MY OT Journey

Victoria Garcia Wilburn, DHSc., OTR, CLT is Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health and Human Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Garcia-Wilburn is a community engaged scholar practitioner with an area of expertise in programmatic outcome measurement for occupational therapy services implemented for populations, organizations, and communities in underserved practice settings. Her most current projects focus on investigating the outcomes from implementing occupation-based programming for adolescents in substance use disorder recovery. She is an awardee of the Robert Wood Johnson New Connections Award, the Latino Leadership Circle from the Indiana Latino Institute, 2018 Occupational Therapist of the Year from the Indiana Occupational Therapy Association and a recent Fellow from the American Occupational Therapy Association. She is current Chairperson for the Affiliate State Associations of Presidents (AOTA) and is a candidate for a 2021 Board of Directors position.

In a special episode of the My OT Journey Podcast, Michael Roff interviews the New York State Occupational Therapy Association's president Flo Hannes about Dr, Yves Roseus, an occupational therapy leader and front line healthcare hero who tragically passed away due to COVID-19. Flo introduces listeners to the Dr. Yves Roseus' Memorial Lectureship and Practicum. This program sponsors members of the Haitian occupational therapy program in attending NYSOTA's annual conference and sharing the global reach of occupational therapy. If you want to get involved, you can not only donate on NYSOTA's website (linked below), but also attend their 4-part lectureship series titled "Haitian Selebrasyon." For their first event, Dr. Yves Roseus' wife Marie Roseus will demonstrate how to cook Soup Joumou and mix a Cremas cocktail in Dr. Roseus' home kitchen. Recipes will be provided with purchase of a $15 ticket.

Sign up now to join NYSOTA in celebrating Dr. Yves Roseus' legacy in a once-in-a-lifetime intimate event.

To Donate: https://www.nysota.org/

Event Sign-Up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/haitian-cooking-demonstration-with-marie-roseus-tickets-131968255605 

Follow NYSOTA on Instagram at "nysota_" 

Welcome to Students in CHRG! On our second episode, we’re talking about kinesiology tape! As fieldwork students at Corbin Health & Rehab Group, we’re excited to research and share the benefits and effectiveness of utilizing kinesiology tape for therapeutic treatment, and explore its relevance to occupational therapy practitioners, especially in the time of COVID-19. We incorporate evidence based research articles, as well as discuss our experiences (or lack thereof) as students to determine the benefits, limitations, and patient perspectives on this emerging therapeutic method.

Banerjee, G., Johnson, M. (2020). Should kinesiology taping be used to manage pain in musculoskeletal disorders? An evidence synthesis from systematic reviews. The Journal of Indian Association of Physiotherapists. doi: 10.4103/PJIAP.PJIAP_31_19

Coopee, R. (2014). Chapter 13: Taping Techniques. In 1097198110 831145187 M. A. Jacobs & 1097198111 831145187 N. M. Austin (Authors), Orthotic intervention for the hand and upper extremity: Splinting principles and process (2nd ed., pp. 352-372). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.

Espí-López, G. V., Inglés, M., Ferrando, A. C., & Serra-Añó, P. (2019). Effect of kinesio taping on clinical symptoms in people with fibromyalgia: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation, 32(4), 561–567. https://doi.org/10.3233/BMR-171100

Deanna Longo, Stony Brook University

Rebecca Smith, Thomas Jefferson University  

Kaitlyn Jones is an occupational therapist and the Director of Clinical and Community Outreach for Warfighter Engaged, Inc. Warfighter Engaged, Inc. is a non-profit volunteer charitable organization that aims to improve the lives of veterans through adaptive gaming technology. 

Her twitter handle is @kaitlynjones_ and you can find her on instagram @a11y. Use the hashtags #gamingaccessibility #accessiblegame #Xboxadaptivecontrolller #XAC to spread awareness!

Special Election Edition with 

Brent Braveman, OTR, PhD, FAOTA

Director, Department of Rehabilitation Services, MD Anderson Cancer Center

AOTA candidate for Vice President 

Dr. Brent Braveman has practiced as an occupational therapy clinician, educator, researcher and manager since entering the profession in 1984. He currently is the Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Services at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas. Dr. Braveman is an author on 25 peer reviewed journal articles, 20 book chapters and is author of three occupational therapy text books. He has presented at national and international conferences on cancer rehabilitation, work disability, strategic planning and leadership. 

