Occupational Therapy Commons^™

The Impact Of International Doctoral Capstone Experience On Occupational Therapy Clinicians' Current Practice, Sarbinaz Bekmuratova, Lisa Bagby, Anna Domina, Angela Patterson, Keli Mu

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of an international doctoral capstone on occupational therapy clinicians’ current practice. The study used a cross-sectional descriptive online survey design with qualitative elements with 26 occupational therapy graduates. All participants identified as female and the majority were 25-34 years old. Participants reported that the international doctorate capstone experience positively impacted their cultural competence and professional growth. Qualitative outcomes supported these findings through three themes on culture, building rapport with patients, and professional growth. This study suggests that an international doctoral capstone experience is an important way for occupational therapy students …

Not Just Women’S Work: Recruiting Men To Occupational Therapy, Alexandra I. Zelin, Erin Melhorn, Kristen J. Black, Nicole Harty

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Compared to women, men are less likely to become occupational therapists (OT). To have a more diverse workforce, and to relate to various patient groups, reasons men do not enter the field of OT must be better understood. Our study compares men and women in their familiarity with OT and desire to work in the field. Data were gathered using an online, self-report survey administered to students at a public university in the southeast. The sample included 334 undergraduate students who were in majors that often serve as feeder programs to OT graduate programs. The average age was 19.8 years …

Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceived Preparedness To Work With Transgender Clients, Meredith Rosol, Karissa Rogers, Raigan Borsh, Rachel Pavlinec, Marion Russell, Asa N. Russell

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

In order to be a successful practitioner, an occupational therapist must have proper knowledge for treating diverse populations, including clients who are transgender. However, many occupational therapy (OT) programs do not teach content that is specific to the transgender population. This study utilized a complementary mixed-methods design to determine how prepared occupational therapy students perceived themselves to be for working with transgender clients. Entry-level masters and doctoral level occupational therapy students from accredited OT programs across the United States that had completed at least their first Level II fieldwork were recruited to participate. Eighty-five occupational therapy students completed the quantitative …

Use Of Metacognitive Techniques In Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review, Monica L. Robinson, Christine Kroll, Emma Sabransky

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Efficient and effective occupational therapy curricular and course design is essential to develop competent and reflective practitioners. The intentional use of metacognitive strategies could improve the development of higher-order thinking and learning outcomes. The study explored the use of metacognitive strategies to improve learning and higher-order thinking in students within occupational therapy higher education. A targeted search for occupational therapy journals only was the primary method to identify studies. Arskey and O’Malley’s (2005) five-stage framework guided this scoping review. All studies demonstrated some aspects of metacognition, this included thinking about their learning, reflection, self-assessment, or sense-making. Through the PRISMA process, …

Perceived Value & Usefulness Of The Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone, Erika L. Kemp, Anna Domina, Sara Stephenson, Amanda Start

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The doctoral capstone is the culminating experiential learning component of the entry-level occupational therapy doctorate degree, however there is limited literature regarding its usefulness or value as perceived by graduates. This qualitative descriptive study used focus groups with a semi-structured interview guide to ask participants about the value and usefulness of their doctoral capstones. A total of 200 recent occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) graduates from three OTD programs in the Midwest and Southwest were contacted and 21 consented to participate. Researchers identified several themes that were relevant to both occupational therapy practitioners and occupational therapy programs. The four themes that …

Implementation And Outcomes Of An Education Focused Professional Development Series For Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Oaklee Rogers, Sara Stephenson, Gina Buban

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

As new educational programs emerge and student enrollment increases, the demand for new academicians, fieldwork educators, and capstone mentors is growing rapidly within the occupational therapy (OT) profession. Academic programs must prepare practitioners to teach and supervise their students who will become OTs and occupational therapy assistants (OTA). In conjunction with the state OT association, one university doctoral OT program created and implemented a free education-focused professional development series for community partners who were interested in developing their teaching knowledge and skills. The series covered unique aspects of OT and OTA education: fieldwork, the doctoral capstone experience and project, and …

