Thanks to her classmates and professors, Sammy Davis has been able to simultaneously pursue her occupational therapy degree and a professional hockey career.
For the past three years, Sammy Davis has lived the occupational therapy profession’s credo of being balanced.
By day, she’s been a student in the MGH Institute’s entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. On nights and weekends, she’s traded her books for skates as a member of the Boston Pride professional women’s hockey team.
“We tell our patients to live a balanced life, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do,” said Davis, a forward on the Premier Hockey Federation squad.
Juggling classes, external fieldwork, gym workouts, evening practices, and weekends of games—often hundreds of miles away—have been a challenge since she started at the IHP in 2020. But thanks to her classmates and professors, she’s been able to stickhandle through both responsibilities.
“I wanted everyone to hold me accountable. I told my classmates to say something if I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing, and my teachers understood that I’m going to work hard to get everything done and not expect anything less from me,” said the Pembroke native. “It’s been a challenge some days, I have to admit, but it’s been a great experience.”
It was during her sophomore season as the captain of the Boston University women’s hockey team that she first learned about occupational therapy, albeit in a painful way. “I got hit by a puck and my finger just kind of exploded, so I had to go to a hand surgeon and then I was referred to a certified hand specialist who also was an occupational therapist,” she recalled. “She was making splints for my glove, and I thought, ‘This is so cool.’ So I began exploring OT, and I really liked the idea of the whole profession and how they look at things holistically and client centered.”
