DeLana Honaker is an Amarillo, Texas, occupational therapist, researcher, consultant, author and educator. Much of her work has had to do with children of various abilities, according to her website. Shortly after Honaker completed her undergraduate work in OT, she worked for 10 years as a school therapist for special needs children at a district in West Texas. Along the way, she earned two graduate degrees. Honaker earned her bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. (all three in occupational therapy) from Texas Woman's University. Today, she works as an adjunct professor for TWU, as well as doing consulting work, evaluations and delivering workshops across the country. On Honaker's website, DeLanaH.com, she maintains a blog on issues of occupational therapy. Her blog has included information about research on client care and discussions of the merits of earning a professional or research doctorate.

Why did you decide to pursue this career field?
I stumbled into it. You'll find that a lot of older OTs who've been in it for 15 to 20-plus years got into it that way. It wasn't very well known back in the day. Nowadays it is very well known. I started out intending to be an art therapist. I had started shadowing an art therapist, and she said, "You ought to be an occupational therapist—they make more money!" I was working at the business office of a small college at the time. I went and looked it up. Sure enough, it was more in line with what I was interested in. For me, it took another year or so before I could go to school. I was in my mid to late 20s. I found out I was going blind from an eye disease. I eventually enrolled in the OT program at Texas Woman's University.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
At the time, it was back in the 1990s when I applied for the OT program. That's before things exploded with enrollment in OT. I was transferring hours in from a community college, and didn't have any difficulty getting in. Nowadays it's very competitive. Most students will have applied to two or three programs, and I would recommend doing this. Students should know that there are programs for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants. The entry-level requirements for occupational therapy are a master's degree and passing a national exam. For an OT assistant, it's usually an associate degree from an accredited program and passing a national exam. It's not a requirement to have health care experience to get into these programs, but it does improve your likelihood of acceptance if you've shadowed or volunteered in an occupational therapy setting.

What types of classes and projects did you have to do?
Almost every program requires splint making—making hand splints or various other types of splints for clients to do functional tasks. Another project was developing a business plan for a program or facility. You have to complete lots of case studies where you work with someone who has a particular type of condition, like Down syndrome or Parkinson's or autism. For any of those conditions, you might do an in-depth case study. For the OT master's requirement, you'll do a master's project and some require a thesis-type project. You'll conduct some research.

What are the different types of OT programs?
There are three types of OT programs. One is a graduate two-year program where you've done all your bachelor's work and you apply for grad school in OT. Then there's another program that's called a three-plus-two. In this program, you do three years of undergrad where you get all your prerequisites out of the way—a lot of science, psychology and sociology, plus core subjects like English, algebra, etc. Then you apply for OT and rather than getting a bachelor's degree, you get a master's. It's considered an undergrad-grad combined. Then there are a few programs where you go for five years, enter as a freshman, get to start your OT classes right away and at the end of the five years you have a master's degree. A lot of the younger students choose this kind of program because they like getting to take OT classes from the get-go.

How did your education help you in your career?
You can't be in my career without an education since it's the entry-level requirement. The best thing about an OT degree is it prepares you for general practice. You can walk into most practice settings and be ready to practice. The exceptions would be NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] where you need additional expertise. Another area where you need additional training might be early intervention. There may be other more specialized areas, like a hand clinic. But at almost every other place, you're ready to go (after completing an OT program).

What was your career path like in this field? 
When I graduated with my bachelor's, I went to work as a school therapist in West Texas. I worked with children with special needs in the school district. Along the way, I did some home health. (Many OTs) dabble in different things. I also did in-home modifications for people in wheelchairs. I was with the school district for 10 years. Along the way, I got my master's and then my Ph.D. — all three in OT. I started teaching at Texas Tech and Texas Woman's and then Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. In 2004, I went to Pennsylvania and was there until 2009.

Today, I do both OT and teaching. I'm an adjunct professor for Texas Woman's University. I'm teaching a course online and we also meet three Saturdays a semester. I do some expert witness consulting work. I work with attorneys who want me to review a case for malpractice or detrimental practice issues or due process. Sometimes I get asked to do a special/independent evaluation on a case in a school. I also give workshops all over the country. The final thing I'm doing is writing some books. One book is "Quantitative Research Methods." Another one I'm working on is called "Behaving Sensibly." I'm having a lot of fun. It's good to be at a place where I can do so much writing. I would say what I do now is more consulting than practice.

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position?
Compassion and an understanding of how the body functions. A particular understanding of how we engage in occupations or activities and how that affects our well-being and health.

What does an OT do on a typical workday?
On a typical workday, (an OT) shows up and does some evaluations, then some intervention with the client and documentation. They'll probably do some program planning, meaning they'll realize, "There's a client who has this need, why don't I design an exercise program that will strengthen them in this or that way?" They might arrange an in-home visit and make recommendations as to how they can do something more safely or with their current level of function. In between, they consult with nursing staff and physicians on a client's needs.

Do you plan to advance to another position within your career field? 
Not particularly. I'm very happy with what I'm doing. For me, this about as far as I'm going to go. For others, it might be they might want to get a job as a director of an occupational therapy program.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job in your field?
Somebody who has a good grasp of science as well as the psychological and sociological aspects of people. This is a profession that attracts nurturers and people who are interested in helping others. That's why I said compassion was a big thing. OTs really want to help the client be as independent as possible.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
Definitely go shadow as many OTs as you can in as many OT settings as you can. You may sit in the facility and say, "I don't like that or that doesn't suit me," and in another setting it can be exactly what you want. We (OTs) work in schools, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient and outpatient rehab, home health—the possibilities are endless. Visit as many OTs as you can in as many OT settings as you can and that will give you a much clearer picture of whether you think you can do the job or not and help you decide what area you'd like to work in.