 He has a long history of volunteer service in state and national professional association activities including serving two terms on the AOTA Board of Directors as Speaker of the Representative Assembly and as Secretary. He is currently serving as Board Director for Region IV on the American Occupational Therapy Association Political Action Committee (AOTPAC) Board of Directors. He served as a representative to the National Institutes of Health Working Group on Cancer Rehabilitation, as a Standing Committee Member on the National Quality Forum’s NQF) Cancer Project and on the NQF’s project on co-designing patient centered care.  

Dr. Braveman is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and a recipient of the AOTA Recognition of Achievement Award for “Exemplary Contributions in Management and Program Development.”

Facebook brent.braveman

Twitter @brentbraveman www.brentbraveman.com

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Brent was interviewed by Robin Akselrud, Assistant Professor at LIU Brooklyn, author of the My OT Journey Planner myotjourney.com 

IG: myotjourneypodcast

FB: My OT Journey  

And Michael Roff, 3rd year OT student at Stonybrook University 

Angela Hanscom is a seasoned occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook, an internationally acclaimed camp model that offers innovative nature-based developmental programs for kids of all ages and abilities. In this podcast we talk about Angela's professional journey, beginning and ending in the great outdoors. We hope listeners learn about how to identify needs in their communities, design programs to meet those needs, and advocate for our profession as a whole. For those who would like to learn more about the TimberNook process or become a TimberNook provider be sure to check out Angela's website! The resources referenced in this podcast are listed below:

TimberNook Website: https://www.timbernook.com/

TimberNook Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimberNook.Camps

TimberNook Instagram: timbernook1

TimberNook Twitter: @TimberNook

Book Recommendations: 

Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children by Angela J. Hanscom

"The REAL reason children fidget — and what we can do about it" TedxPortsmouth Talk by Angela J. Hanscom

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

Education Theory Recommendations:

Reggio Emilia Educational Theory

Gross-Loh, C. (2014). Finnish education chief: 'We created a school system based on equality.' The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/finnish-education-chief-we-created-a-school-system-based-on-equality/284427/ 

Waldorf/Steiner Education

American Occupational Therapy Association, (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th Ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001

Bill is an occupational therapist from California. He has been practicing since 2012. Currently, he practices in skilled nursing facilities setting. He also is an adjunct faculty at Stanbridge University. Bill is finishing up his first term as the California #2 rep for the AOTA Representative Assembly. Bill was a speaker for TEDxGrandForks in 2015 and TEDxYouth@AlamitosBay in 2017. He was also the curator for TEDxAlmansorPark in 2019. Bill is passionate about autism, leadership, and social media in occupational therapy.

Successes and failures and what I got out of the experiences.

Failures/Setbacks

1. During my time as a student for my masters, I was amongst the bottom dwellers of my class. I barely got by kinesiology and neuroscience. Phys dys was my worst subject. I was able to get through this part because I generally built pretty strong rapport with my classmates. They encouraged me to keep fighting and reminded me that finishing up the degree is what matters. Now I am passing on this advice to students I come across on social media. Of course, these experiences were also assets as a faculty, too. I have students told me that because I experienced these struggles, I am able to relate to them better while giving them hope in the process.

2. I found out I have Asperger's in the middle of year 1 and year 2 of OT school. At that time, I was able to put a name to my struggles. But, it was not easy to figure out what accommodations I needed, let alone quickly. I contemplated a leave of absence even though I tried what I can to find hope and support. Turning point of this happened when I was attending the NBCOT/AOTA Student Conclave in 2010. I met Jaclyn Schwartz, who was the ASD Steering Committee chair at the time in person for the first time. We got to know each other because we ran against each other for that position a few months before that. Long story short, Jaclyn gave me a pep talk when we were waiting for our flights to return home from the conference. After she left, even though I still was searching for hope, Jaclyn's words rekindled my passion for OT again. Soon after, we started our unofficial friendly rivalry, as we try to challenge one another to do great things in OT. (I have been joking that our relationship has become one of the best friendly rivalries of all time in OT.)

3. My first year of working clinically was a struggle. I thought my first job was a good fit- location reasonably close to home, having some familiarity with my supervisor, having past successes in school based level 2 fieldwork, and I have a reasonable strong foundation of autism knowledge. However, it ended up exposing many of my weaknesses instead- weaknesses in behavior management, poor play and executive functioning skills. On top of that, I ended up having a relapse after I managed my anxiety well prior to that. So, I abruptly left that job 3 months into it. I then had an unsuccessful attempt at private practice for a year. When I decided to go for a paycheck-to-paycheck job again, I ended up taking a leap of faith to try skilled nursing facilities setting. Instead of taking a full time position right away, I chose to do per diem and started at 20-25 hours a week. My rationale was that I wanted to learn about the setting in my own terms and pace. This strategy turned out to be successful as I was able to become a full time therapist 1.5 years later.

