Occupation-based interventions: It may seem like common sense to use these as occupational therapists. After all, our title has the word “occupation” in it, for goodness sake! Unfortunately, assembly-line therapy has reduced the use of occupation-based treatments in favor of exercises that make point of service and high productivity the main objective versus providing quality, […]
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 […]
PRN occupational therapy: There is a lot to say about it, and because I’m a PRN (or per diem) occupational therapist myself, I really wanted to share my PRN experiences (the good AND the bad). In this article, I lay out the pros and cons of becoming a PRN occupational therapist. This will help you decide […]
If you’re an occupational therapy practitioner or student searching for occupation-based dynamic balance interventions, then this article is just for you! Occupation-based interventions are not only our bread and butter, but they also differentiate us from physical therapy. It can be way too easy to accidentally do the same non-occupation based balance interventions as our […]
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 […]
I’m excited to showcase My OT Spot’s first interview with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Occupational Therapist, Abby Lefkove, OTR/L. Occupational therapy in the ICU is a subset of acute care that entails working with medically fragile patients and their families while in the ICU. In this interview, Abby tells us about what a typical occupational […]
Our OT brains are all about task analysis, the ability to completely break down an activity and view the minute details that others don’t see. It is a thought process that is ingrained into our brains starting day one of occupational therapy school. Downgrading and upgrading interventions in a simulated scenario are much easier than […]