Anna Kotansky

Background

About Anna Kotansky

I was 13 years old when I knew occupational therapy was my passion. How did I know this? Because I watched a close family friend suffer from a stroke, losing his independence, confidence, and will to live."Useless" was the word he used to describe himself, until one day, an occupational therapist helped him regain his upper extremity function and his independence. And that is when I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life helping people feel "useful," proud, and independent. I was fortunate to be accepted into D'Youville University BSMS combined 5 year program where I was given the opportunity to work with several different communities and populations. I have practiced in Buffalo, NY, Cleveland, OH, and Birmingham, AL. I have experience with treating patients with dementia, pediatrics, and hand therapy. After graduating in May of 2022, I returned to my hometown of Cleveland, OH. When applying for OT jobs, two questions kept coming to my mind: In what setting can I make a difference? How can I make people feel "useful" and accepted again? One answer came to my mind: Hand therapy. I had fallen in love with hand therapy when I completed my Level II fieldwork in Birmingham, AL. Hand function is essential to daily life and being able to problem-solve, adapt materials, and perform therapies to help regain function in the upper extremities was something I am very passionate about. Thus began my search to find a hand therapy job in Cleveland, OH. I am now working at Allied Chiropractic and Health, LLC as a hand therapist. I treat a wide variety of upper extremity diagnoses such as post-surgical treatments, burns, digit amputations, over-use diagnoses, and more. Daily responsibilities include managing a full caseload of 8-10 patients daily, completing evaluations and re-evaluations, treatment planning with current evidence-based practices, supervising COTAs, and creating an inviting and safe atmosphere for my patients. I am constantly researching the newest and best treatments for all hand diagnoses. I am always open to comments and feedback related to hand therapy and the occupational therapy profession. I look forward to seeing where my Occupational therapy career takes me. For any comments or questions, please email me at annamkotansky@gmail.com