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This article focused on the importance of having your heart, mind, and soul behind you and your profession in order to present professionalism within the occupational therapy field. The heart of professionalism in occupational therapy, focuses on doing Good Work and/or ensuring that what we are doing is right for us as well as improving another's life. The mind of professionalism in occupational therapy, this idea is centered around working to broaden the scope of knowledge within occupational therapy as well as providing EVP to your clients because they deserve more than the routine BUE exercises. Lastly, the soul of professionalism within occupational therapy, this involves collaborating with other individuals within the profession, critically evaluating, and brainstorming to ensure that the highest standard of practice is being used within the clinics. These three components are interwoven. Therefore, if one piece, the heart, mind, or soul is missing then the level of professionalism you portray decreases.

As we engage our hearts to do Good Work, strive to nourish our minds, and to cultivate the authenticity of our souls we can help make the field of occupational therapy stand out and be a pillar of professionalism. Wendy Wood's article is inspiring and is a good read to give you a little boost.

The author's purpose of this article was to promote professionalism as heart, mind, and soul at all level so that all we do in the name of occupational therapy not only remains right for ourselves and good for the world, but also grows more so over time. He described professionalism as especially important for the well-being of individuals or of society at large, having a value so special that money cannot serve as its sole measure: it is also simply good work. The author was captured by the magic of occupational therapy as a counselor at a summer camp for autistic children, which was a truly inspiring story about how he fell in love with the profession. He emphasized how personal professionalism is; so personal, in fact, that he uses the metaphors of heart, mind, and soul to depict its most vital elements. Any field claiming professional stature must be just as dedicated to cultivating its mind as it is to nourishing its heart, as the two are wonderfully symbiotic. I loved this article, and it truly depicted the meaning of and what it means to be an occupational therapist at a personal level.

This article highlights the increased pressure placed on occupational therapists to utilize evidence-based practice when working with patients. The main purpose of this article is to provide occupational therapy practitioners with the knowledge and skill sets to utilize evidence to support their treatment and provide the best possible care to their patients. According to the authors, evidence-based practice requires occupational therapy practitioners to synthesize their clinical expertise, with the best evidence available to them through systematic review, as well as considering their patients' values and preferences. This article presents a framework that occupational therapy practitioners can utilize in order to create a more evidence-based practice. The first step includes asking clinical questions and then searching the literature in order to discover answers to the question. When gathering research information the occupational therapists must then place the research in hierarchies, deciphering what studies are more reliable and valid and what studies will provide better support to answer your clinical questions. This part of the process includes critically appraising the research to decide which studies are strongest and have the most sound evidence to support the clinical question. Throughout the entire process it is important for the therapist to utilize their clinical judgment in order to make the best decisions, as evidence-based practice requires a collaboration between research, clinical expertise, and patient preferences.

Bennett, S., & Bennett, J. (2000). The process of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy: informing clinical decisions. Australian Therapy Journal. 47, 171-180 This is a very helpful article from the Australian Therapy Journal that describes the process of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy. It emphasizes the importance that our profession now has placed on building our foundation in evidence-based practice and how we must have "sound evidence" to back up our treatments and interventions. The article discusses the framework to use with evidence-based practice, clinical questions to ask in research and the types of evidence to focus on at this point in time for our profession. This is a very valuable resource for newcomers to the profession as well as individuals who graduated in the past without the research component who may be interested in research at this point in time. Bennett and Bennett (2000) walk the reader through how to search for evidence based practice articles and then how to critically appraise them. It addresses the clinical importance and validity and how to know when you have a good study. Finally, it helps you to gauge how to know when you can use the evidence for individual clinical decisions.

Individuals experiencing mental health disorders are susceptible to impairments in occupational functioning due to decreased concentration, memory, thought processes, insight, judgement, decision-making, reality orientation, regulating emotions, understanding perception, motivation, and psycho-motor activity. This is a quantitative study out of the South American Journal of Occupation Therapy that studied the effects of slow vs. fast tempo of music on symptoms of psychosis during occupation. There were 160 individuals with diagnosed psychological disorders in a psych hospital in South Africa. The subjects participated in a leatherwork activity while listening to either fast paced/upbeat music or low tempo/slow music. Attention/focus, ability to follow instructions, directedness towards the activity, and motivation were measured in groups of individuals who had psycho-motor agitation or psycho-motor inhibition psychosis. The study found that listening to music during an activity has the ability to improve all three variables in both agitation and inhibited-motor psychosis. Fast-paced tempo significantly improves attention in individuals with inhibited motor-psychosis. The ability to follow instructions improved in both fast and slow tempo music for both agitated and inhibited individuals. Directedness and motivation did not significantly improve in any of the groups. This study indicates that music can improve the ability to perform occupations and activities in individuals with mental health disorders. Music is very individualized and it may be difficult for OT practitioners to work with groups of individuals when introducing music. IT is important for an OT to gather a good understanding of a patient's preferences and determine if they would be a good candidate for the use of music during therapy. More research is recommended in this area to further determine the effects of music on occupation in this population.

