because they see me showing up for work every day to help others.
“I work 10-hour days and do not have a modified schedule. It’s exhausting, but I do have a supportive work team. We recently moved buildings, and my manager thoughtfully checked in with me. He understood how stressful it was for everybody, but especially for me.
“As an adult with a disability, I have had to learn a lot about self-advocacy. I learned how to plan or arrange things in a certain way so that I could be successful in my career. I frequently practice many occupational therapy principles, such as energy conservation. I teach my patients these philosophies and use examples from my own life to illustrate that.
“I know it can be hard for someone who has just acquired a disability and still coping. Because I was born with cerebral palsy, I don’t know how to live my life any other way. I’ve learned to do things from my own perspective. However, I do understand that patients who had accidents need a grieving period, an adjustment period.
“Even growing up with a disability, you’re still constantly learning about yourself. For example, I felt very self-conscious using my motorized scooter. I didn’t feel like the same person. It took me a while to become more comfortable and realize how much further I could go when using one to travel longer distances. It made working in different hospital settings a lot easier.
It’s a lifelong journey learning about your limits and your strengths and figuring out how to adapt and adjust. I wasn’t always comfortable with advocating for myself because these are not always easy conversations to have.
“I love traveling and being in nature. I’ve been getting more involved in adaptive leisure activities and sports activities, including biking, paddle boarding, and rock climbing. I am a part of an adaptive team at the climbing gym in San Diego. I started a blog on Instagram, @adaptive_adventures, where I talk about my travels and accessibility. I have volunteered, working with children and families, at the Jornada rehabilitation clinic in Mexico. I hope to pave a path for others with disabilities who find traveling intimidating. I want them to know it’s possible.
“Being an occupational therapist is amazing. It is one of the professions that has the strongest impact on improving people’s quality of life in every way. Throughout my life, I encountered a lot of people say to me, ‘you can’t.’ I never operate that way with my patients.
“My goal is to help patients find their way to success. This resonates with me personally.”