Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Creating Opportunities For Ot-Ota Student Learning Through Community Collaborations, Nancy E. Carson, Joy Crawford, Nadine Hanner

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Providing occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students with collaborative educational experiences can foster an understanding of role delineation and lay the foundation for positive relationships in future work environments. Offering these experiences during the didactic portion of the curriculum can provide a deeper understanding of the OT-OTA relationship and encourage greater intraprofessional collaboration in fieldwork settings and as practitioners. This project was an intraprofessional educational experience between students enrolled in a graduate OT master’s degree program and students enrolled in an OTA program. In the first phase students met and socialized with each other, discussed role delineation, …

Admission Requirements And Practices In Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Programs, Patricia Bowyer, Cynthia Tiongco, L. Kaye Rubio, Judy Liu, Sandra M. Whisner

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

When establishing admission processes for entry-level doctoral programs, admission requirements for master-level programs provide a comparison for consideration. The purpose of this study was to provide information about admission practices for graduate-level occupational therapy programs. The three aims included: 1) to describe admission requirements of a sample of entry-level master’s programs; 2) to examine the relationship between attrition and admission requirements for the sample; and 3) to provide a summary of admission requirements used by entry-level master and doctoral programs in the United States. Results of the study provided a synthesis of information about admission requirements that included programs’ minimum …

Thriving In The First Semester Of Graduate School: A Process Of Rebalancing And Self-Determination, Judith Malek-Ismail, Sheila R. Krajnik

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Beginning graduate school can be an overwhelming experience dominated by changes in roles, restructuring of routines and habits, and shift in one’s balance of daily activities. The researchers employed a phenomenological design to explore perceptions of this experience among 33 graduate students during their first semester of a full-time entry-level Master of Occupational Therapy program. One overarching theme, turbulence and rebalancing, and four superordinate themes emerged: (I) anxiety, (II) contextual stress, (III) social supports, and (IV) self-determination. The stages the participants appeared to go through were cyclical in nature, where students experienced a recurring movement of turbulence and rebalancing, progression …

Increasing Self-Efficacy Through Role Emerging Placements: Implications For Occupational Therapy Experiential Learning, Amy Mattila, Elizabeth D. Deiuliis, Ann B. Cook

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Fieldwork education is an essential component of occupational therapy curriculum design and student development. Today’s students are faced with a variety of challenges in the changing, diverse healthcare system, and educators need to ensure there are placements that best prepare them for these demands. Role emerging fieldwork offers an opportunity to not only meet the curricular requirements of fieldwork education, but also afford students the chance to develop confidence and skills unique to this kind of placement. The purpose of this explanatory case study was to explore graduate occupational therapy students’ self-efficacy before and after a Level I role emerging …

Self-Determination Theory And Professional Reasoning In Occupational Therapy Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Tiffany Bolton, Evan Dean

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Occupational therapy (OT) education frequently utilizes experiential learning as an effective instructional method to develop professional reasoning in OT students. However, there is little information about the development of professional reasoning. The researchers used a mixed-methods design to determine the extent to which an experiential learning course was effective in supporting professional reasoning ability with thirty-six OT students. Participants were students enrolled in an experiential learning course, which was part of their didactic graduate curriculum. Students attended an assigned setting weekly for sixteen weeks. Researchers collected data using the Self-Assessment of Clinical Reflection and Reasoning (SACRR) as well as reflective …

Differences In The Use And Perceptions Of Evidence-Based Practice Between Occupational Therapy Students And Practitioners, Alison Nichols, Paige Creighton, Annie Derolf, Shelby Hale, Leann Vandeman, Kersten Laughlin, Kelsie Long

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This study explored differences in perceptions of evidence-based practice (EBP) between occupational therapy (OT) students and practitioners. Researchers aimed to understand student and practitioner perceptions of barriers, knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in EBP. Occupational therapy students (n=61) and practitioners (n=21) completed an online researcher-created survey and the Evidence-Based Practice Confidence (EPIC) Scale survey. Results indicated practitioners were more confident in utilizing EBP than students, particularly when identifying a gap in knowledge related to a patient (p = <.001) deciding on a course of action for a client (p = <.001), and assessing the efficacy of EBP on client outcomes (p = <.001). This finding was inconsistent with previous research, which may be due to more practitioners receiving formal education on EBP. It is critical for OT education to support student learning and application of clinical reasoning throughout the EBP process in order to increase confidence. This study was limited by the use of a homogenous population from a single university.

