Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Katz Of All Kinds Inclusive Playground: A Funding And Inclusive Playground Guide For Melbourne School District, Kennedi Wiles-Blankenship

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Play allows children to develop many skills needed to be successful. Common skills include cognitive skills, emotional intelligence, physical development, and social development (Siu et al., 2017). The skills created at a young age provide the groundwork for further development. Children who do not have access to play opportunities will be less likely to develop the skills. The literature revealed that child development is positively impacted through play. Unfortunately, children with disabilities have fewer opportunities to develop the skills previously stated due to inaccessible playgrounds. The inability to participate in play will deprive the child of developing key life skills. …

Enhancing Ergonomics And Personal Safety Within The Farming Profession, Savannah Hooper

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Agriculture workers regularly experience “forceful exertions, pinching, stooping, prolonged static postures, awkward positions, and continual bending and twisting while handling excessive or asymmetrical weight, leaving them at an increased risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders” (Kirkhorn & Schenker, 2001, para. 30). The literature revealed that farmers are regularly exposed to safety risks within their occupation, but standards are not in place to establish minimum safety and ergonomic requirements for each farm (Kirkhorn & Schenker, 2001). The injuries and WMSD’s recorded within the agriculture sector reveal that the profession’s consistent use of hazardous materials, challenging body positions, and high-risk equipment have created …

Development Of A Animal Assisted Therapy Intervention Manual And Screening Tool For The Pediatric Population, Moira O'Keefe

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The doctoral capstone project aims to 1) create a pediatric animal assisted therapy intervention manual and 2) screening tool to promote appropriate and diverse usage of AAT for increased goal achievement. The intervention manual and screening tool serves as an evidence-based educational resource and tool that therapists can use to advocate for occupational therapists' role within animal assisted therapy and fill a gap within the population.

Health Promotion And Injury Prevention At Nucor Steel Memphis, Inc., Andrew W. Pratt

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Nucor employees work in a physically demanding environment. Steel production requires the use of heavy equipment, extremely high temperatures, and challenging infrastructure. During shifts, employees engage in significant amounts of standing, walking, bending, and lifting. Nucor recognizes the inherent hazards associated with the steel production industry and the importance of ensuring the safety of the employees. The purpose of this project was to develop a manual for the occupational clinic to utilize for increasing health and safety at Nucor.

Improving Participation In Therapy Sessions When Adults With Physical Impairments Play Video Games, Lorna Leigh Rogers

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Active video games (AVGs) were initially created for younger audiences to promote active play in a home environment using gaming consoles. The healthcare field has found AVGs to be an engaging new platform for all ages. AVGs in treatment interventions have become increasingly popular in rehabilitation practice settings over the years (Levac et al., 2018). With over 40 million adults experiencing physical impairments, therapeutic gaming may provide innovative interventions that implement motivation and physical function for the adult population (CDC, 2018). The purpose of the Doctoral Capstone project was to develop a resource, the Nintendo Wii Program Manual, to help …

Development Of An Occupational Therapy Activity Program In Hospice: Making The Days Count, Lauren Walker

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The purpose of the doctoral capstone project was to create a program manual that could be utilized as an educational resource within the hospice setting to assist patient engagement in meaningful occupations. Hospice house staff and volunteers can utilize the manual to review the theoretical background of the program, occupational therapy's role in hospice, common diseases and deficits, and ways to assist patients when engaging in meaningful, self-chosen occupations. The manual serves as a tool to advocate for occupational therapy in hospice and a guide for intervention within the hospice setting.

Tummy Time In Infancy: Real-World Assessments And Associations With Developmental Outcomes In Early Childhood, Ketaki Inamdar

Theses and Dissertations

Tummy time or awake, supervised, prone play is an important developmental play position in infancy. Engaging in more than 15 minutes of tummy time per day is associated with a lower risk of plagiocephaly, lower body mass index, and achievement of higher motor scores in full-term and at-risk preterm infants. However, there are significant gaps in the measurement of tummy time in current literature. Conventionally used subjective parent reports have not been validated against gold standard direct observation, and the feasibility and real-world validity of objective solutions such as wearable sensors has not been examined in full-term and at-risk preterm …

Factors Influencing The Diversity Of Occupational Therapy Students, Donna Colaianni, Grace Tovar, Dominique Wilson, Heidi Zapanta

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The gender, ethnic, and racial diversity of occupational therapy professionals does not represent the diversity found in the population, and thus does not represent the diversity found in our patients and clients. In order to carry out the American Occupational Therapy Association’s vision to create a diverse workforce able to meet the needs of society, this study examined the factors influencing occupational therapy students’ choice of occupational therapy as a career using a survey. 538 participants responded to the survey. Results identify both influential factors and barriers to students pursuing occupational therapy as a career and have implications for diversifying …

