Ethically Grounded Professional with a Strong OT Identity |
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1. Advocates for clients who have been neglected or underrepresented in the system.
Within the following discussion board post, I described a situation in which I advocated for clients at the team conference meetings while at the inpatient rehab hospital on Level 2 Fieldwork A. I discussed my client’s current level of function, durable medical equipment (DME) needs, and discharge planning. If patients were scheduled to discharge but needed additional time, I advocated and justified the rationale for extending their stay. In doing so, I helped to prevent clients from being underrepresented or neglected in the healthcare process. For example, I advocated for a client at the weekly team conference to request additional length of stay in order to improve function prior to discharge.
2. Fulfills commitments to the professional community.
While working at my pediatric rotation, I observed speech language pathology, feeding therapy, and applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. This allowed me to advocate for occupational therapy and understand the scope of practice for other professionals. The following document below was a student assignment in which I described my observations and occupational therapy's relation to other disciplines. Within this, I discussed intervention methods, approaches of other professional. In addition, I addressed the ways occupational therapists can collaborate with these professionals such as positioning for feeding and environmental set-up to facilitate augmentative and alternative communication devices.
3. Represents the unique perspective of occupational therapy when participating in inter-professional situations.
While participating in the RISE-CAY grant, I had the opportunity to work with social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, and other behavioral health professionals. In doing so, I discussed the distinct value and perspective of occupational therapy (OT). The following images show the discussion boards and a post I made about telehealth in occupational therapy. I shared my perspective about telehealth from a pediatric OT lens. Specifically, I discussed the potential challenges of telehealth to foster the same level of connection as in-person services within the pediatric population. I explained how occupational therapy interventions included occupation-based activities and therapeutic use of self. These components could be more difficult to deliver via electronic format.
4. Assumes responsibility for professional behavior and growth, in accordance with AOTA standards.
Within the final AOTA evaluation, the fieldwork educator commented “Excellent collaboration with clinicians also seeking out feedback and wanting to grow as a future OT professional.” In addition, received scores of 4 exemplary performance at both the midterm and final evaluation periods as documented below. These scores demonstrate my ability to assume responsibility for professional behavior and growth as an occupational therapy practitioner. I gathered additional resources and sought feedback from the therapy director when completing recommendations to clients and caregivers. One child had difficulty with emotional regulation, thumb sucking behaviors, and sensory regulation. I received helpful suggestions from the therapy director to share with this client. This benefited both my professional development and the client.
5. Functions autonomously and effectively in a broad array of service models.
Within the discussion board post below, I described how I provided occupational therapy services in a variety of service models. I co-treated clients with registered behavior technicians at the ABA clinic while on my level 2 fieldwork rotation B. In doing so, I was able to function autonomously and effectively as an occupational therapy practitioner. I also treated clients independently during this fieldwork placement while at the main clinic campus.
6. Upholds the AOTA Code of Ethics in practice.
The following evidence was from a discussion board post from my level 2 fieldwork A rotation in the inpatient rehabilitation hospital. I described a situation in which I discovered another therapist had treated a patient with non-weight bearing precautions. However, the therapist had written in their documentation that they encouraged the patient to bear weight throughout the session. I made my fieldwork educator aware of this, so that he could report this properly to ensure the patient’s safety.
7. Serves as a role model for honesty, integrity, and morally grounded decision making.
The following photo was from a text message I sent my fieldwork educator during my level 2 Fieldwork placement B. I had forgotten to document and insert the appropriate units for an evaluation during the work date. In order to maintain honesty and integrity, I messaged her about my mistake. I confirmed the appropriate way to enter the documentation and bill the correct amount.