The Solo Performance

Goal 3: To generate and disseminate resources for occupational therapists interested in pursuing animal assisted therapy with dogs. 

The solo performance is finally here. This is where you get to show the audience all of the hard work you have prepared for this moment. Although many have performed your solo piece before, you get to add your personal touches of vibrato or crescendos to the parts that mean the most to you as a musician, making it your own. While each step of the portfolio has been tremendous work, it has prepared me for my solo performance. 

The culmination of my portfolio led to the development of artifacts for Goal 3, where I showcased the results of my hard work and added personal touches to make the task uniquely my own. In my pursuit to demonstrate advanced competence as well as contribute to advancing the use of animal assisted therapy with dogs in occupational therapy, I created artifacts that not only reflect extensive research but also serve as platforms to share and disseminate information.

For my first artifact, I created a poster presentation for the 2024 American Occupational Therapy Association conference. This presentation will highlight the findings of my systematic review in a format designed to inform conference attendees.  Presenting a poster at a conference will help me develop a range of skills, including how to present complex information visually, as well as how to answer questions and discuss my research. I eagerly anticipate attending my first AOTA conference and sharing my findings with fellow occupational therapy practitioners. I hope to spark a broader discussion within the community about the importance of animal assisted therapy with dogs.

My second artifact is a position statement, aiming to present an official stance of animal assisted therapy with dogs in pediatric occupational therapy. Despite the increasing use of animal assisted therapy with dogs by occupational therapy practitioners, I was surprised to find no existing AOTA position statement. Since position statements are developed in response to professional issues, concerns, or needs within occupational therapy, I felt creating this statement was important and is a way to advocate for AOTA to take a more formal position on this matter.

Finally, in my competence project, I tackled the scattered information I found during my doctoral process by creating a comprehensive resource. I developed a user-friendly website to serve as a centralized hub of information for occupational therapy practitioners seeking information. Designing the website challenged me to learn more about website design, drawing inspiration from websites I regularly use. My goal was to maintain a balance between providing necessary information and avoiding overwhelming visual content. I wanted to create a visually appealing resource that would allow occupational therapy practitioners autonomy to navigate at their own pace. To assess the content and format of the website, I sought feedback through a feedback form on the website from past classmates, current coworkers, and other experts in the field. In addition to the website, I created a supplementary manual to highlight the learning objectives and theoretical framework that assisted in guiding the creation of the website. 

As I reflect on my post-professional doctoral process, I have gained appreciation for research and sharing knowledge with others. This experience has challenged me as a student and novice clinician and has allowed me to appreciate the various specialities within the field of occupational therapy. As occupational therapists, we strive to find meaning for those we work with where we may least expect it; the modalities we use play a big role in this process. This portfolio is only the start of an exciting journey and has given me the skills to pursue a “Pawsitive” specialty area.  

Artifact 1: 2024 AOTA Poster Presentation: Animal Assisted Therapy Interventions For Children with Disabilities: A Systematic Review

Artifact 2: Animal Assisted Therapy in a Pediatric Setting: A Position Statement

Artifact 3: Competence Project: PawsitivOT Website 

Proceed to 2024 AOTA Poster Presentation