2025 FOTA Connect Member Sessions

Course abstract: Clinical reasoning, a term used interchangeably with professional reasoning, and therapeutic reasoning, is “the process that practitioners use to plan, direct, perform and reflect on client care” (Schell-Boyt, 2019, p. 482). Clinical reasoning is a contributor to the foundation of occupational therapy practice as expressed in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (OTPF-4, American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2020) and its aspects are utilized in practice to facilitate the transactional relationship between the domain and process. The occupational therapy domain houses the expertise of practitioners, and it is the reason why practitioners engage with clients. In addition, the occupational therapy process is how the practitioner engages with the client and specific clinical reasoning aspects are employed when completing the client’s occupational profile, analyzing the client’s occupational performance, and developing client centered outcomes. This presentation aims to increase awareness and knowledge of clinical reasoning to enhance occupational therapy education, occupational therapy practice, and occupational therapy professional development.

Course Objectives: 
The participants will: Understand the terms clinical reasoning, diagnostic reasoning, professional reasoning, and therapeutic reasoning. Identify aspects of clinical reasoning embedded throughout occupational therapy practice. Apply the aspects of clinical reasoning to a case study.

Speaker description:
Cody Cox, OTD, M.Ed., BHSOT, OTR/L, PLCC, graduate of the University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University, and South University of West Palm has been an occupational therapist for over 30 plus years in geriatric rehabilitation settings. For the past 12 years, Dr. Cox has worked in academia as a program director for occupational therapy assistant programs in Florida and Virginia. She is currently full-time, core faculty at the University of Saint Augustine, Miami campus teaching in the MOT and OTD occupational therapy programs