Regenerative Rehabilitation and Genomics: Implications for Occupational Therapy

The completion of the human genome project has paved the way for health care practitioners to use genetic and environmental information to tailor medical treatment. This innovative approach to health care is rapidly evolving, and occupational therapists need to be aware of the impact it will have on future practice. Regenerative rehabilitation is a product of knowledge and techniques from the fields of rehabilitation and regenerative medicine with the common goal to restore function. Occupational therapists have the potential to play a significant role in regenerative rehabilitation research and implementation. The purpose of this article is to (a) increase understanding of genomics, regenerative medicine, and regenerative rehabilitation as they pertain to occupational therapy practice; (b) provide examples of how occupational therapy can contribute to and use evidence in the field of regenerative rehabilitation; and (c) advocate for the integration of these emerging techniques and technologies in occupational therapy training

Use of Standardized Patient Encounters as Predictors of Fieldwork Performance: A Pilot Study

Background: Although standardized patient encounters (SPEs) are being used in occupational therapy (OT) education, limited literature exists on the value these experiences have on OT student learning outcomes and preparation for fieldwork. This study sought to examine if SPEs had the potential to predict Level II A fieldwork performance. Method: This study used a retrospective analysis of 35 entry-level OT students. Independent variables included demographics (enrollment in an entry-level OT master\u27s or doctoral degree, age, and overall grade point average) and SPE performance. The fieldwork Level II A final performance evaluation score was used as the dependent variable. Hierarchical regression analysis was used with demographic variables as the first model to compare the addition of SPEs in predicting Level II A fieldwork performance scores. Results: The full model of demographics and SPE was statistically significant and accounted for 29% of the variance in the fieldwork Level II A performance scores (p = .031). SPEs accounted for an additional statistically significant amount of variance (17%), above and beyond demographic variables (p = .012). Discussion: These results indicate the potential value of SPEs in identifying students requiring additional preparation before embarking on clinical practice in their Level II A fieldwork

Enhancing Simulation Fidelity in Occupational Therapy Education: Considerations for Standardized Patient Training and Implementation

The use of high-fidelity simulation and standardized patients (SPs) in occupational therapy (OT) education is expanding. However, the implementation of simulation varies across programs, leading to inconsistent outcomes and research limitations. Furthermore, details on SP use and training are lacking in OT literature. This article aims to provide OT educators with considerations for improving simulation fidelity by effectively using highly trained SPs. For example, recruiting SPs from diverse backgrounds is necessary to improve sociological fidelity, and proper training of SPs is required to ensure psychological fidelity. This article also emphasizes the need for standardized training for SPs and recommends following the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) guidelines to ensure best practices in OT education. Adequate SP training and ongoing professional development are essential for maintaining simulation fidelity during SP experiences and optimizing student learning outcomes. Implementing SP experiences within the OT curriculum, SP recruitment and training, case development, pre-briefing, and debriefing processes are discussed, with recommendations from current evidence and the authors’ experience at an institution accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Trained SPs can enhance simulation fidelity and provide students with realistic and compelling learning experiences, better preparing them for fieldwork and clinical practice. While further research is needed to explore the efficacy of SP encounters in OT education and the student experience, this article reinforces the need to standardize the use and training of SPs to enhance simulation fidelity and support the reliability and validity of future research efforts surrounding the use of SPs

Next generation system modeling of NTR systems

The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) modeling challenges; current approaches; shortcomings of current analysis method; future needs; and present steps to these goals

Functional Cognition: An Opportunity to Highlight the Role of Occupational Therapy in Post-Concussion Care

As concern surrounding concussion and the associated long-term effects grow, a continued need for comprehensive, holistic concussion care emerges. Occupational therapists are well-equipped to address the wide variety of symptoms and deficits that clients may experience post-concussion. Functional cognition is one area in which occupational therapists can demonstrate their unique value on the interdisciplinary treatment team. In this Opinions in the Profession paper, we describe how occupational therapists are poised to further establish their role in post-concussion care by becoming the primary discipline for assessing and treating functional cognition. The aim of this paper is to outline the role of occupational therapy in post-concussion care in regard to becoming the primary discipline for assessing and treating functional cognition and distinguishing occupational therapists as experts in functional cognition. Implications for practice, education, and research are discussed

