OTA 1170 Physical Dysfunction Fieldwork

Course Description

OTA 1170 Physical Dysfunction Fieldwork I is a one-hour/week lecture and thirty-hour clinical site experience. Lecture prepares for the off-site experience and future fieldwork IIs by requiring academic & practical competency-based assignments. The externship will be arranged and take place at clinical facility sites within the community under the direction of an academic fieldwork coordinator. Emphasis is to expose students to a variety of diagnoses and to develop professional behaviors and clinical observation skills. This is a designated service-learning course.

OTA 1170 Physical Dysfunction Fieldwork I is a one-hour/week lecture and thirty-hour clinical site 

experience. Lecture prepares for the off-site experience and future fieldwork IIs by requiring academic

& practical competency-based assignments. The externship will be arranged and take place at clinical 

facility sites within the community under the direction of an academic fieldwork coordinator. Emphasis 

is to expose students to a variety of diagnoses and to develop professional behaviors and clinical observation skills. This is a designated service-learning course.

Course Learning Outcomes

• Recognize and abide by facility and federally mandated requirements for patient confidentiality and patient rights.

• Observe and participate in the occupational therapy (OT) process as it relates to adult rehabilitation services and evidence-based practice.

• Develop basic clinical observation skills of evidence-based practices and practice outcomes.

• Demonstrate competence in service maintenance tasks emphasizing set-up/clean-up/safety for client and clinician.

• Provide and accept feedback, modifying behavior as needed.

• Communicate and collaborate professionally through verbal, non-verbal, reflection, and written responses/documentation with all stakeholders.

• Collect, organize, and report on data for evaluation of client outcomes under the direction of an administrator, manager, or occupational therapist.

• Identify self as an OTA student 100% of the time.

• Consistently use politically correct and people's first language in written and oral work.

• Report using quantitative measurements in all types of documentation.

• Accurately calculate various quantitative measures as related to OT practice.

• Integrate classroom knowledge by identification of diagnosis, functional deficits, occupational areas, measurability of goals, treatment techniques, and client response to intervention.

• Synthesize and analyze information for presentation in oral and/or written formats.

• Interact with various stakeholders in a professional and ethical manner while engaged in a community-based outpatient clinic to enhance the academic experience.

• Complete a service learning project for facility/client use.

• Collaborate in the process of discharge planning by reviewing the needs of the client and other stakeholders; available resources; and discharge environment, and identify those needs of the OT, client, and other stakeholders involved in discharge planning.

• Participate in service delivery of clients in the OTA clinic.

• Use technology and information literacy to access course materials and complete assignments.

Student Name: Tracy Delate

Fieldwork I Service Learning Project

Date: November 29th, 2024

Fieldwork I Service Learning Reflection

         For my service-learning project, I asked my fieldwork educator what he thought was needed in their facility to make the project meaningful to them. He said they didn’t need another physical project to be used during therapy but that they needed their “Home Safety Guide” document to be revised and edited to make it better. When he showed me the document, which is given to each patient upon discharge, it was four pages of numbered text (26 paragraphs) outlining potential hazards in their home and what they could do to ensure their safety. He felt it was a lot for him to read to them and that they probably wouldn’t read it themselves when they went home. He felt that if it were shorter and less text-heavy, they would be more likely to read it. I told him I would be happy to revise the document and see how I could improve it.

         At first glance, I thought this project wouldn’t take very much time at all. However, I was very wrong. Deciding what to edit out of each paragraph was harder than I thought it would be, as I was instructed to keep each paragraph’s information but to see what “fluff” could be removed to reduce the amount of text. It was difficult to decide what was important enough to keep and what was unnecessary. I also decided to add some humorous pictures to help clients visualize what was in each paragraph and position it alongside the text. This was no easy task. To find pictures that were not copyrighted or royalty-free was difficult. My husband gave me the idea to consult ChatGPT to find what I was looking for, which helped tremendously. It took about 12 hours in all to reword the paragraphs, find the pictures, and format the text and pictures in a visually appealing manner. It didn’t cost me anything, as I had a printer, paper, and ink.

         This project will be very helpful to my fieldwork educator who is too busy performing therapy with the patients at his facility eight hours a day and just doesn’t have the time to revise this document himself. It will also be helpful to the other COTAs, OTs, and PTs when discharging a patient. The biggest concern of all these healthcare professionals is the safety of each patient when going back home. This document will be a good reference for patients and their caregivers and families to know what they can do to make their environment safer post-surgery. I felt honored that my fieldwork supervisor trusted me with such an important document. It was a good learning experience because it allowed me to use the theory I’ve learned in my classes and to help the patients and staff I worked with during my fieldwork experience.

         I loved my fieldwork experience as I got to make many meaningful connections. Not only did I connect well with the patients I worked with, but I also made professional connections with the COTAs, OTs, and PTs who work at Aspen Ridge East Transitional Rehab. Building those connections gave me a deeper appreciation for the staff and the clients at the facility. I was sad on my last day of fieldwork as I had enjoyed learning from my fieldwork educator and interacting with and helping with the therapy of the patients. However, working on this project made it a little easier as I felt I left them with something I contributed to that they could use in the future. Although it wasn’t easy finding the extra 12 hours to work on this project, it helped me learn how important even the smallest detail is when providing therapy to a patient, right up to when they are discharged. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything, as it has added to my knowledge and experience for my future career as an OTA.

Reflection

The process of revising the "Home Safety Guide" for my fieldwork facility allowed for the application of coursework knowledge to a real-world scenario, enhancing my practical learning. Also, the challenge of condensing information for better clarity fostered personal growth by developing critical thinking and editing skills essential for effective communication in occupational therapy. The clinical significance of doing this community-engaged learning project is that it directly impacts patient safety and well-being, demonstrating the importance of clear and accessible information for patients and their caregivers.