OT Potential Podcast | Occupational Therapy CEUs

We’ve had compelling evidence for a while now about the benefits of providing acute care hospital services from the comfort of a patient’s home. (This model is widely known as “hospital in the home.”)  But, for us in the US, it has been hard to imagine how our complex medical system would ever change to accommodate such a fundamental shift in healthcare delivery.  Enter: the pandemic. Now, our who...

We became occupational therapy practitioners to deliver transformative care to our clients. This is a tall order to begin with—and we also hold justice as one of our core values. So, we want to transform lives AND do so in a socially responsible way.  This is hard and complex work. It requires that we question and move beyond overly simplistic theories of practice. The article we explore in this o...

The research is clear—adults living with cancer have significant unmet therapy needs. But how can we, as occupational therapy professionals, best serve this population?  It’s a great question, and one we’ll explore in-depth on this one-hour episode of the OT Potential Podcast! First, we’ll dig into the research around disability in activities of daily living among adults with cancer. Next, we’ll b...

Many of us feel the benefits of spending time in nature. But, these outdoor experiences often seem pretty far removed from our traditional occupational therapy work.  There’s a good chance you’ve already heard of nature-based therapy, as it is a hot topic in the OT world. However, you might not be aware of the breadth of research available on this topic—and you might be pleasantly surprised by how...

Racial and ethnic health disparities have been heavy on our hearts over the past few years—and they should be. We have much to reckon with, not only in terms of our own personal biases, but also regarding the structural inequities within healthcare. In this one-hour, podcast-based CE course, we’ll look at how the Latino community is impacted by disparities around the diagnosis and care of autistic...

The ability to affordably track brainwave activity has opened up tremendous opportunities in occupational therapy. Regardless of where we work (or the patient populations we treat), our work has the potential to be significantly informed by this technology over the next few decades.  In this one-hour course, we will look at a research study on brain-computer interface (BCI). The study will serve a...

As autistic individuals transition from adolescence to adulthood, they encounter a new and unique set of challenges. Yet, at this critical time, the support available to them drops dramatically. This is known as the “services cliff.” In this one-hour continuing education course, we’ll begin by looking at the journal article “Service Needs Across the Lifespan for Individuals with Autism.” Then, to...

Any occupational therapy practitioner knows that we often face tough questions surrounding ethics and justice. We work in imperfect systems, and each day we see how societal systems favor some, while placing others at a disadvantage. So, how do we process all of this? And, how do we see ourselves as contributing to the greater good? One framework that has been taught in many OT schools involves “o...

You probably spent a lot of time learning about “therapeutic use of self” during OT school. As it turns out, this phrase is just one of many frameworks that describe the relationship between therapists and patients. Over the past decade, many other relationship models have been developed and studied. This course will orient you to various concepts for understanding your relationship with patients,...

Over the past few decades, our understanding of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has evolved quite a bit. And, that means the prognosis of RA patients has improved in turn. Many of the “classic” deformities associated with RA are becoming less common. And, as we learn more and more about RA and its impacts on patients, your OT care should evolve accordingly. In this 1-hour podcast course, we’ll begin by...

In neuroscience, there is a rapidly growing and evolving understanding of sensory function that is important for all occupational therapists to be tracking—and particularly those who work with autistic clients.  In this one hour continuing education course, we’ll dive into a research review, where the authors take three  main assumptions that both neuroscientists and occupational therapists make r...

In many ways, the past year has changed how we practice occupational therapy. OTs and OTAs have worked in a variety of settings as we’ve seen new and different needs arise. We have been called to learn new safety protocols, new technologies, and new ways of approaching care. At the same time, OT professionals have burned out at higher rates than ever, as facilities struggle with the downturn of re...

This podcast episode discusses the important topic of how to support those who care for people with dementia. Dementia tends to inform many conversations around caregiving, largely because it is such a pressing public health concern. Yet, this is a conversation that goes beyond a single diagnosis. After all, many of our occupational therapy clients receive some type of caregiving, whether formal o...

The struggles of COVID-19 long haulers have caught the attention of the medical community. In many cases, symptoms seem to correlate with a little-known condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). But, even before the pandemic called attention to POTS, research and advancements in treatment were taking place in the background. Unfortunately, while the research is out there,...

Whether we’re students, educators, or clinicians working on the frontlines of care, we all have a stake in the world of occupational therapy (OT) education.  The changes in clinical education this year are so large that even those working in academia have struggled to keep up.  This 1-hour CE course will ask you to reflect on trends in higher education prior to 2020, and assess how COVID-19 has im...

The number of adults diagnosed with autism is rising. Yet, we currently have very few evidence-based interventions to offer this population. We seem to be falling short of truly supporting autistic adults. We need to do better, not just by addressing their challenges, but also by bolstering their unique strengths. This 1-hour episode is going to push you to think big-picture about the unmet needs...

So much about the COVID-19 era feels unpredictable and beyond our control.  But, the research analysis covered in this course will open your eyes to some ways where we can be extremely helpful. Not only can you use your occupational therapy skills to help patients in acute care, but you can even help those who are home with mild symptoms. I know we say this at OT Potential a lot, but your skill se...

In this 1-hour course, occupational therapy practitioners will gain an introductory understanding of a hot topic (and controversial diagnosis): postconcussion syndrome. On one hand, postconcussion syndrome has a well-described pattern of symptoms. But, on the other hand, we don’t know what causes it. Plus, because the symptoms are subjective, postconcussion syndrome has been very difficult to quan...

In this 1-hour course, occupational therapy practitioners will learn about the concepts of eHealth and participatory medicine—and, how they are shaping the future of our profession. Both eHealth and participatory medicine will give you a new lens to understand some of the seismic shifts that are happening in health care right now. And, the good news is that even amidst rapid change, the basic tene...

In this 1-hour course, occupational therapy practitioners will learn about promising research regarding stroke rehab—specifically, interventions that are geared toward self-management. The good news is that much of the research backs what we are already doing. The authors build upon our existing foundations of OT, providing practical ideas for tweaking your care to leverage the principles of self-...

My first thought after I read this article was that I need to share it with our hospital’s CEO. This is exactly the kind of article that I want our administrators and leaders to be reading.  My second thought was that every OT needs a copy of this article to display on their desk like an inspirational poster :-) It’s that huge. This is the largest (and most important, in my opinion) study we’ve ex...

We OTs are navigating an ever-changing maze of legislation, reimbursement, and care-delivery models. But, this week’s article calls us to focus on our profession’s most important relationship of all: our relationship with our clients. Get ready to really ponder the nature of our partnerships with clients...and to consider these relationships in terms like trust and vulnerability . The researchers...

During this time of COVID-19, we OTs are doing what we do best: being adaptable . In this case, a global pandemic has us reimagining what our therapy can look like.  It is our hope that the OT Potential Club can help you do that in a proactive way.  Over the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at research that highlights new opportunities to reach our patients and improve outcomes.  This week’s art...

Therapists across the globe are advocating that telehealth delivery be covered by our licenses (and reimbursed by insurers). Now, more than ever, I think it’s important to examine the research that backs up these efforts. The reality is that even before COVID-19, telehealth was showing significant promise to help reach more clients, and even improve outcomes. This week’s article is a randomized co...

One of the general trends we’ve been following on the podcast is the potential of using coaching strategies in occupational therapy.  And, as therapists around the globe are dialing into teletherapy, this research trend merits some consideration. After all, it may be an effective strategy to consider as many of us are seeking to restructure how we offer our occupational therapy services. This week...