Holding a managerial position in a professional setting comes with a multitude of responsibilities. The skills required to successfully manage a group of professionals, large or small, are not skills that everyone possesses. With that being said, what constitutes a successful manager? What qualities make a manager the one who sticks out in your mind as someone who you looked to for guidance, or for whom you felt truly had your back? If you’re one who struggles to bring someone to mind, you’re not alone. This concept of a disconnect between management and staff has been a topic of discussion for decades. Research suggests that managers and practitioners have differing opinions about the performance of management, with management rating themselves significantly higher than their staff even though the only notable difference between the two groups is title (Brollier, 1985; Arroliga et al., 2014; Heard, 2014; Heard et al., 2018). The question to be posed then would be how can that gap be closed? Or at least lessened.

ASSESSING STUDENTS’ CLINICAL REASONING ON FIELDWORK

By Maria A. Colmer, OTD, OTR/L, Associate Professor, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Florida Gulf Coast University, OT Program, FLOTEC

FOTA21 Conference: Student Poster Submissions

Here are some tips to follow when completing your student poster submission:

1. First and foremost, make sure you submit your poster under student and not professional. This will help to decrease any added stress closer to conference when you realize you may have been placed in the wrong group. The conference committee goes off what you submit and will place your poster in the group accordingly.

By: Gustavo Reinoso, Ph.D., OTR/L Dominique Kiefer-Blanche, OTD, OTR/L Erna I. Blanche, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA 

As our understanding of sensory integration and the processing construct evolves, so should our measures and assessments. Occupational therapists working with children who present deficits in sensory integration and processing use an array of measures in clinical practice, such as standardized testing, proxy questionnaires, family interviews, biographical accounts, and self-report measures. The information provided by these measures assist practitioners in composing a clinical profile, formulate hypotheses, and develop a plan of care relevant to these children’s lives and their families. The results from these measures are often combined with the use of clinical observations. The primary purpose of clinical observations is to allow the therapist to use clinical judgment to analyze a child’s performance in relationship to sensory processing as informed by evolving theory and research (Blanche & Reinoso, 2008).

MAKE YOUR COVID-19 COMMUNICATIONS TO STAFF MORE EFFECTIVE 

By: Michael Steinhauer OTR, MPH, FAOTA
FOTA SIS Administration & Management Chair (Modified from Matt Cornner, Managing Director, Talent Development Solutions, Advisory.com)

Manualization of Occupational Therapy Interventions: A Crucial but Overlooked Step in Building Evidence

Manualization of an intervention is an essential component in the implementation of research studies. When collaborating on research teams, manualization gives a template to check for fidelity and thus determine if the intervention is carried out in the way in which it was intended by the program developers. Murphy and Gutman (2012) have outlined essential elements in intervention fidelity that are often absent from study descriptions. For example, within the intervention manual researchers should describe the intervention design to include the number, length, and frequency of intervention sessions. The researchers should explain both the theoretical framework and any clinical guidelines that provided the foundation for the intervention. The manual must also define the “active ingredients” or elements of the intervention proven to be responsible for changes in specific outcomes, often quite complex in intervention research. Careful consideration must be given to the training of individuals who will be implementing the study’s procedures. Implementation training is not only outlined in the manual, but the manual content can also be used for training purposes. Written/electronic intervention manuals can be an important tool to assist in fidelity as they provide a means to articulate the distinct differences of the intervention and ensure outcomes are replicated.

Measuring Florida Occupational Therapists’ Interest and Feasibility in Providing Therapy Services to Majority World Nations

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems” -Mahatma Ghandi

The world has become a global society with the ability to achieve an interconnected community. The problem is the world has a global view without global support. Resources are available yet avenues to bring resources abroad in a safe, effective way are scarce. Third world nations, also known as majority world nations or developing world nations, have deficits in care, education, and equipment. Occupational rights are such an integral part of American and European society that the Office of Public Sector Information and the United States Department of Justice have put laws in place for people with disabilities guaranteeing equal access to education, employment, and public buildings and activities. Developed nations have funding that support large amounts of rehabilitation research, development of technology that support mobility, cognition, and sensory while health as a right is very difficult for marginalized populations. Inequitable distribution of health opportunities globally is a major factor in health deficits. It is a joint responsibility of both domestic and external governments to fulfill health rights of majority world citizens (Barugahare & Lie, 2016; Reynolds, 2010). There is a lack of awareness of this need, lack of therapists available to provide services, and lack of safe, economical methods to bring relief to these countries.

