Years of effort paid off for Andrea Wilson Prager in 2016 when she completed her MRSc Major Project research, which explores the implementation of a collaborative model of school-based OT in her British Columbian school district. Her project “Collaborative Occupational Therapy: Teachers’ Impressions of the Partnering for Change Model,” allowed her to examine whether this practice model would be a good fit for teachers before applying the model district-wide. This work transformed the way she works with teachers: relationships are now more of a partnership, and teachers have an enhanced understanding about how to use OT strategies in their classrooms.
Andrea began her MRSc in 2011, after 10 years of practicing as a school-based pediatric OT. She immediately found her practice changing: through her MRSc assignments, she redesigned handout materials and resources, and improved her communication with teachers. Even when assignments didn’t result in definitive end-products, they enabled her to reflect on her practice in-depth.
Maintaining a work-school-life balance was important to Andrea when she began online studies. On top of working full-time, parenting two children and a managing a busy life, Andrea was able to squeeze in time for her MRSc alongside running marathons and keeping up with her book club. She says that the rewards completely outweighed the challenges, even if it meant giving up television. Andrea’s study strategy was to add study time to the end of her work day and, because her assignments related directly to her work, this approach made it easier for her to get them done.
Andrea reports that she has completely changed the way she practices: she spends more time in classrooms responding directly to teachers’ needs, and is amazed by how gratifying it is to work collaboratively alongside teachers. She found the MRSc learning process to be flexible and directly applicable to her work, which allowed for deeper reflection and transformation. Andrea advises learners to take their time completing their Master’s, in order to fully appreciate all it offers.
By Patricia Mortenson with Andrea Prager Wilson