Impact Of Motivations For Volunteering On Well-Being Among Health Sciences Students, Allison J. Naber, Rebecca Benson, Katie Ericsson, Macey Genzlinger

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Motivations for volunteering as a meaningful occupation can influence well-being. This study explored the relationship between motivations for volunteering and perceived well-being among students enrolled in one of ten departments in a School of Health Sciences. A cross-sectional survey incorporating the RAND 36-Item Short Form Survey and Volunteer Function Inventory was employed. Most of the 95 participants were students enrolled in the health science undergraduate and occupational therapy graduate programs. Approximately 75% had volunteered in the past year. RAND SF-36 findings indicated good perceived well-being among many categories. Primary motivations for volunteering included values (Mdn = 30) and understanding …

Seltec: Service And Experiential Learning Through Engagement In The Community: A Level I Fieldwork Model: Part 2, Amanda J. Mohler, Andrea B. Brown

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The SELTEC model of Level I fieldwork was developed and published in 2020. The SELTEC model combines service and experiential learning to benefit student learners, the educational system, and the community. The purpose of the study was to determine students’ perceptions of a SELTEC model experience compared to a traditional Level I fieldwork experience. The research team administered a 24-item survey to thirty students who participated in the study. All participants received both a traditional one-week and SELTEC level I fieldwork experience during their occupational therapy education at Arkansas State University. Seventy-nine percent (n=23) of the respondents selected the SELTEC …

Finding A Voice: Overcoming Shame Through A Classroom Collective Exploration Of Vulnerability, Mary Catherine Lockmiller, Amy Armstrong-Heimsoth

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In keeping with the call for greater justice and diversity within the occupational therapy profession, many educational programs are taking steps to infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across their curriculum. In this paper, we will introduce the theoretical concepts underpinning the first assignment in a DEI curriculum thread in one entry-level occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) program, grounding it in critical pedagogy and exploring how it provides a first step to critical aptitude by providing space for an open-ended, reflexive dialogue about subjective experiences of internalized shame and marginalization. Students learn how to practice self awareness, understand shame culture, and …

Passing The Five-Year Mark: Reflections On Growth And Trends, Dana M. Howell, Cynthia L. Hayden, Renee Causey-Upton

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

No abstract provided.

The Development Of A Well-Being Program For Occupational Therapy Graduate Students, Stacy Smallfield, Emma Burry, Kelsey M. Lawrence, Kathy M. Yang, Katherine M. Chin, Hannahmarie Klute

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

High levels of stress among occupational therapy graduate students have led to the adoption of unhealthy coping habits such as poor nutrition, little exercise, and disrupted sleep. In response, many institutions have explored programming and even curricular changes to support student well-being. However, very few are built upon a strong theoretical foundation to address holistic well-being. Therefore, this paper describes how logic modeling was used to develop a student well-being program based on Facilitating Learning and Occupational Well-Being Using Research-Based Initiatives for Student Health (FLOURISH), a theoretical approach rooted in the Person-Environment-Occupation Performance Model. A well-being program delivered via a …

The Effect Of An Online Journal Club On Fieldwork Educators’ Perspectives On Student Professionalism, Nathaniel R. Dare, William Janes

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This study examined the effect of an online journal club on fieldwork educators’ perspectives on student professionalism. Fieldwork educators participated in a five-week journal club on the topic of professionalism. Thirty-nine fieldwork educators completed the experience, which entailed a pre-posttest survey, reading one article, and participating in a weekly, asynchronous discussion. Ratings of confidence in supervising students who exhibit unprofessional behaviors increased at a statistically significant level from pretest to posttest. Qualitative themes are presented for pre-posttest questions, in addition to the weekly discussion responses. An online journal club for fieldwork educators increased self-ratings of confidence in supervising students who …

Intraprofessional Collaboration In Ot/Ota Academia: Immersive Innovations For Skill Building, Terri Reichley Dennehy

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Intraprofessionalism is vital to service delivery. This inquiry sought to develop and examine a college elective combining occupational therapy (OT) with occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students, to foster collaborative relationships, and to provide intraprofessional innovations in academia across an entire semester, immersing learners from multiple colleges/universities. Qualitative participatory action research (PAR) was used to determine ways to integrate OT and OTA students from four disparate programs in intraprofessional learning, and to understand students’ perspectives regarding the immersive, learner-centered educational programming. The research cycled through planning, acting, observing, and reflecting on topics related to OT/OTA integration, supervision, and role delineation. Inquiry …

Service-Learning And Case-Based Learning’S Impact On Student’S Clinical Reasoning: A Repeated Measures Design Study, Gordon B. Tsubira, Traci Garrison, Sapna Chakraborty, Shana Cerny

