Practitioners Blog
The Experience of OT Students During Fieldwork: What Fieldwork Educators (FWE) Should Know
Posted on Friday March 1, 2024
Personally, my fieldwork A and B experiences were vastly different in terms of setting and the support I received from fieldwork educators, with the first being a frustrating time and the second a supportive experience. During my first fieldwork experience, my Fieldwork Educator (FWE) and I did not have a clear and consistent stream of communication. I made repeated mistakes because I wasn't given clear instructions on how to approach a new situation. There was also a lack of trust and understanding between us because I didn’t feel ready to handle a full caseload, and my FWE felt I wasn't as competent as she had hoped. Although I often leaned on the resources provided to us at school, it wasn't as helpful as I would have liked due to the constant changes in the environment, such as new management, clients, and expectations. During my second fieldwork experience, my FWE and I communicated frequently through email, text, and face to face. She would go into detail about the interventions she planned for the therapy session, even if she thought I had learned it in school. She learned about my learning style and incorporated it into daily therapy so that I could learn hands-on and engaged in my professional interests. I felt challenged, but was reminded to take breaks as needed. My second FWE felt more like a mentor than an educator, which I needed and appreciated after my first fieldwork experience.
Honest Conversations: Facing Challenges After a Brain Injury or Stroke
Posted on Thursday February 1, 2024
In the world of healthcare, it's important to make sure everyone feels heard and understood. After a stroke or brain injury, people go through different challenges. For some, dealing with emotions and thoughts is tough, while others might feel really frustrated, sad, or confused. Trying to cheer our clients up by saying: “Stay positive!” may make clients feel like they are not being taken seriously. The key to helping clients after a stroke or brain injury is to build trust, connection, and an understanding to work together.
The Post Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (PP-OTD) Student Experience
Posted on Monday October 2, 2023
For those of you, like myself, who attended an OT entry-level bachelors or master’s program, the increase in occupational therapy doctorate programs posed many questions for practitioners in the field. Many practitioners have asked “what does this mean for my career?” and “what does this mean for the profession?”. However, the shift from masters to doctorate level terminal degrees reflected the transition that occurred in occupational therapy from a bachelors to master’s degree by 2007. In previous years, a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy was the terminal degree.
The Power of Occupation Centered Assessment Tools
Posted on Wednesday July 12, 2023
Years ago there was an initiative to increase the use of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) at my workplace. I was familiar with the tool from school but honestly I’m not sure if I had ever used it in practice. I felt that I had honed my ability to both develop a strong occupational profile and to develop client centered goals. I knew my clients and what they wanted to focus on in OT… or so I thought.
Welcome!
Posted on Wednesday February 1, 2023
Welcome to the Moxie OT Blog for professionals. This will be a space to support occupational therapy practitioners to provide excellent occupational therapy services. Here we will provide additional information to support your use of evidence based practice beyond the podcast. This will also be a space where we can discuss other topics impacting the profession at large and our own personal practice.