4. I applied for the then AOTA Emerging Leaders Development Program 3 times and got rejected for all 3. I knew I needed some seasoning and mentorship even though many of my contemporaries thought that I was further along than them. Rather than giving up, I decided to build my own mentoring team. This has turned out well for my career. Meanwhile, these rejections gave me swagger to do my best in every OT leadership position I get to have. Of course, how my career is turning out also is motivating...

Welcome to Students in CHRG! On our first episode, we cover a relevant topic in today’s world- telehealth! Given this new shift in healthcare delivery due to the pandemic, we discuss whether or not we believe telehealth is here to stay. As fieldwork students at Corbin Health & Rehab Group, we’re excited to research and share the benefits and effectiveness of utilizing telehealth for occupational therapy sessions, and explore its relevance to occupational therapy practitioners, especially in the time of COVID-19. We incorporate evidence based research articles, as well as discuss some of our own experience with telehealth as students to determine the benefits, limitations, and patient perspectives on this emerging practice field.

Alfred, S. L. (2020). Remote self-measurement of wrist range of motion performed on normal 

wrists by a minimally trained individual using the iPhone level application only demonstrated good reliability in measuring wrist flexion and extension. Journal of Hand Therapy. doi:10.1016/j.jht.2020.05.001

Echm, C., Lape, J., Renda, M. (2018). Feasibility and effectiveness of telehealth occupational therapy home modification interventions. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 10(1). doi: 10.5195/ijt.2018.6244

Kruse, C. S., Krowski, N., Rodriguez, B., Tran, L., Vela, J., & Brooks, M. (2017). Telehealth 

and patient satisfaction: A systematic review and narrative analysis. BMJ, 7(8), e016242. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016242

Tenforde, A. S., Borgstrom, H., Polich, G., Steere, H., Davis, I. S., Cotton, K., . . . Silver, J. K. 

(2020). Outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapy synchronous telemedicine: A survey study of patient satisfaction with virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. doi:10.1097/PHM.0000000000001571

Zimiles, A. (2020). Four new statistics that prove that telemedicine isn’t just a pandemic fad. 

Medical Economics. 

https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/four-new-statistics-that-prove-that-telemedicine-isn-t-just-a-pandemic-fad

Our instagram is @CHRGtherapy and our facebook is https://www.facebook.com/chrgtherapyLLC

Dr Jenny Owens is an Occupational Therapist from Nashville TN and Belmont Alumni. Her passion for serving military personnel led to a program called Reboot Recovery. Reboot is a non profit organization and 12 week program for military, first responders and their families who have been impacted in some way by trauma. Jenny and her husband stared Reboot in their home as a small support group and it has now grown nationally and internationally.

Jenny is an occupational therapist and has previously worked for the Department of Defense treating active duty soldiers with traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress. Jenny specializes in neurocognitive and psychosocial rehabilitation as well as return to duty evaluation. Jenny has contributed to numerous occupational therapy publications including the mTBI Rehabilitation Toolkit (2015), TBI Interventions to Support Occupational Performance (2014), and Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction, 7th ed. (2013). 

She is currently involved in research projects measuring the effectiveness of a faith-based, peer led approach to trauma recovery. A strong believer in the power of relationships, Jenny believes that authentic community is key in helping people heal from painful experiences. 

Jenny and her husband, Evan, have three young children and she enjoys having coffee with friends, cooking, and traveling.

https://rebootrecovery.com/

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/rebootrecovery/

Carly M. Rogers, OTD, OTR/L, is a clinical occupational therapist and independent researcher. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and her masters and clinical doctorate from the University of Southern California. During her Master’s coursework in 2003, Dr. Rogers created a therapeutic surfing program titled Ocean Therapy, aimed at enhancing self-efficacy in participants from diverse backgrounds. She later became the Director of Programs for the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation, where she implemented Ocean Therapy with underprivileged youth and military populations until 2015. She has presented at the regional, national and international level both on the topics of surf therapy and occupational therapy’s role with veterans diagnosed with combat PTSD. She has contributed to the growing evidence base for surf therapy as a primary and co-author for several peer-reviewed journal articles. Additionally, Dr. Rogers has a background in Pediatrics and is SIPT certified. She has worked in Early Intervention, school-based practice and in clinic-based settings."