An Irish sister feels very strongly that her career pursuits to fulfill an occupational therapy job were well worth it, according to The Memphis Daily News.
Sister Joan Byrne left her native Ireland in 1966 for Florida as Catholic bishops in the U.S. were extending invitations to Irish nuns to educate women and children. She felt a connection to the assistance that she could provide while serving as an occupational therapist and began pecking away at academic requirements.
"As I went through my college education, doing internships in different areas, I felt occupational therapy was the one in which I could do the most good," she told the news source. "I love working with families, and this gave me an opportunity to work with parents and children, and teach parents how to help their own children at home. That's the aspect of it that I just love."
Her focus sharpened shortly after she was awarded her degree – she wanted to devote her professional livelihood to early intervention for infants with special needs, a field that was growing in the late 1970s.
Occupational therapists have the opportunity to assist all different age groups with disabilities, developmental delays and injuries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.