From Surviving to Thriving: Empowering Tomorrow’s Professionals Today

University students are reporting increased levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Learning emotional regulation is a protective factor for students’ overall academic success. This article discusses our experiences implementing an emotional regulation learning activity with University students and strategies for student engagement around mental health issues. Incorporating activities that encourage emotional regulation skills in the regular classroom may add value to the student experience

Relationships Between Reasoning, Reflective Practice, and Evidence-Based Practice: Educators’ Perspectives

Many models of professional thinking exist within occupational therapy, but the relationships among reasoning, reflective practice, and evidence-based practice as essential skills for practice are not clear. Because occupational therapy educators impart these skills to students, understanding how educators conceptualize relationships among skills is necessary. We used Delphi methodology to explore educator conceptualizations of the relationships among clinical reasoning, professional reasoning, reflective practice, and evidence-based practice. Inclusion criteria were: an educator in an occupational therapy program for at least three years at the master’s level or higher, currently an occupational therapy educator based in the United States, and available across multiple survey rounds. Nine participants completed all three survey rounds. Participants agreed that the four skills are reciprocally related to one another, with some discrepancies surrounding differing conceptualizations of clinical and professional reasoning. Additionally, relationships were understood to be non-linear and complex. Continued exploration of how these essential skills are related to one another is needed to support future exploration of how they are integrated in occupational therapy education and how this influences practice

Human Resources Internship Experience

My internship took place from May 2023 to August 2023. I was an intern for the HR Department at Aramark in EKU Dining. I was under the direct supervision of Alexis O’Bannon, who is the HR Director of Aramark at EKU Dining. I was responsible for safety compliance, staying up to date with state and federal employment postings, helping with payroll services, sitting in on conflict resolution, aiding in staffing/hiring efforts, and employee engagement

Occupational Therapy Students’ Service Learning: Rehabilitation Archeology with Military Veterans

Existing research evidence pertaining to the occupational therapy (OT) role with adventure-based outdoor activities for military veterans and the authors’ positive experience serving members of a non-profit veteran-run organization that promotes rehabilitation archeology suggest that outdoor rehabilitation for this client population is a promising avenue for the profession. Moreover, students’ exposure to outdoor experiences designed for military veterans as well as other populations presenting with physical and mental health conditions has the potential to significantly augment OT curriculum by impacting both the learning trajectory and personal transformation of the students. This paper describes a unique service-learning experience involving graduate OT students who engaged with and provided services to veterans participating in archeological fieldwork, as well as the impact of this experience on the students

Fostering Entry Level Practitioner Knowledge, Confidence, and Competence in Trauma-Informed Care Application

Trauma is pervasive worldwide and is associated with poor health outcomes if left unaddressed, however, a gap in practice continues to exist in the implementation of trauma-informed care (TIC). Occupational therapy practitioners will encounter individuals, communities, and populations influenced by trauma, which warrants the need for TIC to improve overall service delivery across the lifespan. However, TIC is currently not systematically integrated into any Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) occupational therapy educational standards. The purpose of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate a TIC application-based workshop for a sample of entry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) students. The program evaluation component utilized pre-and post- survey design with Likert, forced choice, short-answer, and open-ended questions related to the delivery of content from the trauma-informed care workshop. Outcomes were evaluated through descriptive statistics and content analysis examining participants’ perception of change in TIC knowledge, confidence, and competence in application to occupational therapy practice. Overall, participants’ perception of TIC application knowledge, confidence, and competence improved following the workshop. The workshop and its associated program evaluation built on prior work across healthcare disciplines establishing the need for proactive TIC education. The current study supports the need for TIC to be intentionally situated within occupational therapy academia to prepare occupational therapy practitioners to understand and apply TIC across the lifespan and practice settings to improve patient outcomes and experiences

THE EFFECTIVENESS AND FEASIBILITY OF TELEHEALTH OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE COACHING WITH YOUNG ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES: A CASE STUDY

Background: College students with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience occupational performance barriers, impeding participation. Limited evidence-based techniques are available to therapists working with this population. Telehealth Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) has been found to be an effective treatment technique for improving occupational performance and self-determination for populations outside of college students with ID. Purpose: The purpose of this experimental case study was to test whether participation in a telehealth OPC program for college students with ID increases occupational performance, occupational satisfaction, and self-determination. Theoretical Framework: Self-Determination Theory and the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOP-E) provide for the theoretical framework for this project. Methods: This study utilizes a case-study design. Pre/Post-testing was completed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and Self Determination Adult Report (SDI:AR) and post-testing with the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) to provide descriptive quantitative analysis; field notes, the OPC fidelity measure, and recordings of the sessions provide for fidelity and reliability. Results: Three students initiated participation in telehealth OPC, and one completed the program in full. There were increases in targeted goals of the COPM as well as in self-determination in the participant that completed the program. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary support for the use of Telehealth OPC in certain students with ID who attend college. Further research is needed to determine which factors determine the appropriateness of this method in certain individuals