Effects Of A Customized Professionalism Educational Intervention On Physical Therapists’ Knowledge And Attributes Of Professionalism, Joseph A. Balogun Distinguished University Professor, Chidozie E. Mbada Dr., Adetutu O. Balogun Dr., Udoka A. Okafor Dr.

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: There is a growing call around the world to include professionalism in the entry-level education of physical therapists and to teach professionalism as a continuing education professional development workshop for practicing physical therapists. Unfortunately, there is currently no empirical evidence to support the use of didactic instruction to effectuate a change in the knowledge and attributes of professionalism. This study evaluated the effects of a customized professionalism educational intervention on physical therapists’ knowledge and attributes of professionalism.

Methods: A quasi-experimental research was conducted among 47 Nigerian physical therapists (Mean age = 41 ± 10.1 years). The educational intervention consisted …

Changing Attitudes: The Impact Of A Disability Awareness Class, Christine Ann Masci

Honors Theses and Capstones

Attitudes towards people with disabilities can be either positive or negative. A undergraduate college course about disability awareness followed a structure focusing on awareness, interaction with PWD, and education in order to make a positive impact on attitudes. The study compared the disability awareness class to a general education humanities class. While results indicated that there was not a significant change in pre and post scores when comparing the classes, there was a significant change in the disability awareness class upon further analysis of data. There are additional suggestions to further the impact of the class within the disability awareness …

The Impact Of Academic Self-Efficacy On The Occupation Of Education In College Athletes Who Experience Concussion, Samantha Colaw

Honors Theses and Capstones

An emerging area of inquiry for occupational therapists (OT) is consideration of the impact of concussion on a person’s ability to engage in and perform meaningful everyday activity. The perspective of student-athletes (SA) living with post-concussion symptoms has received limited attention in research and there is a lack of focused attention regarding the role of being a student. This research adds to the growing body of literature regarding the implications of concussion on academics, specifically academic self-efficacy (ASE) and their self-perceived roles. The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in ASE between college athletes with and without …

A Guide For Occupational Therapists: Utilizing Trauma-Informed Care To Guide Intervention For Children In Foster Care, Courtney Crabill, Katie Hanson

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project was to create a guide for trauma-informed interventions for occupational therapists specifically to use with foster care children. Currently, there are approximately 600,000 children living in foster care in the United States (Child Welfare League of America, 2015). Children in the foster system who have experienced or witnessed violent actions often demonstrate post-traumatic stress like symptoms and diagnoses. Often times these experiences affect their development, coping skills, emotional regulation, and relationships and attachments (Lynch et al., 2017; Deutsch et al., 2015; Heim et al., 2010). It is estimated that between 40% and 60% of …

Animal-Assisted Intervention For Healthcare Professionals: An Occupational Therapy Facilitated Program, Samantha Coyle, Caitlin Duggan

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Introduction: This scholarly project explores literature regarding Animal-Assisted Interventions and possible impacts on healthcare professionals. Literature published within the past two decades has emphasized the various roles and benefits that the presence of animals may provide within various healthcare settings and with diverse populations. The evidence of animal-assisted interventions has been extensively researched and supported as it pertains to the client or patient involved. The problem is that no one has taken the time to evaluate the benefits that having an animal in the healthcare system may have on healthcare professionals (i.e. therapists, nurses, physicians). Due to the lack …

The Efficacy Of Hippotherapy For Physical Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review, Megan Hilgers, Haley Nielsen

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project is to examine existing literature pertaining to hippotherapy and conditions impacting physical health through completion of a systematic review. According to the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA, 2017), hippotherapy is defined as “how occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology professionals use evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning in the purposeful manipulation of equine movement to engage sensory, neuromotor, and cognitive systems to achieve functional outcomes” (What is Hippotherapy, para. 1). Hippotherapy was initially cited in occupational therapy practice in the 1980’s, but minimal attention and research have been applied to the topic as …

Occupational Therapy's Role In Sport: A Website On Promotion And Education For Ot's And Coaches, Alison Host, Kaitlin Mankie

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: The number of individuals participating in the sport of hockey is on the rise. This rise in popularity also means the risk of injury becomes greater. Occupational therapy (OT) works to provide a holistic and client-centered approach when treating individuals that can allow them to return to play safely and effectively. However, OT is not commonly thought of when assisting in the treatment of hockey player injuries. Due to OT not being commonly utilized in the area of hockey-related injuries, such as concussion and the upper extremities, there is also a lack of literature to provide further insight …