This test could be used in acute care. This assessment offers a hospital version (MET_HV) that would be appropriate in the VA setting. This test was developed for use with a wider range of participants than the original version; it has more concrete rules, simplification of task demands and space provided on the instruction sheet for the patient to record the information they were to collect. There are 12 separate subtasks within four sets of simple tasks. These four task sets are as follows: 1. The patient must complete six specific errands (purchase 3 items, use the phone, collect and envelope from reception and send a letter to an external address), 2. The patient must obtain and write down four items of designated information (e.g. the opening time of a shop on Saturday), 3. The patient must meet the assessor outside of the hospital reception in 20 minutes after the test had begun and state the time, 4. The client must inform the assessor when he/she finishes the test. The test cannot be administered to patients confined to bed due to the nature of the questions. The test would be difficult to complete on patients instructed to only get up with help as they would have to have a nurse available at the time they need to meet some of the task requirements. Both validity and reliability have been established for this test for various populations (see citation for specifics).

This article outlines five steps to achieve professionalism in order to demonstrate that you have respect for your employer, your co-workers, as well as yourself. Oftentimes, individuals can demonstrate professionalism during the interviewing process or when meeting with individuals in higher management. However, professionalism should be practiced on a daily basis. There are various ways to demonstrate professionalism within the workplace, including but not limited to, dressing appropriately, respecting others, and actively engaging in learning experiences. The first step to demonstrating professionalism includes looking the part. First impressions are lasting impressions, and an individual's attire sends a message to others concerning how serious they are about their work. Secondly, a professional should always use proper grammar, regardless of the type of communication. In addition, individuals should seek additional tasks and challenges as a means to show responsibility as well as a desire to succeed and grow within their company. Professionals should show respect toward others in all interactions regardless of whether it is a consumer, co-worker, or upper management. Lastly, part of demonstrating professionalism includes admitting any mistakes or mishaps. A willingness to admit one's mistakes takes courage; however, these individuals are often more cautious employees.

This website talks about professionalism and 5 steps to achieve professionalism. These steps are as follows: look the part, grammar is essential, tasks and challenges should be approached head on, show respect towards others, and accepting accountability for mishaps or mistakes. I believe these are good tips to achieve professionalism.

This resource shares 5 simple ways to increase professionalism. These ways include dressing appropriately and having proper hygiene. WHO and the CDC have different guidelines for hygiene so it is important to know and understand the appearance policies for the facility you are interviewing/working for. The use of proper grammar and communication skills in all forms of communication (written or verbal) is essential. It is also important to face challenges head on and to view challenging circumstances as learning opportunities. Always showing respect for others even in times of disagreement will show that you can handle yourself in a professional manner. The final suggestion was to always accept responsibility for mistakes.

This is a systematic review that looks at the evidence for the effects of exercise on ADL functioning of people with AD. This review also looked at the effects of exercise on cognition and mood and on physical performance. The initial search for articles for the systematic review began with over 2000 articles, and the reviewers narrowed it down to 6 articles. Overall, they found that exercise can, in fact improve ADL function in people with AD. Exercise can also improve physical performance, and may slow the decline in cognition and boost mood in those with AD.

This article used 6 other articles to review effects of exercise on ADL performance of those with Alzheimer's Disease. Occupational therapy intervention that includes aerobic and strengthening exercises may help improve independence in ADLs and improve physical performance in people with Alzheimer's. More research needs to done to identify specific components of intervention and optimal dosage to develop clinical guidelines. At my SNF placement, I have worked with many residents with Alzheimer's. We do use strength training with most patients is they are able to do it, and we also work to increase endurance as well. It is good to see evidence to back up treatment

Guidelines to the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics This is a really handy resource that provides a quick glance at the different elements of the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics. It lists ten sections of professional behaviors under the code of ethics and each have a subset of behaviors which are appropriate under that section. The first professional behavior listed is honesty. "Professionals must be honest with themselves, must be honest with all whom they come in contact with, and must know their strengths and limitations" (AOTA, 2005). The second behavior listed is communication. "Communication is important in all aspects of occupational therapy. Individuals must be conscientious and truthful in all facets of written, verbal, and electronic communication" (AOTA, 2005). The third area of professional behavior is ensuring the common good. "Occupational therapy personnel are expected to increase awareness of the profession's social responsibilities to help ensure the common good" (AOTA, 2005). The fourth professional behavior is competence. "Occupational therapy personnel are expected to work within their areas of competence and to pursue opportunities to update, increase, and expand their competence" (AOTA, 2005). The fifth area of professional behavior is confidential and protected information. "Information that is confidential must remain confidential. This information cannot be shared verbally, electronically, or in writing without appropriate consent. Information must be shared on a need-to-know basis only with those having primary responsibilities for decision making" (AOTA, 2005). The sixth professional behavior area is conflict of interest. "Avoidance of real or perceived conflict of interest is imperative to maintaining the integrity of interactions" (AOTA, 2005). The seventh professional behavior area is impaired practitioner. "Occupational therapy personnel who cannot competently perform their duties after reasonable accommodati

