Leadership Roles in the Field of Occupational Therapy

The purpose of this capstone project was to learn about leadership through expertise and experience. The first portion of the project consisted of reviewing the literature and interviewing four occupational therapists that currently had a leadership role within the healthcare industry to gain insight into leadership qualities. The second potion included me being at a facility (Advent Therapy in Richmond Hill, G.A.) for 14 weeks where I observed and learned about current programs, and with the guidance of the therapists and management of the facility, developed and implemented a program that was deemed to be beneficial to the client population.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonespring2020/1005/thumbnail.jp

Occupational Therapy Student Pro Bono Clinic: Creating a Sustainable Model

The purpose of this project was to create a model for a sustainable student pro bono clinic with a clear mission and vision that aligned with that of the occupational therapy (OT) profession. This project consisted of interviewing founding members of similar programs, conducting an indirect needs assessment, and performing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis (Blayney, 2008) of current pro bono clinic operations at the University of St. Augustine College for Health Sciences (USAHS). These results, combined with input from key stakeholders, were used to develop a strategic plan to support the development of future pro bono clinics by OT programs across the nation.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonespring2020/1008/thumbnail.jp

Mental Health in the School System: Providing Tools and Resources For Teachers

Mental health is an important part of our everyday life. For many school aged students, mental health issues are on the rise and our roles as occupational therapists are becoming more vital. Educators also have a vital role in the mental health of their students, however their is a gap between their knowledge of mental health practices and their comfort and confidence with implementing such practices. This project aimed to bridge this gap for 5 educators in the Lake Stevens School District in Washington state. The project was comprised of a Mindfulness Toolkit that walked teachers through implementing a total of 6 different mindfulness activities with their classrooms.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonespring2020/1015/thumbnail.jp

Occupational Therapy’s Role in Spirituality: Partnering with a Special Needs Ministry

Children with special needs frequently face obstacles and barriers to inclusive participation in various activities among their peers; most commonly due to mental, physical, and/or social limitations and deficits (Mathur & Koradia, 2018). One activity in particular impacted by such barriers is participation in spiritual activities within a church (Jacober, 2007; Lee, 2010). While several highly successful special needs ministries have been established globally, many churches currently either lack appropriate evidence-based volunteer and staff training, adequate resources and accommodations to meet each child’s needs and functional capabilities or are unable to provide any accommodation services. (Avis, 2019; Jacober, 2007; Lee, 2010). This then impacts not only successful inclusion into spiritual health activities and overall effectiveness of the ministry, but the quality of life of both the child and their family (Avis, 2019). The purpose of this project was to aid in the overall provision and development of special needs ministries nationwide through partnership with a pre-existing special needs ministry. This program aimed at enhancing and revising the special needs ministry for increased accommodation and effectiveness through evidence-based volunteer training/education, enhancement of the classroom curriculum, development and implementation of youth community gatherings, and provision of occupational therapy resources to edify accessibility and inclusion within the ministry.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonespring2020/1021/thumbnail.jp

Developing Educational Resources to Support the Use of the Hippotherapy Evaluation and Assessment Tool

The Hippotherapy Evaluation and Assessment Tool (HEAT) was created in 2011 with the goal of creating an assessment specific to this therapeutic intervention and effectively tracking client progress. Based on the current literature of client progress during hippotherapy intervention, four domains of scoring were created: Static Posture, Dynamic Motor Behavior, Sensory Processing, and Psychosocial/Behavioral. Over the years, many thesis studies have been conducted to confirm the reliability and validity of the HEAT. However, further dissemination was required as many therapists had not yet heard of the tool. A doctoral capstone project was completed in 2019-2020 to create a training program for educating therapists on the use of the HEAT, as well as supplemental materials for further ease of use. The training program includes video modules including demonstrations of the HEAT being conducted with clients, a written administration manual, and multiple formats of the supplemental materials. The purpose of the poster presentation would be to review the creation of the HEAT and the appropriate literature regarding hippotherapy, review the assessment and administration, as well as answer questions for therapists interested in incorporating it into their practice.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonespring2020/1017/thumbnail.jp

