Guest Post: Jennifer Fenrick, Admissions Representative
While I am new to RMUoHP, I’m not new to the health professions field. Throughout my career, spanning the past 12 years, I have worked with various therapists, clinicians and physicians. During that time, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most intelligent and talented professionals. One of those individuals was Occupational Therapist Dr. Tania Stegen-Hansen. I worked with Tania on a multi-disciplinary team with children on the autism spectrum, providing in-home and community-based therapy. Tania was always willing to teach our team techniques and different activities and skills that we could integrate into our therapy sessions to keep our kiddos engaged and focused, while also targeting OT goals to help each child progress. Tania was always very open, friendly, patient and willing to share her knowledge and expertise. She became a touchstone for many of the cases we encountered, and personally, there wasn’t anyone I would trust more with my own babies.
Jennifer Fenrick with her twin boys
My twin boys were born 5 weeks premature and spent a week in the NICU. When one of my boys’ gross motor skills seemed a bit delayed at around 5 months old, it was Tania who I called. She wasted no time meeting with us in her clinic so she could evaluate him, and she continued to see him every four to six months after that, until he was four and we were certain he was reaching all of his motor milestones. Those first few visits were full of anxiety for me. I felt powerless, but I trusted Tania whole-heartedly, as I felt to a certain extent, that my baby’s developmental trajectory hinged on this early intervention. She continually gave me ‘homework’ to complete with my son after each session (which I did diligently, because I knew she would be able to tell if we hadn’t!) and she always followed up with me to see how my little man was doing. Now, more than three years later, he is doing fantastic and is developing on-par with other almost-five-year-olds! But as a mom, I won’t ever forget those first few months of uncertainty and who was there to help along the way. “My” Tania will always hold a special place in my heart for that very reason.
It wasn’t until I came to work in the admissions department here at RMUoHP that I discovered that “my” Tania was an alumna of our program and had earned her OTD here in 2010! It is a wonder that I have landed here and it is so neat to me that my experiences in the health professions realm have now come full circle!
Tania Stagen-Hansen and her family
Tania’s talent and intelligence and skills showed through many times over while we worked together, but knowing she took the extra step to become educated at the highest level possible for her field and in one of the largest programs in the country made me feel that much more confident about the trust I was putting in her to help me take care of my boy. As a parent, there’s no better feeling than knowing and understanding that you have the best of the best working with your child. After being able to meet the program directors and the faculty of the RMUoHP OTD program, I feel that much more grateful for Tania taking the time and investing her effort and expertise into helping my little boy.
So, while I believe and am invested in RMUoHP for a bevy of reasons, I can say that the Post-Professional OTD program and its alumni have had a direct impact on me and my family’s life and well-being. Dr. Tania Steven-Hanson, my Tania, exemplifies the vision of RMUoHP in advancing the quality, delivery and efficacy of healthcare, and for that I am truly grateful.
Have questions for RMUoHP OTD alumni like Tania, or want to learn more about our program? Contact a program advisor at 801.375.5125 or otd@rm.edu!