A Vocational Training Program For High School Students With Disabilities On An Alternative Track To Graduation, Natalie Jennings, Michael Lehnerz

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Problem: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017), in 2016 the employment rate for persons with a disability was 17.9 percent compared to 65.3 percent for persons without a disability. The discrepancy between the employment rates can partially be contributed to a lack of high school readiness preparation as evidenced by Evert Cimera, Gonda, and Vaschak (2015) who found that the referral rates of transition-aged youth decreased from 62.3 percent in 2004 to 50.0 percent to 2013.

Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project is to minimize the gap during the transition from high school to vocational …

Occupational Therapy Practice Trends For Occupations Impacted By Puberty In Children With Asd, Sydney Larson, Kelsey Hemberger

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Introduction: Adolescents face physical, social, cognitive, and emotional changes during the developmental stage of puberty. Pubertal changes can be difficult for neurotypical adolescents to cope with, but especially for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, adolescents with ASD experience challenges with adapting to physical and emotional changes, managing new hygiene routines, abiding to social norms, and inappropriate sexual behaviors (Beddows & Brooks, 2016; Cridland, Caputi, Jones, & Magee, 2015; Cridland, Jones, Caputi, & Magee, 2014). While occupational therapy plays a role in helping adolescents with ASD, a lack of occupational therapy literature on this topic leads to unknown …

Promoting Successful Community Re-Integration For Incarcerated Juveniles: The Role Of Occupational Therapy To Enhance Quality Of Life, Madison Gerszewski, Bailey Odegaard

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project is to present a manual for occupational therapists working with juvenile delinquents in their transition into the community following incarceration. The intended outcome of the project is for juvenile delinquents to be independent, successful members of the community.

A literature review pertaining to juvenile delinquents was conducted and addressed recidivism, risk factors, and unmet needs. At this time, there are no practice guidelines in the United States that capture occupational therapy’s scope of practice when working with adolescents who have been involved in the criminal justice system.

A manual was developed in order to …

Educational Materials For Implementation Of Cognitive Interventions Across Practice Settings, Ashlyn Grindberg, Nicholas Wahlstrand

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to develop educational materials for the UND occupational therapy (OT) program to address cognitive strategies for intervention across populations.

Methods: A literature review was conducted to determine the need for our product. The review of literature included the role of OT in functional cognition, use of cognitive intervention strategies with populations, and specific frames of references used in OT practice settings. It was found that new OT practitioners did not feel prepared to address cognitive deficits across populations when moving from one setting to another.

Results: The Adult Learning Theory …

Vacationing Older Adults, Breanna Taralson, Brittany Winter

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Introduction: This scholarly project was conducted to explore the aspects of vacationing in older adults and how age-related changes seen within this population can impact decisions while traveling. The purpose of this project was to create a resource guide for older adults to help navigate the vacationing process.

Methodology: A literature review was conducted using various sources including: online databases, books on travel and vacationing, personal communication via informal interview, and through major travel corporation websites. Information from these sources was then compiled to create a resource guide for older adults.

Results: Information found within the literature …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Anne Haskins, Phd, Otr/L, Dayton Bender, Shaina Simonson

Oral History Posters

This life history is one of 31 life history interviews which contribute to a larger project, Life Histories of Individuals Who Have Been Influential in Developing Occupational Therapy (OT), in North Dakota and Wyoming.The purpose of this life history study is to gather information about the history and evolution of occupational therapy practice (OT) in North Dakota and Wyoming through life histories of individuals who have been influential in developing OT in these two states.This study is intended to provide current and future generations of occupational therapy practitioners a view of history and OT practice has evolved from its inception …

Life History Of Missy Neff Msot, Otr/L, Hannah Burks, Kristen Kilian

Oral History Posters

The life history of Missy Neff was one of many interviews conducted as part of a larger project of Life Histories of Individuals Who Have Been Influential in Developing Occupational Therapy (OT) in North Dakota and Wyoming. The purpose of the interview is to gather information about the history and evolution of OT practice from perspectives of individuals, like Missy Neff, who have been influential in the development of the profession. The study is intended to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of how OT practice has evolved over time in Wyoming and North Dakota since …