Short Courses

Enhancing Psychomotor Skill Acquisition : Fox College OTA Programs

Presenters: Haley Collins & Kris Yung

Description: This educational session focuses on a Doctoral Capstone Project that consisted of co-teaching psychomotor skills to occupational therapy assistant students, as well as developing educational content for the curriculum at Fox College in Bedford Park, IL. This project was based on research within the Adult Learning Theory, teaching complex psychomotor skills, and the benefits of using standardized patients in the educational setting. The overall goal of this project was to synthesize the Adult Learning Theory with psychomotor skills to address the adult student learning needs in order to develop competency for their level II fieldwork placements.

Entry-Level Doctoral Capstones: Promoting Passion and Purpose in Occupational Therapy

Presenters: Anne Kiraly-Alvarez, Paula Costello, & Kathy Preissner

Description: The Doctoral Capstone is the culminating experiential component of the curriculum for entry-level OTD programs. The presenters of this short course will provide an overview of the purpose and components of the Doctoral Capstone and share examples of various Doctoral Capstones. A panel of recent OTD graduates and their capstone site mentors will share their perspectives of their experiences.

Occupational Therapy and Advocacy for Increased Access to Home Modifications: A Non-traditional Capstone Experience

Presenters: Hannah Brock

Description: This session will focus on describing a doctoral capstone experience that promoted advocacy for the role of occupational therapy services in the home modification process to a group of stakeholders within the building industry. The capstone experience centered upon cross-sector collaboration with a national advocacy coalition comprised of various professions in the housing, technology and economic sectors. The capstone also involved the creation of materials that facilitated potential legislative and policy development to promote accessible and affordable housing for middle-income older adults in the U.S. Networking opportunities were also pursued with use of an AOTA expert consultant in order to educate non-OT stakeholders on the value of including OTs in the entire process from legislative action to service delivery to program evaluation.

The OT’s Role in Partial Hand & Finger Prostheses

Presenter: Chelsea Welch

Description: Did you know finger amputations make up almost 1/3 of the total amputations in the US? In this presentation, you will learn about the integral role that OTs play in supporting positive patient outcomes using body-driven prostheses.

Making my own choices: Using Cognitive-Orientation to daily Occupational Performance to support goal setting in young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Presenter: Megan Westendorf, Samantha Conrad, & Evguenia Popova

Description: This presentation explores the feasibility and benefits of using metacognitive strategies to promote independent goal-setting in young adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Participants (ages 14-25) self-identified occupations of interest and received one-on-one intervention guided by the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach. At the end of intervention, participants demonstrated increased capacity to problem-solve, make choices, and identify goals. In addition to discussing our research findings, we present case studies that illustrate how CO-OP can be translated into practice to support occupational participation in work, leisure and social participation in adolescents and young adults with IDD in community-based settings.

Bias and Discrimination in Clinical Settings: Strategies and Supports for Victims and Bystanders

Presenters: Molly Bathje, Sarah Brennan, Obioma Morton, Kia Ashley Burks, Natasha Irani, Hannah Morris, Emily Chun, Faith Brown, Jordyn Fera, Linda Olson, & Bridget Hahn

Description: This course will discuss the prevalence of bias and discrimination in clinical settings experienced by health professionals and health profession students. Strategies for managing experiences that occur both directly to OT practitioners and students, and are observed occurring to others will be presented.

Thriving Together: Trauma-informed Approaches to Promoting Family Resilience in Early Intervention

Presenters: Kia Ashley Burks, Veronica Llerna, MS, OTR/L, & Evguenia Popova, PhD, OTR/L

Description: Health disparities faced by underserved families result in a lack of access to basic needs, such as education and healthcare, and increased incidence of trauma. This presentation explores ways in which occupational therapists can promote resilience, trauma-informed care, and service access for underserved families in early intervention. In this presentation, we examine 1) research findings on supports and barriers to family resilience and 2) strategies for empowering family resilience in early intervention. Early Intervention (EI) CE credit has been approved for this course.

