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OCTH 614

OCTH 614: The Occupational Therapy Process

Prerequisite:  Admission to the MOT program or permission of the Chair

Credit Hours: (4)

An introduction to the steps in providing occupational therapy services to clients, from referral through discharge.  Students develop a "toolbox" of materials and methods for occupation-based screening and intervention, and learn to document practice using the SOAP format.

 

Detailed Description of Content of the Course

Topics include:

  • Overview of the occupational therapy process
  • The relationship of theory and practice
  • Clinical reasoning in occupational therapy
  • The therapeutic relationship
  • The interview process in occupational therapy
  • Observing occupational performance
  • Psychometric properties of tests and measures
  • Selecting, critiquing and using standardized assessments
  • Goal writing and planning for intervention
  • Analyzing occupations and activities
  • Principles of grading and adapting activities and occupations
  • Evaluating and modifying the physical environment
  • Principles of learning and behavior change
  • Client education

Occupational therapy intervention for:

  • wellness and health promotion
  • activities of daily living
  •  instrumental activities of daily living
  • caregiving and childrearing
  •  leisure occupations

Discharge planning and referring clients for additional services

  • General guidelines for clinical documentation
  • Using the SOAP format to document occupational therapy services
  • Working with occupational therapy assistants

 

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

Concepts introduced in reading materials and lectures will be reinforced through demonstrations and active learning experiences.  Students may complete a documentation workbook, and practice and self-assess skills in pairs.  Case-based learning and client simulation (using scenarios with noncomplex clients in community settings) will be introduced in this course.

 

Goals and Objectives of the Course

At completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Explain the role of occupation in the promotion of health and the prevention of disease and disability for the individual, family and society;
  2.  Discuss the importance of balancing areas of occupation for the achievement of health and wellness;
  3. Discuss the process of theory development and its application to occupational therapy;
  4. Describe ecological theories/models that underlie the practice of occupational therapy;
  5. Given a case study, select appropriate screening and assessment tools based on client needs, contextual factors and psychometric properties of tests;
  6. Given a simulated client, use standardized and nonstandardized screening and assessment tools to determine the need for occupational therapy intervention;
  7. Use appropriate procedures and protocols when administering standardized assessments;
  8. Consider factors that might bias assessment results, such as culture, disability status and situational variables related to the individual and context;
  9. Interpret criterion-referenced and norm-referenced standardized test scores based on an understanding of statistics and testing and measurement concepts (sampling, normative data, standard vs criterion scores, reliability and validity);
  10.  Interpret evaluation data in relation to accepted terminology of the profession and relevant theoretical frameworks;
  11. Compare and contrast the roles of the occupational therapist and the occupational therapy assistant in the screening and evaluation process, and discuss the importance of collaboration between them;
  12. Given a case study of a noncomplex client, use evaluation findings and appropriate theoretica
  13. Exhibit the ability to analyze tasks for use in therapy, using Practice Framework terminology;
  14. Given a case study, select direct occupational therapy interventions to enhance safety, wellness, performance in ADLs and IADLs, leisure and social participation;
  15. Grade and adapt the environment, tools, materials, occupations and interventions to reflect the changing needs of a simulated client;
  16. Use clinical reasoning to explain the rationale for and use of compensatory strategies whe
  17. Apply the principles of the teaching-learning process to design educational experiences addressing the needs of the client and family;
  18. Given a simulated client, demonstrate the ability to educate the client to facilitate skills, health maintenance and/or safety;
  19. Given a clinical scenario, identify techniques for effective collaboration with occupational therapy assistants on therapeutic interventions;
  20. Given a case study, plan for discharge by reviewing the needs of the client and family or caregiver, the resources available and the discharge environment;
  21. Evaluate the appropriateness of and discuss mechanisms for referring clients to specialists for additional services;
  22. Demonstrate professional oral and written communication skills during client simulation activities;
  23. Use AOTA guidelines for documentation and the SOAP format to write screening reports, intervention plans and discontinuation summaries that effectively communicate the rationale for occupational therapy services and meet general standards for reimbursement.

 

Assessment Measures

Participation in activities with partners, tests, and graded projects (workbook exercises, observation report, accessibility inventory, sample goals, activity analysis, teaching plan, completed toolbox of materials and methods) may be used to assess the outcomes of this course.

 

Other Course Information

 

Review and Approval

February, 2009

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