Explain to the occupational therapist that you will need to observe his/her work with clients
Introduction to occupational therapy
The Clinical Observation Assignment requires preplanning in order to meet the due date. Learners are strongly encouraged to seek out an occupational therapist (OT) to interview and visit his/her worksite as soon as possible in order to work out a date to visit the facility. Plan to spend at least 4-6 hours for observation and interview time. Working practitioners are very busy and cannot be expected to accommodate a visitor at the last minute. Summers may be especially difficult as people are planning around vacations and time off.
Please, explain to the occupational therapist that you will need to observe his/her work with clients as well as ask questions about his/her work and training. You will need to negotiate with the therapist as to the appropriate time and place to ask questions. Please wear business casual clothing (no jeans, nothing ripped, no T-shirts) as you are representing yourself, the university, and our OT Program.
Provided are a list of the questions below in the Information to obtain regarding your clinical observations (of the facility and from the OTR) section below may help facilitate this process and help the therapist to plan his/her day accordingly.After your interview, complete a 3-5 page double-spaced paper describing the facility you visited for your interview and date of visit. This assignment may be presented in a question-answer format or narrative format. This paper is to be in APA format, and a 12-point font. Upload your paper to Moodle, do not email your paper to your professor.
Information to obtain regarding your clinical observations. Use the following questions to gather information and facilitate your interview. (8pts each)
1. Name, address and contact number of the facility.
2. Describe the type of facility (hospital, nursing home, school, etc) and the services provided.
3. Give a brief description of the department personnel in the department and/or whom the OTR works with(OT, OTA, PT, PTA, Nursing, Speech etc.)
4. Where did the OT complete his/her OT education and what level of education does the therapist have(Baccalaureate, Entry-level master’s, advanced practice master’s, entry-level doctorate, advanced practice doctorate).
5. Describe the OT’s work experience and discuss why he/she has chosen their current practice setting.
6. Describe the population served and the types of diagnoses seen.
7. Describe the types of assessments used by the OT.
8. Explain the treatment techniques the OT commonly uses
9. Describe the relationship between the OT and his/her clients.
10. What was the purpose of the treatment with each client you observed?
11. According to the therapist, what strengths do they have that make them a good occupational therapist?
12. When do they feel most satisfied with their job?
13. According to the therapist, what are the positive and negative features of being an occupational therapist?
14. From the therapist’s perspective, what motivates them to work as an occupational therapist?
15. Describe any meaningful interactions you had with a client. You must maintain the confidentiality of the clients, so you should use pseudonyms (fake names) when discussing clients.
Student evaluation of the clinical observation (6 pts each)
a. Does this OT department provide an important service? Express your opinion and make comments to support your answer.
b. Did the therapist seem to take pride in what he/she was doing? Support your response with an example.
c. Do you think you would feel comfortable working in a similar setting? Why or why not?
d. Was this experience worthwhile? Explain your answer.
e. Did this experience facilitate your decision-making regarding a career in occupational therapy? Explain.
Supportive Data:
a. Include any additional information related to your clinical experience that you feel is relevant.
Answer preview to explain to the occupational therapist that you will need to observe his/her work with clients
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