Developing a Trauma Informed Occupational Therapy Workforce

Trauma is a prevalent condition that impacts individuals, groups, and populations. Trauma informed care (TIC) is a strengths-based approach that was developed to address the pervasiveness of trauma and prevent re-traumatization. Occupational therapy practitioners are likely to encounter individuals and groups who have experienced trauma and need to be familiar with the impacts of trauma as well as principles of TIC. While trauma and TIC concepts have been taught as learning modules, workshops, or continuing education courses, this study adopts the innovative approach of integrating these concepts across a two-course sequence on pediatric occupational therapy through readings, didactic content, and active learning strategies. The study participants were second year occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) students (N=37) in an entry level OTD program. The study used a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning lens to measure students’ growth in understanding the fundamentals of TIC and perceived self-competence in implementing these concepts in clinical practice. Data was collected at the beginning of the two-course sequence, mid-point, and end of both courses. Analyses indicated a statistically significant improvement in TIC knowledge and perceived self-competence from baseline to post-training measures. These results indicate that trauma and TIC concepts can be successfully integrated within the OT coursework. Based on the results of the study and review of the literature, suggestions for incorporating these concepts at the course, curriculum, and systemic levels have been made

Taking Advantage of Rural Families: How the Opioid Epidemic Targeted Appalachian Communities

Since the opioid epidemic began in the 1990s, it has caused over 500,000 deaths and left thousands more with lifelong addiction struggles, but this tragedy was not evenly distributed throughout the US. The damage caused by the opioid epidemic was specifically felt in Appalachia and other rural regions like it. This thesis describes the factors present in both the Appalachian community and the opioid epidemic that resulted in this crisis being so devastating to the region. The reliance on labor-intensive blue-collar work, close family bonds, and the high presence of poverty in the region made it a sought-after target of the higher-ups of Purdue Pharma. The marketing strategy and the ease in which the pills were prescribed during the peak of the epidemic were used to target this rural area. The epidemic was able to thrive in this region specifically because of the lack of care that is given towards Appalachia, due to its rural characteristics. This research focuses on expanding on these correlations and explaining why this travesty was so successful

Current Practices in Implementing the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Needs Assessment: A National Survey

Entry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs navigate curricular decisions related to designing, implementing, and refining doctoral capstone processes. One of the complex requirements is the doctoral capstone needs assessment (DCNA) which each student completes prior to the implementation of the doctoral capstone project. The researchers aimed to contribute to the specificity of DCNA-related understanding, informing quality decision-making, via a national, cross-sectional survey of current DCNA practices. Purposive sampling resulted in a 24.3% (n=54) response rate of mostly Doctoral Capstone Coordinators (DCCs; 98.1%) representing programs across doctoral capstone experience levels. The timing of DCNA processes trended toward the latter half of their curriculums (~85%). Analysis indicated this timing of the DCNA was one of the most prominent challenges (n=39; 72.2%). The DCNA methods most commonly used were literature review of population needs (n=52; 96.3%), interview of a capstone site informant (n=45; 83.3%), and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis (n=36; 66.7%) with programs qualitatively either leaning toward primarily literature-based or site-specific approaches depending on various contextual factors. Respondents offered a number of DCNA strategies (M=7.96) for their students to use in order to facilitate flexible planning. Most respondents indicated that DCNA findings were reported via a written narrative (n=45; 83.3%) and/or a presentation (n=34; 63.0%). Constructive operational processes followed the themes of community engagement, scaffolding, and a step-wise approach. The current DCNA practices identified within this study are considered an essential step toward establishing best practices and structured tools that will aid DCCs in the development and quality enhancement of DCNA-related curricular components

Assessing the Impact of High-Fidelity Simulation Experiences on Student Confidence in a Controlled Academic Environment

A quasi-experimental one group pretest-posttest design was utilized with 19 first-and-second-year doctoral occupational therapy students at a university in Tennessee to evaluate confidence, performance, benefits, challenges, and recommendations from an acute care simulation experience. Student confidence was evaluated using a researcher-developed survey immediately before and after a high-fidelity simulation using a pre-programmed mannequin and standardized script. A performance assessment evaluated students\u27 skills during the simulation. The post-test survey included open-ended questions on perceived benefits, challenges and recommendations. Overall, students demonstrated increased confidence in vital sign monitoring and modification (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate), medical equipment identification, and safe patient repositioning. However, confidence decreased or remained unchanged in certain areas related to treating acute care patients and managing patients with medical equipment. Performance assessments indicated that most students successfully monitored vital signs, performed bed mobility, managed lines and tubes, and applied clinical reasoning to patient responses, although correct placement in Trendelenburg position was rare. Most participants (84%) found the experience beneficial, reporting realism, enhanced confidence, opportunities to apply knowledge, and identification of areas to improve. Those who did not felt blindsided by the mannequin or unprepared for the setting, recommending additional information, feedback and a formal debrief

