When you get your first job as a licensed occupational therapy practitioner, you usually aren’t thinking about additional occupational therapy specialties right off the bat. Your primary focus is just trying to keep your head above water. You are thrown into unfamiliar territory, and as a result you spend the first few years of your […]
Attending AOTA’s 2018 Conference in Salt Lake City for my second-ever conference was a blast. It flew by and I can’t believe it’s already over. I’m already super excited for next year’s Conference in New Orleans 2019… whoo! After two years of “Conference-ing” I decided it was time to write a round up of AOTA […]
For graduate students who are just barely diving into their OT school studies, concrete and unchanging topics such as medical terminology are much more understandable than intangible concepts. At least, in some programs, we can physically see and touch the terms through cadaver labs and dissection. It is why the medical model is so nice […]
If you’re an OT becoming a fieldwork clinical instructor for the first time, there’s a lot that you may be wondering about. You may be feeling a bit nervous, especially if you’re remembering how nervous you might have been on YOUR first day as a fieldwork student. Becoming a fieldwork clinical instructor and supervising students […]
My Story (as told by Katie Tietz, MS, OTR/L) In 2014 I began my career as an occupational therapist; full of newly absorbed knowledge and bursting with excitement to get out there and use it to make a true difference in the world! I set my sights high (as I’m sure many of you can […]
Is it possible to care for a patient when you know they really do not need occupational therapy services? Unfortunately, this is a common ethical dilemma occupational therapists face on the job. There are times where you will find yourself torn between advocating for a patient but you know they are not appropriate for therapy. Typically […]
As an occupational therapist, you often have patients that are best treated with more than one person (also known as co-treating). The big question is: Should the second person be the nurse, a tech, or a physical therapist? The following will help guide your decision-making process to decide if a patient would be best served […]
Energy conservation techniques (ECTs) are also referred to as work simplification techniques, and both terms are very much within the realm of occupational therapy practice. In order to clear up a common misconception, let’s state right off the bat that promoting ECTs is not synonymous with promoting the “art of laziness.” Rather, energy conservation techniques […]
As occupational therapists, we are instructed to constantly think outside of the box when coordinating and designing therapy intervention. We come to better understand our patients/clients if we strongly acknowledge our patient’s goals and lifestyle needs within their environment. However, we are unable to fully comprehend individuals’ lifestyles and cultural influences by sitting in one […]
Brain damage has devastating consequences on an individual’s daily function and quality of life. Movement restrictions, emotional changes, behavioral problems, and communication deficits differ in severity but drastically reshape a person’s life as well as those of their close family and friends. In this post, you’ll learn about one of the most frustrating disorders that […]