The Impact of Interstate Mobility on the Effectiveness of Property Tax Reduction in Georgia

This paper develop a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and a microsimulation model (MSM) to analyze the economic and welfare effects of a Georgia property tax proposal, which would have effectively eliminated school property taxes on homesteaded properties and replaced the lost revenue with a revenue-neutral increase in the state sales tax. Our CGE model, which is a modification of that used in Condon et al. (2015), explores the effects of significantly reducing or eliminating Georgia’s income tax and implementing a revenue-neutral increase in the state sales tax. This paper is set up as follows. We describe the Georgia proposal to reduce property taxes. Following that is a description of the CGE model, and a discussion of the outcomes of that model. The next section presents the MSM and its results. The last section concludes

Survey of Pain Curriculum Among Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Programs in the United States

Occupational therapy practitioners address pain management across settings, populations, and the lifespan. Occupational therapy practitioners offer unique contributions to pain management through biopsychosocial approaches, targeting supported self-management and occupational engagement. Comprehensive pain education is necessary to prepare entry-level occupational therapy practitioners to address pain in practice, yet no standards exist in entry-level occupational therapy education. This survey describes the status of pain-related education in entry-level occupational therapy programs across the United States. A total of 41 entry-level occupational therapy programs completed the survey. Total instructional time for pain content was reported to be an average of 9.68 hours, ranging from 1 to 30 hours, indicating significant variability. Average lecture (4.88 hours) and lab-based (5.05 hours) time devoted to pain content were similar. More time was devoted to teaching pain interventions (4.91 hours) than pain assessments (2.82 hours). Most programs integrated pain content throughout the curriculum (73%). One program utilized a standardized pain curriculum (International Association for the Study of Pain Occupational Therapy Curriculum). Open-ended questions revealed a breadth of evidence-based resources, pain assessments, and interventions covering all domains of the biopsychosocial model of pain. The majority of faculty (61%) felt their current amount of pain education was insufficient, citing the need for increased time and educational activities for pain education across all program years. Given the essential and unique role of occupational therapy practitioners in pain management, improving pain education and practitioner competence is an important consideration across entry-level occupational therapy education. Further discussion is needed regarding educational standards and entry-level occupational therapy curricula relating to pain management

A study of the effects on academic achievement of the summer orientation program at the University of Northern Iowa

Most colleges and universities have some type of orientation program for new students. There are three general types of orientation programs: the semester-long course, the freshman week, and the pre-college clinic. While one purposes of these programs may be to enhance academic achievement, the literature suggests that the pre-college clinic is generally not effective in this area

A comparison of the effects of the blocking-in and sketching methods of teaching drawing on the proportionality of human figure drawings by community college students

Over the years, the primary method of teaching human figure drawing has involved instruction in free-hand sketching. Students using this method are usually instructed to stand at an easel at a right angle to the model to gain the best vantage point, and to study the model while squinting their eyes before beginning to draw. The squinting of the eyes allows the students to lessen the distracting visual detail and see the body as an undifferentiated mass. This enables them to achieve better-proportioned drawings. Although such claims are commonly made by teachers of figure drawing, many artists and art critics oppose what they see as too much attention to proportion. They claim this leads to stiff and lifeless drawings. Goldstein (1981), for example, states, Still, no matter how plain or misshapen the forms, the best figure drawings always impart some degree of psychological or spiritual attraction, as in Grunewald\u27s study \u27An Old Woman With Closed Eyes\u27 (see figure 1). In this drawing, we see the effects of the free-hand sketching method in the sensitivity of line. Attention is given to an attitude of life in, An Old Woman With Closed Eyes. One can feel, as it were, the drama in this drawing. Here is an example of how the free-hand sketching method permits the artist to capture life\u27s troubles, joys, and changes