Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Health Club: The Pursuit For A Diverse Healthcare Team, Michelle Ariana Morales, Angela Labrie Blackwell, Erik Perez

Fall 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Currently, the ethnic and racial demographics of occupational therapy students do not reflect the US’ diverse populations due to a general lack of awareness about occupational therapy (OT) amongst diverse high school students (HSS). Many factors serve as common barriers amongst diverse, minority communities, limiting students’ exposure to and knowledge about health professions, such as OT. To address these barriers, Health Club is a six-week, high school afterschool program designed to raise awareness about healthcare professions where ethnically and racially diverse populations are commonly underrepresented. Health Club uses lessons consisting of fundamental healthcare knowledge to provide HSS with opportunities to …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Mina Salinas, Mary Greer, Rudy Seward

Summer 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive inherited type of muscular dystrophy that results in progressive muscle weakness and requires a multidisciplinary approach for disease management. Occupational Therapy (OT) services are extremely valuable to this population as individuals diagnosed with this condition face significant difficulty in areas of occupational performance. Research shows occupational therapy services are not being received consistently and there are disparities in services received leaving a gap in the literature about the referral process and the understanding of OT's role.

Exploring The Experiences Of Underrepresented Students Pursuing Health-Related Graduate Or Professional Programs, Alison Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For many years graduate and professional education programs for the health professions have sought to increase the diversity of their student body to include students from a wider variety of backgrounds. Increasing the diversity of healthcare providers is an essential component of addressing inequities in healthcare. However, despite initiatives to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the health professions, these professions remain largely White and female. Previous researchers have sought to identify the reasons that racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in healthcare, and the barriers to persistence and success. Little research exists explaining why men are underrepresented in the …

Occupational Therapy Curricula Patterns For Acquired Brain Injury-Related Vision Disorders For Entry-Level Programs: A Survey, Laura Schmeiser, Alicia Reiser, Caitlyn Foy

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists are among the first providers to encounter individuals after an acquired brain injury (ABI). Evidence suggests that most occupational therapists learn about ABI-related vision disorders from continuing education and on-the-job training. A better understanding of entry-level curricula patterns for ABI-related vision disorders is important because of their high prevalence and impact on occupational performance. A descriptive online survey was administered to occupational therapy educators at ACOTE-accredited entry-level programs to explore curricula patterns for ABI-related vision disorders. Of 1,391 occupational therapy educators invited to participate, 71 (5%) began the survey, and 66 met the inclusion criteria. Vision screening methods …

Early Manual Lymphatic Drainage With Secondary Edema, Tiana Bridges Mot/S, Carly Fallin Mot/S, Emma Hilliard Mot/S, Olivia Holmes Mot/S, Kathryn Mullins Mot/S, Jonathan Richardson Mot/S, Cassie Warlick Mot/S

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

Implementation of an early manual lymphatic drainage program on post-op head/neck patients to decrease secondary edema.

Modified Vs. Standard Sternal Precautions, Alex Rome Mot/S, Katie Morris Mot/S, Payton Johnston Mot/S, Cheyenne Franklin Mot/S, Rachel Jeneff Mot/S, Hannah Tackett Mot/S

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

The poster examines standard and modified sternal precautions in pediatrics following a median sternotomy and the impact on developmental outcomes. The question our poster aims to answer includes, do modified sternal precautions improve developmental outcomes in children who underwent (median) sternotomy in a hospital setting compared to those with traditional sternal precautions? Through searching databases, the authors were able to gather articles providing evidence and information regarding modified vs. standard sternal precautions. Through the research, the authors concluded that there is further research needed on this topic in pediatric populations with the recommendation to proceed using caution due to no …

The Efficacy Of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy Or Modified Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy In Improving Upper Extremity Motor Function In Adults With Hemiplegia After A Traumatic Brain Injury, Ryan Bizette, Adaire Deblanc, Rachel Ridenour, Lindsey Satterlee, Allyson Smith, Katya Vanausdall

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

The final portfolio contains 11 research articles from both national and international journals. Study designs include two randomized control trials, one systematic review, four quasi-experimental studies, one case study, two case series, and one pilot case study. All studies relate directly to components of the evidence-based practice question and will be used to draft new practice guidelines for using constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) or modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) in occupational therapy practice.

Seven articles specifically describe the effectiveness of CIMT or mCIMT for adults with hemiplegia following a traumatic brain injury. The other four articles describe the effectiveness of …

Positioning And Feeding Techniques Effective In Improving Sensorimotor Functions In Infants With Cleft Palate, Skylar Russell Mot/S, Kaitlin Steel Mot/S, Robin Edwards Mot/S, Bri Morgan Mot/S, Danielle Boscaccy Mot/S, Haleigh Black Mot/S, Sydney Young Mot/S

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

Orofacial clefts are the second most common type of birth defect in the United States and are continuing to grow each year (Nasreddine et al., 2021). Based on the National Birth Defects Prevention Network annual report in 2014, 1 in 1,700 babies were born in the United States with a cleft palate (Mai CT et al., 2019). While there are different types of orofacial clefts, for this research the term cleft palate will be used to determine appropriate interventions within the scope of occupational therapy, such as positioning, bottle modifications, and sensorimotor techniques. The impact of this birth defect can …