A Non-Pharmaceutical Approach to Chronic Pain: An OT’s Perspective

The following project was created for advocacy and education of occupational therapy\u27s role in chronic pain management. This project focuses on occupational therapist\u27s ability to utilize non-pharmaceutical interventions to manage chronic pain symptoms. The capstone outlines fitness-based exercises, aquatic therapy, ergonomics, adaptive equipment, and adaptive strategies by supporting their efficacy in recent literature. Occupational therapists possess invaluable skills that can impact the chronic pain community for the better. They can aid in the reduction of pain while increasing overall quality of life and independence. Occupational therapists are a much needed resource in chronic pain management.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonespring2020/1012/thumbnail.jp

Inclusion in Religion and Spirituality for Children with Special Needs

The purpose of this capstone project will focus on using occupational therapy interventions to help a local church be more inclusive to children and families with special needs. This project partners with a pre-existing special needs program to develop evidence-based volunteer training, implement a parent respite program, and introduce a movement-based program for children with special needs.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonespring2020/1006/thumbnail.jp

Animal-Assisted Therapy and Quality of Life of Patients with Dementia

The aim of this quantitative study was to examine the effects animal-assisted therapy (AAT) had on people diagnosed with dementia living in a nursing home. The study examined the effects AAT had on depression, blood pressure, social interaction and how these factors impact quality of life (QOL). The study was conducted once a week for one hour on Thursdays for 6 weeks. 7 participants were included in the study and further broken down into two groups based upon their level of cognition as measured by the Mini Mental State Examination. The Beck’s depression inventory (BDI) and the World Health Organization quality of life- BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) were administered pre and post AAT sessions to measure depression and QOL. Additionally, blood pressure recordings were taken pre and post AAT sessions. The results from the BDI and WHOQOL-BREF did not produce statistically significant data which could be attributed to the small sample size and short duration of the study. On the other hand, blood pressure recordings did produce significant data meaning AAT did have an impact on blood pressure. Additionally, clinical observations were recorded throughout the study of the participants\u27 behaviors when interacting with the therapy dog. This study showed AAT had a positive impact on blood pressure and behaviors as witnessed by blood pressure recordings and clinical observations. Further studies should be conducted to determine how AAT impacts depression and QOL using alternative assessments that do not include self-reports such as physiological assessments.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonespring2020/1014/thumbnail.jp

Exploring the Concurrent Validity of the Indoor Mobility Pre-driving Screen (IMPS): A Comparison of the IMPS and EF-Car Motion Driving Simulator

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concurrent validity of the Indoor Mobility Pre-driving Screen (IMPS) in relation to assessments on the EF-Car Motion Driving Simulator. Data was gathered from a convenience sample of 36 participants ages 18 and older who possessed an active driver’s license. To answer the primary research question, is there a correlation between scores on the IMPS and the EF-Car Motion Driving Simulator, statistical analyses were performed in the form of Pearson r correlations. Results of these statistical tests showed scores on the IMPS correlate with some scores on the driving simulator. While some correlations were present, there was not a high level of correlation found between these measures.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonespring2020/1010/thumbnail.jp

Learning Strategies and Academic Difficulty in Occupational and Physical Therapy Online Education

As occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) programs expand across the United States to address a shortage in the health workforce there is a limited understanding of the relationship between learning strategies and academic success in these professions. The purpose of this study was to explore the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) in relation to hybrid-online clinical neuroscience course outcomes in OT and PT students. Thirty-four students (n=14 OT; n=20 PT) self-administered the LASSI during the spring of 2019. The scales of Information Processing (r = -0.43; p\u3c0.01), Self-Testing (r = -0.36; p\u3c0.05), and Test Strategies (r = 0.32; p\u3c0.05) displayed modest statistically significant relationships to final neuroscience grade and cumulative professional grade point average (r = -0.43; p\u3c0.01), (r = -0.30; p\u3c0.05), (r = 0.29; p\u3c0.05), respectively. Some scales of the LASSI appeared to be modestly related to academic difficulty in this sample, however scales were not significantly related to academic achievement. Students who scored highly on the LASSI scale of Test Strategies tended to have higher course performance compared to their peers. Students who rely on certain learning strategies may be at risk for academic difficulty in hybrid-online coursework. Those who scored highly on the LASSI scales of Information Processing and Self-testing tended to have lower course performance compared to their peers. The LASSI may provide OT and PT students a better understanding of learning and study strategies that are related to academic difficulty in online learning