Culturally Sensitive Mentorship in Occupational Therapy Education

Mentorship provides crucial support and guidance for students, significantly influencing their academic and professional success. Mentorship experiences can vary considerably, with students from historically underrepresented groups facing racism, discrimination, and a lack of opportunities in their professional development. Despite the recognized need for culturally sensitive mentorship, there is a lack of literature within occupational therapy that focuses on the mentoring experiences of students from historically underrepresented groups. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring occupational therapy students’ mentoring needs and experiences to inform the future development of culturally sensitive mentoring programs. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey, the study collected responses from 133 students; 59 identified as being a student from a historically underrepresented group. Descriptive statistics and between-group comparisons were used for data analysis, while responses to open-ended questions were analyzed through content analysis. Overall, study results indicated that current mentorship programming was insufficient for occupational therapy students from historically underrepresented groups. Students expressed a desire for mentors who not only understood the complexities of transitioning from academia to clinical practice but also demonstrated cultural humility and incorporated empathy, anti-racism allyship, and support for handling workplace discrimination in their mentoring. These results provide evidence of the need for occupational therapy programs to implement culturally sensitive mentorship programs to facilitate transitions from student to practitioner that integrate career support with emotional and social validation and help students cope with cultural isolation, microaggressions, and systemic racism. By implementing such mentorship programs, occupational therapy programs could enhance equity, inclusion, educational outcomes, and professional resilience for students from historically underrepresented groups

Enhancing Intraprofessional Collaboration: A Quantitative Study on the Impact of Paired Learning in OT and OTA Programs

This study investigated the impact of pairing 112 occupational therapy (OT) and 66 occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students in small groups over a 13-week clinical skills class. Students worked together in the weekly 2-hour class to practice various clinical skills and had the option to attend an additional weekly 2-hour open lab. A repeated measures design was used to evaluate students’ perceived importance and ability to engage in intraprofessional collaboration based on the Kirkpatrick model. The Intraprofessional Collaborative Practice Survey (ICPS) was administered at three time points: the beginning (T1), the middle (T2), and the end of the trimester (T3) for four intraprofessional collaboration competencies: Teamwork, Roles/Responsibilities, Communication, and Values/Ethics. Friedman’s ANOVA and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests revealed that both OT and OTA students maintained a high perceived importance of intraprofessional collaboration from T1 through T3. The OT and OTA students demonstrated different learning curves in perceived ability. Significant improvements were observed from T1 to T2 for OT students, and from T2 to T3 for both OT and OTA students, with moderate and small effect sizes across different intraprofessional collaboration competencies. Overall, the paired learning provided a valuable experience and enhanced both OT and OTA students’ perceived ability of intraprofessional partnership possibilities. The findings emphasized the value of collaborative learning in OT education and offered insights for future intraprofessional collaboration curriculum development. This study highlighted the benefits of structured, paired learning experiences in fostering professional growth and effective teamwork

Friend or Faux: A Scientific Comparison of Reciprocal Relationships and Parasocial Relationships and Their Psychological Effects

The prominence of social media in our society has led to an increase in the presence of parasocial relationships—a relationship in which someone perceives another person as having an interpersonal relationship with them, despite not interacting with the media user directly. Our current body of literature has produced little understanding of how these relationships compare to reciprocal relationships, in terms of their psychological ramifications. Specifically, there is little consensus in the literature about what factors of well-being are most impacted by sustaining parasocial relationships. This study aimed to investigate these gaps in knowledge and compare how these different types of relationships affect psychological factors of well-being. The specific psychological factors investigated in this research included perceived social support, sense of belonging, subjective well-being, mood, quality of relationship, perceived closeness of relationship, relationship intensity, and wishful identification. The present study utilized a between-subjects experimental design in which participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, including a control condition. In the two experimental conditions, participants were asked to write about either their favorite media persona or a real friend they have. The primary hypothesis was that parasocial relationships would be less impactful on the psychological well-being of individuals than reciprocal relationships, which could help to inform our understanding of the consequences of developing parasocial relationships. It was found that while overall, parasocial relationships can affect individuals’ mental well-being, they are not directly equal to that of a reciprocal relationship

Forgiveness of Self and Others: A Group Approach to the Treatment of PTSD and Other Trauma Related Experiences

Forgiveness is often misinterpreted as the act of forgetting what happened or offering one’s offender the ability to redeem themselves for their wrongdoings. This is simply not the case. Rather, forgiveness is the process of the individual making the unprovoked choice to release their resentment in their own voyage towards living a free and happy life without being imprisoned from the emotions un-forgiveness produces. Forgiveness, as it may be a necessary process for the individual is to attain a sense of peaceful acceptance and liberation from their pain, is not an easy process. Providing a peer-based support system in the context of a controlled therapeutic environment, where risk is being consistently monitored, could provide the individual with the appropriate challenging of their thoughts and situations that best fits their treatment needs

The Obsession with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - An Analytical Overview

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a well-known mental health condition that affects a multitude of people around the world. However, despite its widely recognized status, OCD is often highly misrepresented and stereotyped in casual conversation. This analysis seeks to draw comparisons between the realistic experience of OCD in daily life and the stigmatized assumptions about people living with OCD and about OCD itself. To combat stereotypes so often used in casual rhetoric, examples of realistic OCD symptoms, thoughts associated with OCD obsessions, and OCD compulsions will be analyzed and compared to current stigma or widely held beliefs. The comparisons in this overview will aim to challenge preconceived notions and delegitimizing narratives. Understanding the reality of OCD, the cyclical nature of obsessions and compulsions, and developing a greater sense of empathy towards these experiences is crucial to providing support to those who live with OCD. Keywords: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, obsessions, compulsions, stereotypes, misrepresentation