Occupational Therapy Strategies For Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Rachel Geissler, Marjorie Jamerson, Hunter Tockey, Mackenzie Dew, Emily Bennett, Summer Weldon, Laura Mendez

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

Effectiveness of occupational therapy strategies with adults with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

Mini-Mental State Examination (Mmse) As Predictor Of On-Road Driving Ability, Erica Bailey Floyd, Katelyn Elizabeth Stewart, Elizabeth Claire Morris, Hayes Elizabeth Franklin, Kristin Elizabeth Mather, Caymen Lynn Starwalt

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

Students met with a community OT practitioner who specializes in driving rehabilitation. The community practitioner identified a potential gap in referrals for individuals with cognitive impairment and on-road driving assessments. Due to the scarcity of driving rehabilitation practitioners, it is important to provide effective evaluation and interview. By identifying clients who are past the potential for safe on-road driving performance due to their score on a status examination, practitioners can reach more clients in a more efficacious manner. There exists a need for a more accurate screening measure to predict on road driving performance in individuals with cognitive impairment. The …

Examining The Utility Of The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (Copm) Vs. Cognitive Mapping And Motivational Interviewing (Cm/Mi) To Provide Person-Centered Care (Pcc) For People With Parkinson’S Disease (Pwpd), Mary Lagasca, Karen Aranha

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) limits occupational engagement and quality of life. Clinicians need tools to help understand the lived experiences of people with PD to provide more person-centered care (PCC). The Canadian Occupational Performance Model (COPM) is one tool used with this population, but its predetermined categories may be limiting. In contrast, Cognitive Mapping and Motivational Interviewing (CM/MI) is a non-standardized method that may provide more insight. Objective: To identify the benefits of the COPM to CM/MI in delivering more person-centered care (PCC). Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological self-study was used. Data collection compared the assessments and reflected on determining if …

Alzheimer's Dementia And Occupational Therapy, Sofia Demusaj, Averee Ortiz, Laura Swanson

Client Educational Handouts

This handout is an introduction to Alzheimer's dementia and the role that occupational therapy can have in the treatment of the disease. It contains facts, figures, signs, and symptoms of Alzheimer's dementia. It also contains examples of occupational therapy interventions and assessments for clients with Alzheimer's disease.

Faculty Perceptions Of Health Professional Students’ Hybrid-Online Learning Strategies: A Multi-Center Qualitative Study, Evan M. Pucillo, Gabriela Perez, Leiselle Pilgrim

Health Professions Education

Purpose. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the utilization of hybrid-online and fully-online instruction in health professional education. Physical (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) programs have become increasingly reliant upon this mode of instruction. Therefore, it is important to understand advising strategies for this educational environment. Faculty advisors may endorse specific learning strategies over others. However, advising strategies of faculty are not well represented in the scientific literature. Methods. A qualitative phenomenological design used a six-item, open-ended questionnaire to purposefully survey faculty members teaching and advising students in hybrid-online PT and OT graduate programs during COVID-19. Dedoose® v.9.4 qualitative software (Los Angeles, …

Metacognition And Self-Regulation Influence Academic Performance In Occupational And Physical Therapy Students, Evan M. Pucillo, Gabriela Perez

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

An understanding of student learning strategies is an important component of supporting academic success and avoiding difficulty. Prior inquiry has demonstrated certain learning strategies are more closely related to academic performance than others. The purpose of this study was to describe predictive relationships between the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), and grade point average (GPA) in occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) programs. A multi-center convenience sample of N=75(100%) entry-level students [OT: 34(45%); PT: 41(55%)] was included from Florida 32(42.7%), California 21(28%), and Texas 22(29.3%). A hierarchical linear regression analysis demonstrated the combination of …

The Environment Of Interprofessional Education In Graduate Education: Exploring Professional Programs Of Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant, And Physical Therapy, Allison R. Kaczmarek

Theses and Dissertations

Interprofessional education (IPE) is an educational approach of increasing popularity in professional schools for the preparation of a collaborative ready healthcare workforce. The accrediting bodies of professional education programs in occupational therapy (OT), physician assistant (PA), and physical therapy (PT) have incorporated standards for outcomes addressing IPE. Although they have endorsed the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative (HPAC) consensus document on quality IPE, we do not have a contemporary snapshot of the IPE environments in the curriculum of their accredited programs. This dissertation, a collection of three distinct inquiries, has two aims: first, to provide a description of IPE as it …

Developing The Change Agent Competencies Of Occupational Therapy University Students: Using A Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning Approach In A Canadian Program, Étienne Lavoie-Trudeau, Tim Dubé, Michaël Beaudoin, Annie Carrier

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Canadian occupational therapy (OT) university programs must teach change agent competencies. These include promoting social justice and empowering clients, which United States occupational therapists also do. Change agent competency requirements are challenging to teach and involve multidisciplinary knowledge and non-traditional skills. As few occupational therapists feel competent to act as change agents, university programs must engage in a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) approach and identify areas of improvement. The aim of this study, informed by SoTL, was to document, as described by participants, the pedagogical activities related to teaching the change agent role in an OT program in …