Community-Based Ot Program Planning: A Virtual Level Ii Fieldwork Program Developed In Response To The Global Pandemic, Tara Collins, Virginia E. Koenig, Stephanie J. Wong, Michelle Buccinna, Rena B. Purohit, Shifra K. Leiser, Debra Cullinane

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The purpose of this article is to explain how an occupational therapy (OT) program in a university setting developed a virtual Level II community-based fieldwork program in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. This virtual fieldwork program, guided by the PRECEDE-PROCEED Planning Model (PPM), was designed to help keep students on track with their academic goals while providing them with experiential learning that would increase their confidence in OT program planning and promote their professional development. Outcome measures for this study consisted of a pre-and post-fieldwork survey that asked participants to rank their self-perceived confidence in five distinct areas of …

First Year Occupational Therapy Students’ Engagement In Learning Activities: A Qualitative Study, Mona Asbjørnslett, Helen Bull, Gry Mørk, Tore Bonsaksen

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

When students enter a bachelor program in occupational therapy, they engage in a variety of learning activities. To explore students’ perceptions of learning activities, this qualitative study investigated the experiences of six first year students participating in an occupational therapy study program at a Norwegian university. The students took part in two focus group interviews. The interview analysis focused on meaning and ended up with three main themes: 1) Getting to know each other through collaborative learning activities, 2) Engaging in classroom learning activities, and 3) Approaching the syllabus and doing assignments. The study concludes that early engagement in social …

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 …

Using Self-Assessment And Reflection To Develop Self-Efficacy In Occupational Therapy Assistant Fieldwork Students, Kristy Meyer, Julie Hunley

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Many occupational therapy students navigate the transition to the Level II fieldwork experience effortlessly, while others require support due to a lack of perceived self-efficacy. This perception dramatically impacts fieldwork performance and challenges academic fieldwork coordinators to support students struggling to believe in their own capabilities. This study utilized a quantitative quasi-experimental research design with a purposive sample of 16 occupational therapy assistant students to determine if an educational intervention increased perceived self-efficacy and overall confidence. Data collected from the Student Confidence Questionnaire (SCQ) pre, and post-intervention provided insight into the students’ report of perceived self-efficacy and overall confidence during …

A Process Framework For The Education-Focused Capstone: Supporting Expansion And Sustainable Outcomes, Sierra Clair, Sarah Corcoran, Emily Bubel, Debbie Amini

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This article aims to share a process framework created to guide entry-level occupational therapy doctoral programs in operationalizing and expanding the scope of the education-focused capstone described by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE^®).The impetus for this work was the completion of a professional development, education-focused capstone that proved to be novel, sustainable, and transformative for the capstone team, including the student, faculty mentor, site mentor, and doctoral capstone coordinator. This capstone ultimately created a professional development course covering the social determinants of health for occupational therapy practitioners, now offered through the American Occupational Therapy Association. …

Impact Of An Interprofessional Student-Led Concussion Clinic, Anne W. Hunt, Kathryn Parker, Nick Reed

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This article describes the impact on the learners and health care institution of the OnTRACK-Concussion program, an innovative student-led clinic at a children’s rehabilitation hospital. The clinic, developed and operated by occupational therapists, serves the community full-time year-round. Interprofessional health care learners work together to provide education and intervention for youth with concussion and their families and to support research and community outreach initiatives. To determine the program’s impact on student learning, a post-placement questionnaire was used to capture feedback about their clinical education experience. To determine the program impact more broadly, the most significant change method was used to …

A Snapshot Of How Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Programs Collect And Use Doctoral Capstone Outcomes, Andrew D. Rivera, Theresa Delbert, Whitney Lucas Molitor, Anne F. Kiraly-Alvarez, Danielle Friberg, Anna Domina, Autumn Clegg

