1. Invests in the acquisition of evidence through participation in workshops, continued education and pursuit of additional degrees.
During December 2023- May 2024, I was able to participate in the RISE-CAY grant program, an inter-professional grant funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Behavioral Health, Workforce Education, and Training-Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Program for Professionals. This program consisted of a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous lectures, discussion boards, and presentations. This program provided continued education opportunities on the topics of telehealth, integrated behavioral health, cultural humility, social determinants of health, adverse childhood experiences, and rural/underserved communities. By participating in this interprofessional continuing education program, I was able to further my learning in order to better serve my clients. For example, one of the modules was about being a service provider within rural communities and serving the underserved. This directly applied to my fieldwork B rotation as I worked in a rural Tennessee community. The evidence below is an image of the online dashboard for the program with research articles and lectures associated with each topic.
2. Is a knowledgeable consumer of global research related to occupational therapy and utilizes an evidence based approach to practice.
The following evidence demonstrated my ability to consume research and utilize evidence based information in occupational therapy practice. Within the discussion board post below, I described how I utilized evidence based practice in addressing primitive reflexes through the use of online resources, books, and handouts provided by the fieldwork site. In addition, I utilized information from Medbridge in order to consider if the retainment of primitive reflexes interfered with the child’s occupational performance and engagement.
3. Integrates individual clinical expertise and patient values with the best available external clinical evidence.
In order to provide evidence-based practice, I researched the diagnosis Dandy-Walker Syndrome by finding articles from PubMed in order to learn more about this condition. One of my client’s had a diagnosis of Dandy-Walker syndrome and she valued her familial support system. I was able to integrate this information to incorporate caregiver education within the sessions. For example, I addressed ADL dressing skills and fine motor activities to promote independence while educating the caregiver about the importance for the client to be active in the dressing process even if activities were difficult. In addition, I collaborated with the caregiver to update the client’s current level of function on her summary report documentation with an understanding of the child’s medical diagnosis to continue with realistic goals.
4. Applies the domain of occupational therapy in gathering, evaluating, setting goals, planning and implementing occupational therapy.
The following images were from fieldwork placement B in outpatient pediatrics. The excerpt was from the screening and evaluation section of the AOTA final. The ratings were one proficient and the remainder exemplary performance. The fieldwork educator commented, “Showing great improvement with gathering necessary information. Will come with more exposure and will continue to foster proficiency within those areas.” This demonstrated growth in applying the domain of occupational therapy throughout the therapy process. Specifically, I displayed this by gathering the necessary information during the evaluation process to develop client-centered goals in their plan of care. Then I carried out interventions in line with these goals.
5. Contributes to the knowledge base of OT practice by mentoring students, performing research, publishing, presenting and/or teaching.
During my level 2 fieldwork B pediatric rotation, I developed a resource for evaluating and integrating primitive reflexes based upon evidence-based research. Through this reflex project, I was able to teach and share this resource with occupational therapy practitioners on staff at the clinic. In doing so, I was able to contribute to the knowledge base of occupational therapy practice.
6. Incorporates continued education as a lifelong practice with the commitment to remain up-to-date and well-informed.
I actively participated in the RISE-CAY grant program to further my knowledge in order to better provide behavioral-health services to children. Through this continuing education opportunity, I was able to learn more about telehealth, integrated behavioral health, cultural humility, social determinants of health, adverse childhood experiences, and rural/underserved communities. In addition, I was equipped with research articles, instructional lectures, and practitioner resources that I will be able to implement within my occupational therapy practice.