It is wonderful to go into a three-day weekend. This was a busy week for many in the field of occupational therapy. For students that are on Fieldwork, expectations are revving up. All the information that was learned in OT school is now being applied on actual clients. I think we can all remember our “first patient” that we evaluated independently or treated independently…nerves!
In addition to OT students, educators are also preparing for the upcoming spring semester. Prior to each semester, there is the time to modify classes to make the material that much better than last year. Clinicians are also dealing with a dichotomy in the field, a vaccine to give hope to a new normalcy soon. However, there are concerns with the long-term effects of COVID-19.
While we are all in flux in our field, let’s focus on our end goal, delivering quality client care.
Occupational Therapy
Being a Fieldwork Educator | OT 4 Lyfe Speaking of OT Fieldwork, reading this post resonated with me. Being a Fieldwork Coordinator, I have dealt firsthand with the difficulty of student placement. I cannot tell you how eager students are to go on Fieldwork! All four points are spot on. I am grateful for all fieldwork educators, especially during such a difficult time.
Occupational Therapy Helping the Community – NBC Boston What is the role of occupational therapy with the opioid epidemic? Dr. Roberts provides strategies on how to provide individuals with meaningful occupations to address the habit of opioid abuse.
10 easy ways to fight stigma against dementia | Alzheimer Society of Canada January is National Alzheimer’s Awareness month in Canada. While in the States, this is recognized in November. These are points we can use for both months, and all year long to help our clients and family with dementia.
Ep 94: Healthcare Rationing – Disability Visibility Project In this podcast episode, we hear from Britney, a civil rights attorney speaking about healthcare allocation in the time of COVID with Alice Wong. Wong’s book, Disability Visibility (affiliate link) is a must read for all healthcare professionals to understand the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities to learn optimal ways to support those with disabilities.
Cast Your Vote in AOTA Elections – AOTA Do not forget to vote in the AOTA elections. Voting ends January 27. Important positions are being decided upon and now is the time to choose those who will represent you at the table with issues related to practice.
Understanding Handwriting Terms and Phrases (missjaimeot.com) With so many handwriting programs available, it is important to use the same terms with evaluations and interventions. This list is beyond comprehensive.
Research
2021 Call for Proposals – ACRM The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) is an amazing organization which has the largest interdisciplinary conference in the world for rehabilitation research. This is a wonderful opportunity to spotlight occupational therapy research to other health care professionals. It is also an opportunity to learn from others healthcare professionals. The conference was virtual last year as well: 2020 Annual Conference – ACRM and the sessions were highly interactive and now available for purchase.
Call for Papers! Special Issue on Research on the Effect of COVID-19 Relating to Occupational Therapy Submission deadline October 2021.
Education Research Report: New review says the ineffective ‘learning styles’ theory persists in education Food for thought?
New Issue of Open Journal of Occupational Therapy: OJOT – The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy | Occupational Therapy | Western Michigan University (wmich.edu) I am enjoying the relevant, accessible research that is in the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. These articles cover a wide range of topics that impact clinicians, students, and educators.
Some articles of interest:
“Weighted blankets, sleep, and Autism Spectrum Disorders” by Bryan M. Gee, Victoria Scharp et al. (wmich.edu) Results showed minimal improvements with sleep in the areas of mood and time it took to fall asleep. There were many other measures of sleep quality that were included. With this being a single case study, there is room to make improvements with the design to increase the validity of the study. However, the measures used to determine sleep quality were well done and can be used as part of a evaluation of sleep quality with a child that has difficulty falling asleep.
Autoethnographies of Reading as an Occupation (wmich.edu) Reading about the impact of literacy experiences on the lives of the students in this story was powerful. With a research interest in literacy, these narratives provide insight into the importance of literacy.
Perspectives on the Professional Communication Profile and Needs of Emerging Occupational Therapists of the Millennial Generation: A Comparison Study (wmich.edu) The results provided insight into the professional profile of those born between 1982-2000. Authors point to the following: “Millennials…became the largest share of the American workforce in 2015. As of 2014, 23.9% of American occupational therapists were under the age of 30. Positive traits ascribed to millennials include: highly educated, ambitious, confident, and optimistic. However, indicators of challenges for managing millennials emerge from media and anecdotal evidence, including stereotypes of disloyalty, entitlement, dependency, and casualness.” This is a must read!
Potpourri
Paperback Nonfiction Books – Best Sellers – Books – Jan. 17, 2021 – The New York Times (nytimes.com) Slowly making my way through this list. There are some amazing non-fiction books available right now.
Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2021 ‹ Literary Hub With so many books available between traditional publishers and self-publishing, it takes a village to determine the best book to read.
Co-Authorship a View in Four Parts – Part One | Story Empire (wordpress.com) If you are a co-author of a book, collaboration is needed to complete the project. This series provides strategies to work together to complete a writing project.
Co-Authorship Part II: Shared Vision | Story Empire (wordpress.com) Part two of four.
Voice Type Your Documents- Three Great Speech to Text Tools for Teachers and Students | Educational Technology and Mobile Learning (educatorstechnology.com) This is a great website to learn what is possible with technology to provide instruction and support students. This particular post can be helpful for occupational therapy practitioners to help learners who have difficulty expressing themselves in written form.
Budget Bytes – Delicious Recipes Designed for Small Budgets My new favorite food website. I enjoy the cost breakdown of each dish. The recipes are a great way to have a variety of dishes without breaking your budget.
Have a great weekend!
OT Research Corner 