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Entry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs are required to gather program evaluation data regarding the doctoral capstone for accreditation purposes. This study aims to describe the processes used by a sample of OTD programs to gather doctoral capstone outcome data and to determine the type of data collected in order to understand the perspectives regarding doctoral capstone outcomes by doctoral capstone coordinators (DCCs) within the United States. The investigators used purposeful sampling to recruit DCCs at accredited entry-level OTD programs in the United States. The most common outcome data collected included information about the doctoral capstone experience from students, student …

Anti-Racism And Occupational Therapy Education: Beyond Diversity And Inclusion, Julia Sterman, Janet Njelesani, Shanteria Carr

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

There is a pressing need to address racism within healthcare education; however, occupational therapy educators lack a compilation of discipline-specific knowledge of anti-racist actions. The objective of this study was to examine anti-racist instructional practices for educators to employ in occupational therapy education. We conducted a scoping review and systematically searched six electronic databases to identify and synthesize anti-racist educational practices within the occupational therapy literature. The 20 included articles identified that educators should: use collaborative, anti-racist teaching strategies throughout the curriculum; engage in reflexivity including how intersecting identities impact occupational engagement; decolonize curricula through including Indigenous content and non-Western …

Self-Care: An Occupational Therapy Student Perspective, Isabelle Laposha, Stacy Smallfield

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Health professional students, including occupational therapy students, report increasing rates of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout while completing their academic programs of study. Self-care is one potential solution to this crisis, as engagement in evidence-based self-care practices has been found to improve the health and well-being of various student populations; however, the self-care practices of occupational therapy students have not been well studied. Therefore, this study explored how occupational therapy students understand and practice self-care, and how self-care correlates to perceived stress. Twenty participants engaged in a focus group and completed a 72-hour time diary. Focus group results indicated that …

Addressing Sexuality: The Comfort And Preparedness Of Occupational Therapy Students, Claire Lynch, Annette V. Joosten

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Undergraduate sexual health education has the potential to increase confidence and the likelihood that healthcare professionals address sexual health in practice. This study explored Australian final year occupational therapy students’ perceptions about their education, and their preparedness and comfort to address sexuality in their final practice placements and into their future careers. An online questionnaire with three sections for (a) demographics; (b) the students' attitudes towards sexual health (SA-SH) questionnaire, which is a 22-item Likert scale about student attitudes toward sexual health issues in their future profession; and (c) nine open questions regarding students’ comfort and preparedness to address sexuality …

Professional Behavior Attributes: A Survey Of Occupational Therapy Faculty Perspectives, Taylor A. Gurley, Kate E. Decleene Huber, Angella Chen, Kristen Dyson, Hannah Hackman, Paige Mcintire, Erika Wilson

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Professionalism in occupational therapy has been challenging to define due to differing values and behaviors across contexts and professions. There is a difference between how occupational therapy students and faculty view and comprehend professionalism suggesting that occupational therapists may not have an established sense of professionalism when entering the health care field for the first time. The study's purpose was to examine occupational therapy faculty’s perceptions of essential professional behavior attributes that students should possess to succeed in occupational therapy practice. This study utilized a survey methodology to anonymously collect opinions from 150 occupational therapy faculty members across the United …

The Experience Of Meditation, And Its Effects On Attention, For Adults With Stroke Or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Three-Part Dissertation With Qualitative And Quantitative Evidence, Cheryl Carrico

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Impairment of attention is common after stroke; is a defining characteristic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); and has been shown to correlate significantly with difficulties in daily life for individuals with these conditions. More research is needed to establish effective interventions addressing impaired attention in such cases. Meditation is not a standard-of-care intervention for this purpose but may have therapeutic potential. Meditation has been broadly defined as an activity which has self-regulation of attention as its main aim. In other words, it can be considered a training of attention. To shed light on the therapeutic potential of meditation, including …

