Teal Benevides
Teal.wisniewski@jefferson.edu

Occupational Therapy
MS ‘04

Jefferson School of Health Professions
Full-Time Faculty, Department of Occupational Therapy

From the start, I found myself drawn to occupational therapy, especially how OTs often work with children with special needs.

I chose Jefferson because of its strong research background.  The curriculum is grounded in theory and research and I was very interested in working alongside Dr. Janice Burke and Dr. Roseann Schaaf, both of whom are highly respected researchers in their field.

Every semester, I had a new field work experience, ranging from a psychosocial population to a pediatric unit.   Jefferson is very involved in the community and the faculty have strong clinical ties to sites in the greater Philadelphia area.  I had the opportunity to work with adults with developmental disabilities at Altec, as well as at A.I. DuPont.  I gradually worked up to a full case-load by my senior year.  Field work gave me the opportunity to apply what I was learning in the classroom alongside other OTs.

Faculty at Jefferson are really wonderful people who are invested in mentoring as well as teaching.  Faculty treated me with respect, as a future colleague rather than a student — that was a special thing.

Jefferson is a special community, a campus of future healthcare professionals.

Jefferson values professional leadership and encourages students to get involved in community based projects and professional associations like the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).

The most valuable aspect of my education at Jefferson was the opportunity to learn from working directly with my professors.  As a student, I was selected for a research assistantship, which included a large scholarship and the opportunity to work in a research facility.

Before I graduated, I had a job lined up.  The faculty at Jefferson mentored me and helped me to find my first job with Main Line Pediatrics.  My professors were instrumental in finding me a flexible job schedule that fit into the niche of working with children.

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