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Clinical reasoning is crucial for the occupational therapy profession to thrive in an ever-changing healthcare environment but is seldom isolated for explicit instruction and outcome measurement in educational course curricula. A single-factor repeated measures design study was conducted to compare the impact of didactic case-based learning and experiential service-learning on the development of the clinical reasoning of students at a midwestern public university’s entry-level Master of Occupational Therapy program. The participants were sixteen graduate occupational therapy students who had completed their foundation-level courses. Participants explored modes of clinical reasoning in occupational therapy for eight weeks (the first half of the …

Barriers, Challenges, And Supports To The Implementation Of Standardized Patients And Simulated Environments By Occupational Therapy Education Programs, Amanda Mack, Anne Escher, John Wong

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

A national survey examined the implementation rates, barriers, challenges, and supports to implementation of two types of simulation (standardized patients and simulated environments) by entry-level occupational therapy education programs in the United States. It also sought to identify relationships between program characteristics and implementation of these types of simulation. An online survey inquiring about academic program characteristics and use of simulation was sent to all occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs in the United States in 2017 prior to the implementation of the 2018 Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education Standards and the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Data …

Level I Fieldwork Using Simulation: Student Performance Outcomes And Perceptions, Nicole C. Harris, Sarah Nielsen, Marilyn G. Klug

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The purpose of this study was to examine students’ perceptions and performance outcomes of a virtual fieldwork using Simucase® in conjunction with supplemental activities and debriefing opportunities. The simulation replaced Level I clinic-based fieldwork experiences that were cancelled due to COVID-19. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a modified evaluation tool to assess student performance outcomes and perceptions for students in the Year one Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) cohort (n=57) and the Year two Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) cohort (n=57) enrolled in a public university in the rural Midwest. Student ratings were compared using chi-square test of independence …

Faculty-Led Virtual Level 1 Community Fieldwork During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tiffany L. Benaroya, Margaret Swarbrick, Michelle Zechner, Ann A. Murphy, Meredith Cimmino

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Fieldwork is an integral portion of occupational therapy education that ensures students have the opportunity to develop basic competencies in real world practice settings. The national shortage of fieldwork placements, particularly in the area of mental health, in combination with the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to the adoption of increasingly innovative fieldwork models. This retrospective, qualitative study investigates occupational therapy assistant students’ experiences of completing a faculty-led (i.e. where faculty served as the primary fieldwork educator) and virtual (i.e., where services were offered in a virtual environment) Level I fieldwork with a community-based peer led behavioral health agency. Twenty-three students …

Relating The Makerspace Movement To Diy Adaptive Equipment In An Online Intervention Course For Adults With Physical Disabilities, Rose Mcandrew, Amanda L. Wilson

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Many occupational therapy programs use hybrid instruction methods that include virtual learning. To ensure active learning techniques, instructors must alter and adapt traditional instruction methods to the virtual environment. This article explores the use of a virtual Makerspace to create adaptive equipment used throughout online intervention course experiences. Thirty-seven first year occupational therapy students participated in an exclusively online, synchronous course focusing on interventions for adults with physical disabilities. A Makerspace was created to allow students to have access to adaptive equipment (AE) and teach students how to fabricate low-cost AE for future clients. During class, guided instruction was provided …

Occupation-Centered Anatomy And Applied Biomechanics Courses: Design And Outcomes, Rose Mcandrew, Vicki K. Kaskutas

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Occupation-centered course design allows occupational therapy (OT) educators to differentiate ourselves from other professions while communicating the distinct value of occupation to our students. While there have been numerous calls to action for centering occupation in the OT classroom and proposed models to approach course design, there is limited literature on occupation-centered course design in specific courses, notably foundational science courses like anatomy and applied biomechanics. In this study, we outline our course design process in two courses taught concurrently, as well as our prospective study to determine if an occupation-centered course design allowed students to meet objectives and the …

Exploring The Perspectives Of Community Mentors In Occupational Therapy Education, Julia Jansen-Van Vuuren, Nicole Bobbette, Rosemary Lysaght

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Involving people with disabilities in the education of occupational therapy students is important for improving knowledge, skills, and attitudes that promote client-centered practice. At Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, community mentors with disabilities are involved in an occupational therapy course designed to enhance student understanding and empathy for the lived experience of disability. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the course required adjustment to adhere to health and safety precautions. We explored the perspectives of community mentors with disabilities who participated in the course during the pandemic to better understand how pandemic-related restrictions affected the mentoring experience, their relationships …

Factors Impacting Ot And Ota Student Feedback Use During Level Ii Fieldwork Experiences, Beth Ann Hatkevich, Emily R. Pottkotter, Nicole Stotz