Initial Steps For Integrating Academic Electronic Health Records Into Clinical Curricula Of Physical And Occupational Therapy In The United States: A Survey-Based Observational Study, Stephen C. Burrows, Lola Halperin, Eric C. Nemec, Wendy Romney

Healthcare Informatics Faculty Publications

Training programs must be designed to prepare physical and occupational therapy students for using Electronic Health Records (EHR) and interprofessional collaboration. This report aims to describe physical and occupational therapy students' perceptions of integrating Academic EHR in their Problem-Based Learning (PBL) curricula in the College of Health Professions, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, the United States. A paper-based case approach to PBL was adapted by creating patient cases in an Academic EHR (AEHR). Students were asked to complete chart reviews and review provider notes to enhance their learning. An online survey was conducted to determine their perceptions of using AEHR …

The Price Of “Normal”: Masking In The Autistic Community, Phyllis Elizabeth Holloway

Online Theses and Dissertations

The Autistic community has a rich history that often includes poor mental health outcomes due to the increased stress and anxiety surrounding the push to have “normal” social skills. On Twitter, many autistic people utilize a hashtag to connect with others in the online Autistic community. This qualitative study analyzes the Twitter hashtag, #ActuallyAutistic, to understand masking and camouflaging from the autistic point of view. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to perform this analysis. The themes found emphasize the need for professionals to increase their understanding of the Autistic community’s value and contributions. By improving the ability of non-autistic …

Group Action Planning To Promote Well-Being Of Non-Traditional Students In A Hybrid Program, Elena W. Espiritu

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Non-traditional occupational therapy students experience stress and occupational imbalance during their educational experience due to academic and non-academic factors, which decreases their well-being. Throughout the occupational therapy literature, participation in a variety of occupations is known to positively impact well-being. However, there are limited interventions available to foster occupational therapy students’ overall well-being through occupational engagement. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of interventions specifically designed to meet the unique needs of non-traditional occupational therapy students. Action planning is a structured goal setting format by which a person develops specific strategies to achieve desirable outcomes. This qualitative descriptive study described the …

Effectiveness Of Functional Cognition Intervention For Adults With Traumatic Brain Injuries: A 
Systematic Review, Lauren Mccormick, Madison Otte, Delaney Hill, Emily Leahy, Stacy Smallfield, Molly Whitlow

Student Systematized Reviews: Occupational Therapy

Purpose: An estimated 5.3 million Americans are living with a permanent disability due to having a traumatic brain injury (TBI) (CDC, 1999). A common deficit seen in this population includes impaired functional cognition, which is the ability to use and integrate thinking and processing skills to complete complex instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) (Giles et al., 2017). Occupational therapy practitioners support individuals post-TBI by creating and implementing occupation-based interventions during rehabilitation to optimize functional cognition and improve individuals' ability to complete IADLs. This study aims to identify the effectiveness of interventions within the scope of occupational therapy practice …

Copilot – Development And Implementation Of International Cooperative Online Intercultural Learning, Liliya Todorova, Elisabeth Fattinger, Elisabeth Url, Siska Vandemaele, Ulla Pott, Helen Strebel, Claudia Merklein De Freitas, Anja Christopher, Sabine Hendriks, Maria Prellwitz

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This article presents the products and evaluation results of COPILOT (Cooperative Online Peer-assisted and Intercultural Learning in Occupational Therapy), an Erasmus+ funded project undertaken by a consortium of six European universities from 2018 to 2021, which addresses the need for internationalization and intercultural learning by developing competences graduates will need in the future. Internationalization has become one of the main avenues to developing global learning in higher education. Online education has a significant role in providing opportunities for internationalization online without the high cost of travel that might deter some students. The interest in online intercultural exchange has been significantly …

The Effectiveness Of Occupation-Based Virtual Reality Intervention On Upper Extremity Functional Improvement In Post-Stroke Individuals: A Systematic Review, Darcy Bowman, Tiffani Suhm, Ann Marie Brown, Aubrey Barrett, Hannah Reilley

Student Journal of Occupational Therapy

Purpose: Virtual reality (VR)-based therapy is an emerging practice in the clinical setting and still requires research documenting its efficacy. This review analyzed the effectiveness of VR-based therapy on upper extremity (UE) motor recovery in individuals with chronic stroke by analyzing multiple randomized controlled trials.