On the structure of repeated-root polycyclic codes over local rings

This paper provides the Generalized Mattson Solomon polynomial for repeated-root polycyclic codes over local rings that gives an explicit decomposition of them in terms of idempotents. It also states some structural properties of repeated-root polycyclic codes over finite fields in terms of matrix product codes. Both approaches provide a description of the -dual code for a given polycyclic code

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Student Perceptions of Occupational Balance in Graduate School: A Qualitative Study

The objective of this study was to explore occupational therapy (OT) students’ occupational balance and to examine how OT students\u27 experiences in a graduate program promoted or inhibited occupational balance. Grounded theory methodology was used to develop a theory of the occupational balance of entry-level OT students. Twenty-six students were recruited using convenience and maximum variation sampling. Data analysis through constant comparison of transcripts, field notes, and memos consisted of open, axial, process, and selective coding. A storyline narrative with diagrams displayed relationships among concepts and supporting evidence for inductively derived theoretical propositional statements. Students in OT programs progressed through three phases of occupational balance during graduate school. The presented Theory of Occupational Balance indicated students developed a meaning of occupational balance based on past experiences and personal values. Occupational balance is influenced by different contexts and situations. This study revealed several strategies OT students implemented, including adapting methods to effectively and efficiently learn, using support systems, participating in multiple occupational roles, making time for self-care, and knowing when to seek professional assistance. This article presented a new Theory of Occupational Balance for OT Students. Results can inform administrators and faculty about the implications of curriculum design for the occupational balance of OT students. Understanding student occupational balance and circumstances that can cause disruptions may help prevent disruptions from creating unmanageable stress. Understanding strategies students can implement to return to occupational balance may help faculty suggest options for students who cannot self-manage an occupational balance disruption

Dementia Education Opportunities for Pre-Registration Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Students- A Scoping Review

The number of dementia diagnoses is ever-increasing in the aging population, meaning that healthcare staff need to be equipped with the appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and skills to care for people with dementia. However, recent research suggests that globally, both healthcare workers and students require greater dementia education opportunities to meet the needs of people with dementia. There seems to be limited research exploring dementia education opportunities within occupational therapy (OT) and physiotherapy (PT) programs. A scoping review methodology was chosen to explore the literature about dementia education in global OT and PT programs. There was limited literature in this area and only four articles were found after an intensive search through databases. Three overarching themes were developed: ‘Attitudes, knowledge, and confidence’, ‘Benefits of experiential learning’, and ‘Experience and working with people with dementia’. Further, the benefits of virtual learning interventions, peer support, and communication strategies were explored. All experiential learning interventions had a positive impact on student’s knowledge, confidence, and attitudes toward dementia. However, students need to be prepared with adequate knowledge prior to engaging in experiential learning interventions. Results from this study recommend the use of didactic teaching in conjunction with experiential learning within the healthcare curriculum. Peer support, communication strategies, and virtual dementia learning may be beneficial methods for educators to use and need to be explored in further detail concerning OT and PT curricula

Transitioning from Professional Practice to Teaching during COVID-19: A Participatory Research Study

The transition from expert occupational therapy practice to academic educator is stressful and complex, involving the development of a new professional identity. In 2020-21 COVID-19 created a new challenge for recently employed academics, who were in this transition process. This study utilized participatory research to explore the impact of COVID-19 on six new occupational therapy lecturers who were employed immediately before and during the pandemic. The participatory research approach simultaneously engaged participants in research processes and aimed to promote researcher development. Three focus groups were conducted to explore participants experiences before, during and after COVID-19 restrictions. Focus groups transcripts were coded and analyzed thematically. Four themes were identified: 1) Discovery 2) Turbulence 3) Survival and 4) Reflections were linked to an overarching analogy. Covid-19 accelerated the transition to teaching as participants discovered effective strategies for teaching online through trial and error, with little available support. The easing of restrictions brought new challenges and anxieties for participants unfamiliar with classroom teaching. The study highlights the complexity of transitioning to academia, and the importance of peer and team support during the first two years. The participatory research process utilized in this study provided an opportunity to reflect back on the transition process while developing researcher skills and experience