FOTA...

Who We Are

The Florida Occupational Therapy Association (FOTA) is an all volunteer organization with the exception of one paid employee. That one employee, which many of you who have contacted the organization already know, is named Janine. She is fantastic at what she does for the organization, handling many of the day to day tasks that administratively need to be addressed. FOTA proudly represents the interest of over 16,000+ occupational therapy practitioners (occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and students). Currently, membership in our organization is approximately 1,000 total members, with half of those members being students (our future practitioners). Of the 500 approximate practitioners, we have 50 or so practitioners who are tasked with running the organization and the scope of its reach. So, you might ask, why all the honesty? Because FOTA believes in transparency and we feel it is important you know who we are and what we do. We also need to be honest in expressing how necessary you are to that definition, as we are all simultaneously co-evolving.

 COVID-19 Update and Resources

March 22, 2020 

FOTA recognizes the impact of Covid-19 (coronavirus) on individuals, families, the nation, and our world as we all adapt to these uncertain times. OT Practitioners across the state of Florida have all been challenged to remain healthy and ensure safe practices to prevent further community spread. As many of you have worked in various sectors or continue to be on the front lines, the influx of executive orders at the local, state, and national level can cause confusion as to what steps to take next. Of the utmost importance is to ensure your safety and that of your family, while following orders to reduce and prevent community spread.

Trauma and Trauma Informed (TI) Approaches to Care: Applications to Occupational Therapy Practice

Trauma is widespread and has profound effects that can lead to emotional and physical distress throughout the lifespan. Statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on abuse and violence in the United States indicate the following:

Musings on Oxytocin in Things We Do and Those We Care about

Abstract

The Role of Occupational Therapy In Cancer Care

Cancer is a multifaceted disease that affects quality of life and occupation performance of millions of individuals across the nation. It is estimated, in the United States, 15.5 million individuals live with a history of cancer (Taylor, 2018; National Cancer Institute, 2018). The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2014), estimates that one in two men and one in three women before the age of 85 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. Advances in medicine for cancer management and treatment for various forms of cancer, has significantly increased the survival rates of cancer patients. Occupational therapists (OTs), have the skills, knowledge, and education to provide interventions to cancers survivors to improve quality of life (QOL) and occupational performance.

Wellness & Health Promotion is Center Stage

Wellness and health promotion efforts appear to be at center stage, as the society becomes more aware about the burden of chronic diseases over the lifespan. This knowledge fosters the understanding that lifestyle choices can have a significant impact on prevalence of chronic diseases (Snelling, 2014). The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has identified Health and Wellness as a key practice area in the 21st century (AOTA, 2015). According to AOTA, “factors that will drive an increasing need for wellness-related services are based on an accumulating body of scientific evidence that an individual’s health is directly related to physical as well as emotional well-being” (AOTA, 2015) . To support practice, AOTA provides extensive resources for Health and Wellness practice embedded within occupational therapy, including evidence-based literature, technology applications to support domains of health, and professional development opportunities.

Poised for Success

(First in a series of articles describing FOTA’s Leadership Development Program)

 
FOTA has a long history of being a leader in occupational therapy state associations and innovations as one of the early established state associations and licensure. The Leadership Development Initiative emerged from passionate members approaching elected leadership of Florida Occupational Therapy Association (FOTA). These members had been involved with American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Emerging Leaders and Emerging Managers programs with positive professional outcomes. The question was raised if something similar would be a match for the membership needs and the FOTA strategic plan. A small committee was formed to determine if mentoring or leadership was the direction that would fit the current members needs, marketing, and leadership efforts. Compromise and constant collaboration to make sure sequential steps were followed to gather information and align with evidence based content to guide the successive years.

Congratulations to our 36 New Leadership Program Participants, June 8th, 2019 

Leadership Development Program Event