Occupational therapist available for hospital, care center patients

East Adams Rural Hospital hired Dorcey Earle as the new occupational therapist to join the therapy team at the facility earlier this year. Along with her responsibilities for the hospital district, Earle is also the occupational therapist for residents in the East Adams Care Center.

Earle said she spends the majority of her workweek in the Care Center facility, but does outpatient consultations with the Physical Therapy department at the hospital. She also splits her time with Odessa Hospital and works for the Odessa School District.

While physical therapy focuses on patients rebuilding strength from an injury or illness, occupational therapy focuses on patients who are recuperating from a physical or mental illness. The main goal for rehabilitation in occupational therapy is to have the patient be able to perform activities that are part of their daily life.

Earle said her work in Ritzville has been focused primarily on basic self-care and living improvements. She said she spends time with patients helping them work back to be able to dress themselves or use the bathroom, and other daily tasks.

She said the most common injury patients suffer from is stroke, and there are also a lot of people needing to learn how to adapt after a hand injury.

Earle began pursuing a career in occupational therapy in college. She majored in Exercise Science at Gonzaga University and graduated in 2000 before continuing her education at Eastern Washington University. She received her occupational therapy degree in 2003, and immediately began her clinical rotation at Sacred Heart Hospital.

After seven years working at Sacred Heart, Earle took a position as the Director of Therapy Operations at Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital in Post Falls, Idaho. During her work with both of the hospitals, she focused on assisting neurological impaired and acute care patients.

Earle found the work to be extremely rewarding to be able to help patients return to their normal lives and function on their own. Earle said her passion has always been in the neurological division of her work, mainly because she enjoyed working with her patients on a long-term basis and having the challenge of having them be able to integrate back into their daily routines.

Though she enjoyed the rush of working for a larger hospital district, Earle is enjoying working at a rural hospital district because of the continuity of patients and the kindness of the community. Earle said the adjustment was easy to make because residents have been welcoming and her work keeps her busy between Ritzville and Odessa.

Earle moved to Ritzville with her two sons, and currently lives between the Ritzville and Odessa communities with her boyfriend, Stacey.

Since moving to Ritzville, Earle has become a member of the East Adams County Healthcare Foundation board. She is helping the EACH Foundation Auction in October and is looking forward to continuing her involvement with the community.

Earle said her primary focus at the hospital and Care Center is to provide the highest level of care available, as well as provide a strong continuity of care. She is working with other members of the physical therapy department and the administration to improve programs for patients in the area.

To contacct Earle, email [email protected].