Promoting Resilience and Self-care: Rebooting Occupational Therapy

Presenters: Bridget Hahn, Evguenia Popova, Hannah Morris, Katherine Loomis, Erin Shy, Julia Andrews, Marissa Iacullo, & Abigail Peters

Description: Burnout in healthcare is well documented, including high rates of emotional exhaustion and low personal achievement in occupational therapy. Addressing well-being in the profession is critical for ensuring the best quality of care for the clients as well as recruitment and retention of clinicians in the long term. In this presentation, we share preliminary data on the prevalence of self-reported well-being, professional quality of life, resilience, stress, and mindful self-care in occupational therapy practitioners and students. In addition, we discuss evidence-based self-care strategies that have been shown to improve wellness, across mental, interpersonal, and physical domains. Professional opportunities to support self-care across individual, team, and organizational contexts will be discussed.

Know Your Practice Act/Rules and New Changes

Presenters: Nancy Richman & Maureen Mulhall

Description: All occupational therapy practitioners are governed by our licensure Act and Rules. Know the most recent proposed or recently enacted rules changes and have a chance to influence how we will practice in the future in Illinois. Learn what you should be doing to be a competent, responsible practitioner and uphold the law.

Doing, Being and Becoming: Embracing Integrative and Complementary Approaches to Occupational Therapy Practice and Self Care

Presenters: Beverly Menninger

Description:This short course will continue the exploration of doing, being and becoming through the responsible use of holistic, integrative and complementary approaches to care as occupational therapists as well as for self-care. Various modalities that may be preparatory or considered occupation will be presented including mindfulness, meditation, Reiki, yoga, and breath work just to name a few. Participants will be introduced to various approaches, discuss how they can be appropriately integrated into practice in a variety of settings as well as participate in brief practice during the session.

SC22-Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: An Occupational Therapy Perspective

Presenters: Maria P. Gertos, MS, OTR/L, Frank Czuba DrOT, OTR/L

Description: This course fulfills the IDFPR sexual harassment training requirement to maintain OT licensure in the state of Illinois. This recorded course explores the relevance of addressing and preventing sexual harassment to the profession of OT. Participants will learn about the Illinois law and requirements for sexual harassment training for employers, explore legal definitions, facts and statistics, and ways sexual harassment occurs in the workplace. Further details will be provided about the types of sexual harassment and what to do if sexual harassment is experienced, including workplace recommendations, team collaboration and reporting of incidents.

SC23-AOTA Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics: Updates and Revisions 2020

Presenter: Marla R. Robinson, MSc., OTR/L, BCPR, BT-C, FAOTA

Description: As part of the 5-year review process, the AOTA Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics has undergone changes to reflect the dynamic nature of healthcare and to support emerging practice areas in occupational therapy. This presentation will review the AOTA Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and current updates impacting the practice for practitioners.

The objectives include:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Ethics Standards

• Identify the ethical principles that guide OT practice

• Apply the AOTA Code of Ethics to practice scenarios

SC24-American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF): Building Evidence to Improve Practice and Health

Presenter: Lawrence Liff

Our Social Network: A Community-Based Program to Address Older Adult Mental Health Amidst COVID-19

Presenter: Kathleen Melei

Description: Overview of an doctoral capstone project which involved partnering with a county health department and hospital to conduct a mixed-methods, translational study regarding social isolation and loneliness in the older adult population during COVID-19.

Opportunities and Obstacles of a Doctoral Capstone Project Within an Assisted Living Facility: From the Perspectives of the Occupational Therapy Student and Site Mentor

Presenters: Amanda Conway & Rhoda Guzman

Description: The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the available opportunities and immense benefits of completing a doctoral capstone project and incorporating an occupational therapy lens within an assisted living facility. Learn how to best prepare for potential obstacles that may arise while completing a project within a non-traditional site. As well as explore the different requirements between hosting a doctoral level student versus fieldwork student and the advantages provided to the community.

The power of empathy: Supporting resident engagement within the assisted living memory care setting

Presenters: Evangelia Stepien, Rhoda Guzman, & Evguenia Popova

Description: This short course discusses benefits of empathic communication in dementia care and presents strategies for supporting caregivers and rehabilitation providers in this setting. Research on the feasibility and benefits of training professional staff and caregivers in empathic communication within dementia care will be presented. Participants will be provided with an overview of the training protocol and introduced to empathic communication strategies that they can use in their own practice.

