91制片厂

Life doesn鈥檛 always turn out exactly as we plan. But sometimes, out of unexpected change and painful losses, something positive is born.

That鈥檚 what happened for Beth Fisher 鈥�19G, who speaks candidly about one such difficult time: a year that included the death of her father, dissolution of her marriage and destruction of her belongings in a fire. 鈥淚 literally lost just about everything I had,鈥� Fisher says. 鈥淚t was a time of real introspection. I had to ask myself what I wanted to do with the next chapter of my life.鈥�

With her mother living in Methuen, Massachusetts, Fisher decided it was time to move from Utah back to New England. She began looking at graduate programs that would match her desires to work with patients through their recovery processes and be closer to her family. Enter 91制片厂鈥檚 Master of Science degree in (OT).

Even as she recalls the pain of that year, her optimism and strength win out. 鈥�91制片厂 has a beautiful campus, a beautiful location and a great occupational therapy program,鈥� she says. 鈥淎s a disabled veteran myself, I wanted to work on behalf of veterans' causes and with all people with disabilities. And 91制片厂 Military & Veterans Services is excellent. They knew what they were doing and helped me through the process.鈥�

Fisher explains how her path to becoming an occupational therapist was anything but typical. She received her bachelor鈥檚 degree from Cornell University in 1997 as a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). 鈥淭hrough ROTC at Cornell, I learned about the Marines,鈥� she recalls, smiling at the memory. 鈥淚 wanted to be the best of the best.鈥� She went on to become one of the first female pilots in the Marine Corps in 1998, and as a UH-1N "Huey" helicopter听pilot, she was recognized for her superior flying and leadership abilities, earning the prestigious weapons and tactics instructor designation as a subject matter expert of her craft. Fisher was also interested in 鈥渢he science of safety鈥� and pursued听formal training and certification in aviation safety management and risk analysis through the Navy Postgraduate School.

In 2006, she began working in the private sector, flying听medical and rescue helicopters in the mountains and deserts of Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming and remaining in the Marine Corps until June 2018, when she retired with 21 years of service.

鈥淥T was something I became very interested in from my work as a helicopter emergency medical services and helicopter air ambulance pilot. I would see patients in their moment of crisis and not know how their stories ended,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hrough my work in OT, I get to be a part of their recovery.鈥�

During her graduate studies in 91制片厂 OT, Fisher had clinical internships in an inpatient acute setting at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampsire, and听a day-programming setting at the 听in Portsmouth.听She also worked as an assistant to , clinical associate professor at 91制片厂's . In that capacity, Fisher traveled to India to provide assistive technology training and solutions to therapists, medical students and individuals with disabilities. She has also worked as a personal support specialist for

鈥淥T is about the whole person,鈥� Fisher says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just how their limbs are moving.鈥� If a patient is struggling with anxiety around a specific exercise, for example, Fisher focuses first on the stress that is getting in the way of their progress. 鈥淲e鈥檒l take a moment, and I鈥檒l ask them to talk to me about what they鈥檙e feeling,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭he goal is to give them the tools to deal with the anxiety in that moment.鈥�

The hard work paid off: Fisher is now an inpatient OT at Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital.听

Fisher may be finished with her 91制片厂 courses after earning both her master鈥檚 degree in occupational therapy and graduate certificate in assistive technology, but the newly minted licensed occupational therapist and certified aging-in-place specialist is hardly cutting ties with the university. She still works closely with her 91制片厂 contacts on research evaluating the benefits of a group gardening program she developed called Fit to Garden, set to begin this winter in nearby Newmarket, New Hamnpshire.听The accessible gardening program is for seniors with and without disabilities and will involve current 91制片厂 OT students as well as other connections from across the university.

鈥淲e want to make it possible for any senior to get out into the garden, to do something they love and make it fully inclusive. It鈥檚 not just good for them physically but can also improve mental health,鈥� Fisher explains. 鈥淲e want to help people realize they can do the things that they love. It鈥檚 our job to give them the tools and education to make that possible.鈥�

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