Methods: Search limits for this review consisted of articles published between January 2010 and January 2020 and available in English. Search keywords were based on language in individual databases (e.g. stroke or cerebrovascular accident, upper extremity, occupational therapy). Articles were limited to include only randomized control trials consisting of adult patients (18+) with …

Stimming Expresses Empathy, Not To Be Masked Or Persecuted: A Scoping Review And Case Study Of The “Double-Empathy Problem” Solved By Recognizing The Autism Language, Kathryn Haas

Student Capstone Papers

This article critically examines autism and autistic stimming through the lenses of neurotypicals and autistics, evaluates confines currently imposed upon autistics by neurotypical society, and synthesizes what autistic leaders have expressed about their experiences striving for inclusion (Gernsbacher, 2017; Milton, 2012). Autistic-led studies are now at the forefront of the neurodiversity movement and are growing in fervor. The following themes were identified: (a) prevalence of autism, (b) the interpretation and measurement of empathy, (c) discovery of genetic factors transformed autistics’ identity, (d) publication of non-genetic factors such as vaccines undermined the legitimacy of the autism language, (e) the problem with …

Promoting Belonging Among Occupational Therapy Students Transitioning To Doctoral Studies, Gina M. Delgado

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Health Promotion For Youths Facing Chronic Conditions, Megan A. Moret, Megan A. Moret

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

This 17-week capstone project was completed at The Parker Place and virtually managed throughout the entirety of the experience. The Parker Place is a pediatric endocrinology and lifestyle management facility located in Annapolis, Maryland. Completing a virtual capstone project did not hinder the progress and outcomes of this experience. The Healthy Habits program was developed at this site to implement an occupational therapy role to supplement the served population’s health and wellness goals. Communication and client visits took place through passcode-protected video call sessions, phone calls, a HIPAA-compliant texting system, and email. Dr. Elizabeth Parker was the mentor for this …

Social Skills Groups For School-Age Children With Autism, Samantha Aybar

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The present capstone project and experience aimed to develop and implement a 12-week program of social skills peer groups for school-aged children with autism at an outpatient pediatric therapy clinic. The program consisted of weekly peer group sessions targeting a range of social skill topics, such as emotional regulation, conversation skills, and collaborative play. The small group format provided an opportunity for participants to practice skills, learn from others, and obtain feedback on their performance within a supportive environment. A family-centered approach was utilized through providing parent resources, at-home activities, and a parent workshop to better support children’s social skill …

Peer-Led Building Resilience And Enhancing Social-Emotional Skills Program, Danielle K. Enrico

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The purpose of the Capstone experience was to develop and implement a five-week peer-led building resilience and social-emotional skills training program at a public high school. This program addressed high school students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding resources, social-emotional skills, and resilience. A questionnaire was administered pre and post-program to measure effectiveness. The results indicated an increase in scores, demonstrating a clearer understanding in all three areas.

Using A Social Support Group To Educate And Empower Immigrant Latina Women, Diana N. Rendon

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone project was to promote mental health education and access to vulnerable South Florida Latina Women. The original intent was to establish a program providing families with mental health education, including information about common mental illnesses, signs and symptoms, community resources, and the impacts on occupations. This capstone experience was conducted with the Magnolias Women's Support Group at Caridad Center, located in Palm Beach County, Florida. The focus areas of this capstone were advocacy, policy and program development, and administration. Furthermore, this capstone project was intended to promote health literacy for underserved populations, especially immigrant women.