This PDF document is the fourth article in a series concerning the steps of how to conduct evidence-based practice. The first three steps include write a clinical question, gather current evidence that might answer the question, and then evaluate the literature to determine what is the best answer in regards to your clinical question. In this article the author discusses the fourth step of how to conduct evidence-based practice, which is communicating the evidence to patients, family members, and other colleagues in regards to how it may impact intervention decisions. In order to effectively communicate to all parties involved the occupational therapist must first conduct an unbiased, comprehensive search to answer the proposed clinical question. The therapist must then be able to interpret the information and articulate it to their patient, their family, and their colleagues in a way that is easy to understand. The author suggests starting broadly and then narrowing down; in other words present the evidence as a whole and then narrow it down to how it can be applied to the patient's case. Above all, it is important to make sure the patient is able to comprehend the information as it is a collaborative work between the therapist and the patient in order to provide the most beneficial treatment.

This resource provides information on how to submit an ethics complaint to AOTA if you believe that someone has violated the OT code of ethics. The complainant must submit supporting document that details the alleged violation including the relationship to violator, when the violation occurred, and what attempts to address the violation were taken. The ethics commission meets once a month to discuss and review ethics complaints. Once reviewed, a final decision can take several months up to a year to be made. During this time, the accused violator can request an appeal to the complaint.

This article is the AOTA's position on how to set professional boundaries with patients. The article provides examples of ethical documents within the the profession of OT, such as the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics Standards. It then goes on to define professional boundaries and how to set them. Case study examples are provided for how to set professional boundaries, in a variety of contexts.

This is a great article pertaining directly to ethics of occupational therapy practitioners in skilled nursing facilities. The article clearly defines each ethical principal outlined in the AOTA code of ethics and how they relate to practice. The article then has several case studies that give specific ethical dilemmas and solve the dilemma with evidence from the AOTA ethical principals. One specif case study explained how it was unethical to treat a family member to do potential violations of justice and fairness.

This is a great article pertaining directly to ethics of occupational therapy practitioners in skilled nursing facilities. The article clearly defines each ethical principal outlined in the AOTA code of ethics and how they relate to practice. The article then has several case studies that give specific ethical dilemmas and solve the dilemma with evidence from the AOTA ethical principals. One specif case study explained how it was unethical to treat a family member to do potential violations of justice and fairness.

This article is a great article about professionalism during an interview for an occupational therapy position. Although this article is not about clinical professionalism I thought it would be great to share as it gives great advise to us students about obtaining an occupational therapist position after we graduate. The article gives tips and advise to new grads on how to present your self when applying for a position. the article also gives potential questions to ask the employers and potential questions that will be asked of you. The article mentions how you should act in the room and how you should dress to portray a professional demeanor. The article is extremely relevant to us students as we will have to go through the process of obtaining an OT position in a couple of months.

This article discusses the process of clinical reasoning and the difficulties of teaching and/or learning this crucial skill. This document also presents a model for students to follow when attempting to develop solid clinical reasoning skills.

This article outlines the process of clinical reasoning and provides a framework for clinicians to utilize when attempting to teach clinical reasoning to students. This article was written with a focus on teaching junior doctors how to develop stronger clinical reasoning skills, but the same is applicable to occupational therapy students. Clinicians often know clinical reasoning when they see it but have a difficult time articulating and teaching it to their students. Clinical reasoning requires an individual to integrate and apply a variety of knowledge, weigh the presented evidence, critically think about all facets of the evidence, and finally to reflect upon the process utilized to arrive at the decision. Clinical reasoning encourages personal reflection and experience, which is why it is so difficult to teach to new grads/students that have little to no experience.

This study was performed to identify the ability for individuals to adjust following spinal cord injury and acute rehabilitation treatment using the PAIS, the psychological adjustment to illness scale. Although this article is dated 1991- I feel that it has extreme relevance to the population. Specifically results of this study were extremely variable, some individuals were able to adjust without difficulty while others reported extreme difficulty with the major life change. I feel that this can be applicable to any traumatic injury--even outside of spinal cord in that experiences and adaption can be very individualized and should be approached as such. (Exactly why OT's approach to individuality and looking at the person as a whole is so crucial following a traumatic injury)