Surgical Treatment of Thumb CMC Arthritis: Anatomy, Evidence, and Alternatives to the Traditional LRTI

Presenter: Steven Lanier

Description: This is a short course focused on surgical treatment of thumb carpometacarpal joint (CMC) osteoarthritis. We will review anatomy and pathology briefly and then discusssurgical treatment of thumb CMC osteoarthritis focusing on newer alternatives to the traditional LRTI, including trapeziectomy and suture suspensionplasty, suture tape metacarpal suspension, mini tighrope, CMC fusion, and trapezial replacement arthroplasty. The goal is to provide an overview of surgical options to inform the perspective of occupational therapists as they treat these patients post surgery.

Development of a Faculty Practice for Children, Youth & Families: Influence of Family Engagement and Telehealth

Presenter: Ashley Stoffel, Namrata Shah, Janaki Patel, Nataliya Aleshchenko

Description: This presentation will describe the development and outcomes of the UIC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice: Children, Youth and Families (CYF). CYF outcomes such as family satisfaction, goal attainment and Short Child Occupational Profile (SCOPE) results will be discussed as examples of outcome measurement in a faculty practice. The presentation will discuss how family engagement is incorporated in CYF areas of excellence and the impact of using telehealth for service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons learned and next steps for action planning will be presented and participants will be encouraged to reflect on how aspects of the CYF Faculty Practice development and implementation could impact their own occupational therapy practice.

Reinforcing Students’ Occupational Identity: Supporting Student Engagement Through Occupational Therapy Consultation

Presenter: Anna Shakeshaft

Description: This session explores supports and barriers to student’s academic engagement in a therapeutic day school setting. The session describes outcomes of a mixed methods study that examined academic needs of children with a variety of psychological, socioemotional and behavioral differences and diagnoses, including: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Anxiety, Depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) . Outcomes of occupational therapy consultations with educators aimed at supporting student’s classroom participation through environmental accommodations are discussed. Educator and occupational therapy perspectives on supports and barriers to participation for students are presented.

Promoting self-regulation in an elementary school during a global pandemic

Presenter: Deborah Zeitlin

Description: The poster will present self-regulation strategies to improve students’ learning experiences in an elementary school setting via remote, in-person, or hybrid learning setting. The capstone research took place during the global pandemic within a low socioeconomic school. The topic was selected due to unforeseen school closures during the 2020 and 2021 school years. Specifically, this poster will explore evidence-based self-regulation strategies that teachers and therapists could use within a public school setting asking the following question: “How can we promote self-regulation in an elementary school during a global pandemic?”

Understanding the current role of school-based occupational therapy practitioners in addressing childhood grief and loss and identifying next steps to expand their current practice

Presenter: Jennifer Borio

Description: The purpose of the presentation is to prevent the findings from a recent research study about how school-based occupational therapy practitioners are currently approaching their interventions with students on their caseloads who are grieving. The study also explored what barriers OT practitioners encounter in the schools related to addressing grief, and what supports they feel they need to overcome these barriers and expand their current practice. In addition to sharing findings from the study, resources will be shared with viewers that may expand their knowledge about best-practice as it relates to working with a grieving child on their caseload.

Occupational Therapy and Transition Planning: How Services are Perceived & Used in a Therapeutic Day School Settings

Presenter: Samantha Lee

Description: This presentation explores the role of occupational therapy in transition planning in therapeutic day schools. Research findings are presented on therapist and teacher perspectives on 1) the role of students’ self-determination in transition readiness, and 2) occupational therapy role in transition planning. Opportunities for interprofessional collaboration and future areas for research are discussed.

School-Based Practices: Perceptions of Illinois Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Presenter: Janet Brancato, OTR/L & Steven J. Taylor, OTD, OTR/L

Description: Description: Evidence-based practices for occupational therapy practitioners (OTP) within the school setting are critical for meeting the needs of children. However, numerous barriers limit the translation of evidence into practice. The objectives of this presentation are to quantify barriers as perceived by Illinois school-based OTP and describe resources to overcome these barriers as identified by this population.