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Feedback is used in experiential learning to help occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students develop the specific knowledge and skills needed to become entry-level practitioners. However, many students do not use the feedback given by fieldwork (FW) educators or perceive it as helpful in improving performance. Therefore, this study aimed to identify factors impacting the integration of feedback for OT/OTA students during Level II FW experiences. An invitation email was sent to 102 students from two OT and two OTA education programs in Ohio to participate in a survey regarding their Level II FW experiences. The survey …

Exploring Evidence Based Practice Implementation By Occupational Therapists: Implications For Fieldwork, Angela Benfield, Helen Jeffery

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

A fieldwork education model is used in occupational therapy to develop competency of professional skills, including evidence-based practice (EBP) and clinical reasoning. This quantitative study explored factors influencing implementation rates of EBP in New Zealand registered occupational therapists to better understand students’ experience of evidence-based practice while on fieldwork. An online survey exploring beliefs and practices related to clinical competence, professional reasoning and EBP was conducted. The survey included questions about related beliefs, the measure of Evidence Informed Professional Thinking (EIPT; Benfield & Johnston, 2020), and the Implementation Climate Scale (ICS; Ehrhart et al., 2014). The mean scores on the …

Pediatric Telehealth Simplified: A Toolkit For The Rural Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practitioner, Stacy Michelle Buschette

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project is to promote occupational therapy to rural pediatric populations by means of effective and efficient telehealth service delivery via an extensive toolkit. The toolkit is meant to enhance the occupational therapy practitioner’s skills, abilities, and competencies pertaining to telehealth to ease the transition to telehealth implementation.

Methodology: An in-depth literature review of current research was conducted to determine the common barriers and supports that are experienced by occupational therapy practitioners implementing telehealth service delivery. Due to the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous occupational therapy practitioners were compelled to transition to telehealth intervention …

Tiny Humans, Huge Environments: All The Sense’S Coming Into Play, Jessica L. Blackman

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Introduction The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a busy overwhelming environment that differs from the womb. In the womb, an infant is protected from noises and bright lights, tasting and smelling the mother's diet, feeling movement and pushing against the mother as they grow (Altimier & Phillips, 2016). It is ideal for a premature infant's neurodevelopment to have the NICU environment mimic the womb. Two models were selected to help guide the product development, one occupation-based model and one NICU-based model.

Methodology The Person, Environment, Occupation (PEO) model Law et al. (1996) was selected to be used as it …

Increasing Health, Wellness, And Self-Care In Older Adults Experiencing Mental Health Effects During And After A Pandemic, Hayley Blom

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The COVID-19 pandemic calls for new solutions in promoting increased health, wellness, and self-care in older adults experiencing mental health effects during and after a pandemic. As the virus began to spread in the United States in early 2020, social distancing measures were implemented to reduce the spread of the virus. During this time of uncertainty, assisted living facilities (ALF) put a halt to all program activities, mealtimes in the communal dining area, and any other activities or events that were face-to-face. Along with activity programming, most facilities restricted visitors from entering the building including residents’ loved ones. These factors …

Addressing Challenges Related To Community Reintegration Following A Traumatic Brain Injury, Alexia Rose Gallagher

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Title: Addressing Challenges Related to Community Reintegration Following a Traumatic Brain Injury

Introduction: The purpose of this scholarly project was to create a guide of resources and tools available in and around Bismarck, North Dakota that individuals after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can utilize to assist in their successful return to their community. The Rancho Los Amigos Scale was utilized to effectively guide which resources and supports were needed based on the functional level the individual is currently presenting at. The Person Environment Occupational (PEO) Model theoretical framework was utilized to guide the creation and implementation of this community …

Promoting Adherence To Lymphedema Manageemnt: A Resource Guide For Ot Practitioners In Interprofessional Teams, Marissa Louise Dreiling

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The chronic condition of lymphedema continues to be poorly recognized and managed by healthcare providers due to limited knowledge and education, which poses barriers for patients trying to manage from a personal, occupational, and environmental standpoint. The barriers experienced by patients include complex and time-consuming management approaches with little attention towards health literacy causing poor self-efficacy, lost independence in occupations, increased distress and frustration, isolation, and withdrawal (Boyages et al., 2016; Keast, Despatis, Allen, & Brassard, 2015; Ostby, Armer, Smith, & Stewart, 2018). The purpose of this product is to provide occupational therapy practitioners with educational strategies and materials to …

Footwear Characteristics: Effects On Dynamic Balance In The Young And Elderly, Joseph Wallace

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Older adults suffer from an increased risk of falling, and falls make up a substantial percentage of injuries and mortality rates in elderly populations. Falls also burden health and long-term care infrastructure and can limit individual independence and overall functioning due to fear of falling. Footwear and orthotic interventions have previously been shown to affect balance in both young and older adult populations and may provide a potential avenue for improving balance and combatting fall rates. Footwear and orthotic interventions are relatively easily implemented, however there is a lack of consistency among current footwear and orthotic literature as well as …