Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Occupational Therapy’S Work And Industry Area Of Practice: Content In Entry-Level Professional Occupational Therapy Curricula: A Survey, Thomas F. Fisher

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process identifies work as an area of occupation that has long been recognized by the profession as an area of practice. This study identified how entry-level professional occupational therapy programs meet educational standards required by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education for educational programs. Standards identified were those that relate to the area of work and industry practice. One hundred and sixty-seven program directors were invited to participate in a survey directed at work and industry occupational therapy practice. Items on the survey related to content taught in their entry-level occupational therapy …

They Said: International Occupational Therapy Perspectives On The Role Of Technology In Practice, Amy Wagenfeld

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Challenging The Status Quo: Infusing Non-Western Ideas Into Occupational Therapy Education And Practice, Wanda J. Mahoney, Anne F. Kiraly-Alvarez

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The authors of this Topics in Education article, who are both occupational therapy educators, reflect on challenging concepts related to decolonizing occupational therapy education, an idea they first encountered at the 2018 World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress. They acknowledge that Western views heavily influence the occupational therapy concepts they teach to their students. The downside of approaching occupational therapy education and practice primarily from a Western worldview is that occupational therapy students and practitioners may perpetuate societal inequities through their practices and are not well-prepared to address the occupational needs of individuals and communities around the world. This article …

Role-Play As An Effective Way To Teach Relationship Building With Telehealth, Lynn Mcivor, Michele Karnes

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Telehealth has been described in the literature as an emerging niche for occupational therapists. The profession needs to move toward cost-effective and efficient ways to provide services while not adding to the increasing cost of health care, and one way of doing this is through telehealth. The research supports the importance of the therapeutic relationship, and that telehealth changes how we develop this bond; however, the literature does not provide educators with information on how to teach this to students. The purpose of this article is to highlight the potential of using role-play to educate students on how to develop …

Addressing The Educational Needs Of Occupational Therapists Regarding Sexuality In An Acute Care Setting, Hannah Burleigh

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Despite the knowledge that sexuality is an important factor of well-being for individuals with disabilities, occupational therapists (OTs) continue to under-address this topic with clients (McGrath & Sakellariou, 2016). Additional education on sexuality may help OTs improve their knowledge and confidence in discussing and addressing sexuality with clients during intervention. The purpose of this study is to determine the educational needs of occupational therapists working in acute care who are alumnus of Elizabethtown College to promote the discussion of sexuality in practice. The research questions of the project are: 1) Do OTs in acute care educate clients on sexuality? 2) …

The Effects Of The Leisure Activity Of Coloring On Post-Test Anxiety In Graduate Level Occupational Therapy Students, Brittney N. Burton, Mary F. Baxter

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: This study examined the effects of the leisure activity of coloring on the anxiety levels of graduate level occupational therapy students after taking a high stress exam. This study also examined the effects of the leisure activity of coloring on the students’ perceptions of preparedness for and performance on the exam.

Method: The participants were recruited for this quantitative, pre/posttest study through a purposive convenience sample and randomly assigned to either the leisure activity or the control. A self-report assessment was used for data collection. The changes in anxiety levels were examined using a repeated measures analysis …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Kuzhilethu “Shep” Kshepakaran, M. Ed., Otr/S, Caps, Faota, Roxana Chirinos, Carly Derouin

Oral History Posters

The purpose of study is to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice through the life history stories of occupational therapists who have held leadership roles at the national level and beyond. It is anticipated that the life history process will be a powerful way to gather this information. An in-depth interview with the selected participant, Kuzhilethu “Shep” Kshepakaran, as well as his resume and the internet were used to gather information. The categories created symbolized Shep’s life history which included …

Development Of A Caregiver Education Support Tool For Family Caregivers Of Older Adults With Dementia, Sarah Guariglia

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

For every person diagnosed with dementia, four family members are affected and burdened with providing care. Providing familial care is associated with greater psychological, social, and emotional burden on the caregiver. Caregivers are not provided with adequate education to support successful caregiving and aging in place. This capstone project developed and piloted a caregiver education support tool to simplify the process of finding caregiver education. Five caregivers participated in interviews to guide the development of the support tool, next completed the Likert questionnaire, and tested the caregiver education support tool. Four themes were identified: (1) burden, (2) loss, (3) unmet …

