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OT grad takes multi-tasking to new level

by Heather Woolwine
Public Relations
Jamie Kuykendall already had a career in marketing when he decided to pay attention to an old undergraduate career assessment.

“Get involved within your college or school, but always remember that studying comes first.” 
—Jamie Kuykendall

“I slowly came to the conclusion while in marketing for the textile industry that one, the industry was moving to Mexico and two, my professional needs weren’t being fulfilled,” Kuykendall said. “So I looked at an old college profile that indicated that physical, occupational, or speech therapy would be a good fit for me. Who knew those things could be accurate?”

A native of Auburn, Ala., Kuykendall graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., with degrees in German and Philosophy. Not quite an indication that health care was in his future. 

But despite a variety of interests and professional skill sets, he decided to volunteer and watch physical, occupational and speech therapists. Occupational therapy dangled before him like a tempting morsel on the end of a fishing line. 

So he bit.

“I was struck by the holistic nature of OT,” Kuykendall said. “I liked the idea of treating the whole patient. Ten years after graduating college, I began studying at MUSC in 2001. I wish that I’d had the foresight of my younger classmates, because at times it was kind of strange being the oldest in my class.”
 
Kuykendall believes his maturity kept him from participating in some of the social aspects of MUSC life, as he was married and felt he’d moved beyond the happy-hour lifestyle. “It’s not that all my classmates were all constantly out partying, I just felt that now that I wasn’t limited to a nine-to-five lifestyle because of school, I was able to  continue what I grew up doing, volunteering. I wanted to spend my extra time in a meaningful way,” he said.

Kuykendall’s parents, Missy and John, instilled in him and his brother Tim at an early age the power of giving back. The family frequently delivered furniture to those in need and participated in other outreach activities through their church.

“My father was also very influential in terms of how I pursued my education,” he said. “He was quite an academic role model, the valedictorian in undergraduate and seminary studies. He continued his professional education until he was 35 and has served as a true inspiration to me in my academic endeavors.”

Kuykendall’s extensive volunteering experience includes work with the Charleston Habitat for Humanity, From Darkness to Light, the Wheelchair Basketball Association, the Ronald McDonald House, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, Association for the Blind, American Red Cross, Tri-County Immunization Task Force, Adopt-a-Highway, and as a volunteer and vice president on the board of trustees for East Cooper Meals on Wheels.

“I really enjoy volunteering, and in a way it’s kind of selfish because it makes me feel good,” he said. “We live in a pay-as-you-go society, and I feel like volunteering is needed to fill that system’s gaps. I like to believe that I have pretty good ideas concerning how volunteer programs should be organized and run, so my constant involvement and activity hopefully benefits programs like Meals on Wheels.”

And as if volunteering and going to school full-time weren’t enough, Kuykendall also remained active in the College of Health Professions as an SGA member and officer, a college representative, a Presidential Scholar, and a consistent name on the dean’s list.

He worked part-time during his education at MUSC, at one time maintaining grades, volunteering, and three jobs—one at a driving range, a research grant, and as a personal assistant to Jim Krause, Ph.D., College of Health Professions. 

And while it would seem that Kuykendall was quite stressed during his time here, instead he raved about the experience. 

“The OT program was incredible,” he said. “We have excellent educators, many of whom are in the field day in and out. I think it’s important to the future success of the program to continue to have these practical teachers, but also to see the value of research. I really appreciated all of my professors because they were interested in our learning.”

“Jamie was the student who was involved in many activities and who was very enthusiastic in the classroom and laboratory situations, “ said Peter Bowman, CHP assistant professor and director Rehabilitation Sciences Recruitment. “He took on a number of challenges at the same time as a full-time student for three years and was successful. That says much about him.”

When asked the obvious question, “how did you do it all,” Kuykendall remembered three years in Charlotte, N.C.,  and one particular person. “It took me awhile to get into OT school, with all the prerequisites I needed before I could even apply,” he said. “I assisted a person with Lou Gehrig’s disease who absolutely reassured me on a daily basis that what I was going through and would go through to be an OT would be worth every minute. Any time that I felt down, I thought about him and the fact that if he could handle having someone help him out of bed every morning, then I could do this. Joe Martin taught me humility and how to put things in perspective.”

Kuykendall plans to pursue OT opportunities in the Carolinas upon graduation and if the past is any indication, he certainly won’t sit still for long, as multi-taskers never do.

Five things I couldn’t have made it through school without:
1. My mom.
2. My wife of 12 years, Wanda.
3. Dr. Pepper.
4. My classmates.
5. My professors.
 

Friday, May 21, 2004
Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.