Creating Confident And Connected Families: A Program To Improve Parental Self-Efficacy In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Kelly Simpson

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) require life sustaining intervention for weeks to months after birth. This intervention is remarkably stressful for both the infant, who is ill-equipped to handle life outside the womb, and for the parents who are filled with fear and stress due to the illness of their son or daughter. The experience of hospitalization can lead to stress, shame, anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder for families of NICU infants. Knowledge about the unique stressors, challenges, and needs for support of preterm infants has proven helpful to boost confidence and feelings of wellbeing within …

Concepts Of Caring: Uncovering Early Concepts Of Care In Practice For First Year Occupational Therapy Students, James Battaglia

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Caring for others is a central ideal of most health care professions. The ability to facilitate caring behaviors in occupational therapy students is essential to developing students who are well prepared to provide both technically and emotionally competent care. This study explored the early concepts of care of Master of Science Occupational Therapy students at the start of their graduate education through use of a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. The three most frequently identified student concepts of care were: (1) caring as it relates to time, (2) caring as a personal quality, and (3) caring through their communication with clients. …

Student Perspectives Of The Occupational Therapy Doctoral Experience In An Academic Setting, Stacy Smallfield, Shelby Wood

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The purpose of this study was to gather student perspectives of the 16-week doctoral experiential component (DEC) of the entry-level doctor of occupational therapy educational curriculum from students who completed the DEC in an academic setting. A retrospective qualitative study of a focus group of five students who completed the DEC in an occupational therapy (OT) academic setting was conducted using semi-structured interview questions. Codes were grouped into themes and the findings were summarized. Four major themes emerged: 1) learning experiences; 2) purposeful ambiguity; 3) knowledge and skill development; and 4) newfound appreciation. Learning experiences included …

Comparing Outcomes Of Entry-Level Degrees From One Occupational Therapy Program, Stacy Smallfield, Laura Flanigan, Anna Sherman

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The purpose of this study was to compare the professional outcomes of two entry-level occupational therapy degrees: the Master of Science (MSOT) and occupational therapy doctorate (OTD). This was a quantitative, exploratory study using a survey method. An online survey was sent to graduates from one occupational therapy program with known email addresses (N = 711). The survey included items relating to professional outcomes, such as job title, salary, and engagement with evidence-based practice, leadership, research, and interprofessional practice. Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to describe and to compare groups. The survey yielded 208 responses eligible …

Development Of A Training Program To Increase Student Clinician Competency When Communicating With People With Aphasia, Meghan Doherty, Chevie Lay

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The Washington University in St. Louis Stroke Clinic is a student-run free clinic (SRSC) designed to enhance student learning and provide the community with no-cost evidence-based occupational therapy services. Aphasia is a common communication impairment after stroke that affects the ability to access services and give and get information, and impacts life participation and satisfaction. Conversation partner training is an evidence-based treatment approach to improve communication with people with aphasia (PWA). The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of student clinician training about communicating with PWA using conversation partner training in the SRSC. This study …

Developing An International Cultural Learning Project: An Effort Towards Introducing Internationalization In The Classroom, Mary Zadnik, Pavlina Psychouli, Kayla Collins

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In an increasingly diverse and global society, allied health professionals must be ready to meet the needs of clients with different cultural values, habits, and attitudes. Understanding how culture impacts decision making in healthcare is a fundamental skill. However, education and experiences to help prepare future practitioners to meet this need are often lacking in allied health. This paper highlights a call to develop methods to identify and overcome barriers in providing students with culturally diverse and immersive experiences both feasibly and efficiently. A pilot cross-cultural experience was created utilizing the technique of Internationalization at Home (IaH) and integrating technology …

Examining The Benefits Of Educating Caregivers About Tummy Time In The Acute Care Setting, Alexandra L. Turner

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: This project addressed providing parents with education on tummy time in the acute care setting. This is based on a gap in the literature on occupational therapy (OT) services in the acute care setting.

Purpose: The purpose of this research project was to conduct a pilot study to examine the benefit of educating parents of infants in the acute care setting on providing tummy time as a developmental education measure.

Theoretical Framework: The occupational therapy practice theory, of the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) supports the holistic supporting of families, in their role as a parent, to meet the …