Professional Development

At this point in my professional career, I have worked on my professional development through clinical placements, various OT-related experiences, OT educational conference sessions, and through my involvement with and implementation of multiple projects.

Clinical Placements

Level 1 Placement

Providence Care Hospital Placement – Stroke/MSK – Lakeview 1, Kingston, ON

January 2021 – March 2021 (40 hours/week for 8 weeks)
Worked alongside two registered Occupational Therapists to administer assessments and enter data in the database. Built rapport with clients and used clinical reasoning to plan upcoming interventions.
Was commended for my energy, enthusiasm and positivity by all members of the interprofessional team at Lakeview 1.

Community Development Placement

Providence Care Hospital Placement – Providence Manor Site, Kingston, ON

November 2021 – December 2021 (40 hours/week for 5 weeks)
Learned and successfully implemented new technology (Planner5D) to enhance the ability to work remotely to create an optimal seating plan for residents.
Used findings from the current literature to deliver practical recommendations to a panel of professionals; implementation is pending due to Covid-19.

OT Related Experiences

Splinting Workshop - Fall 2021

A full day course was held in the fall of 2021 for all OT2 students in the MSc OT Program at Queen’s University. During this workshop, I learned about different styles, materials used and purposes of various splints for the UE. Specifically, we had the opportunity to make a thumb splint, a carpal tunnel splint (functional or resting) as well as a typing splint for someone who struggles with fine motor dexterity.

Job Shadowing Experiences

Summer 2020 (16 hours) - St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Mental Health Unit
Spring 2019 (8 hours) - CBI Health Centre Concussion Clinic in Port Hawkesbury
Spring 2019 (8 hours) - Mental Health & Addictions Institute in Port Hawkesbury
Spring 2018 (16 hours) - St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in the Acute Stroke Unit
Summer 2017 (8 hours) - Stan Cassidy Centre Autism Sector
Summer 2016 (16 hours) - Chalmer’s Hospital in Fredericton (stroke, hand therapy, wheelchair fittings, etc.)
Summer 2015 (8 hours) - UNB Institute of Biomedical Engineering

OSOT Conference - Celebrating 100 Years (November 2021)

I attended various sessions including:

Inspiring the OT Leader Within
Transition to Practice: Pandemic Edition
Meaningful Connections in the Time of COVID: How OT's can use the Guide to virtual creative engagement for older adults (VCE Guide) to battle geriatric isolation
Client Centered Prescriptions: We say it, but are we doing it?
Tiered Approaches to Occupational Therapy Services in Schools: What works for whom, when, why and how?
Concepts and Practices for Working with Clients with Bariatric Care Needs
OT and Vision Loss: Enhancing Accessibility in Your Practice
Material Matters: The substance and design of seating components
What’s the new Ontario autism program (OAP) all about?
“Has there been a change?”: Early identification of functional decline in older adults
Mental Health as the Next Pandemic Wave: Implications and Opportunities for Occupational Therapists
Engaging Patients and Caregivers in Care, Planning, and Quality Improvement Initiatives for Older adults

Projects

898 Research Project (Started June 2021 - still in progress)

This project has been looking at people’s time use during Covid-19, and more specifically, understanding the meaning associated with people’s activity choices.
As part of a larger project examining time use and well-being during the pandemic, my research partner and I have participated in qualitative analysis of data and have begun preparing a draft manuscript to present the findings. Specifically, we have been working together to:
Conduct a review of the literature to provide background information for the paper
Conduct qualitative analysis of interviews designed to explore in detail the actions and activity choices people explicitly make during the pandemic and the reasons for these choices.
Prepare a manuscript designed for publication presenting the findings of the qualitative analysis.
The final product will be a manuscript designed for publication presenting the findings of the qualitative analysis.

Covid-Friendly Fitness Training (Summer 2020)

Created and led a fitness program for kids and teens for various one-hour sessions multiple times each week. The purpose of this program was to use social distancing measures and separate children through the use of hula hoops on the ground and use primarily body weight activities to prevent the spread of covid-19 through shared equipment.

Fit 4 Men (September 2019 - May 2020)

Helped create, plan and facilitate this program alongside a Human Kinetics Professor. This program was meant to engage, motivate and promote physical activity for men (50+) twice a week for an hour each session. I was entrusted to run sessions independently when the professor was absent.

QuickStart Education Program (September 2019 - October 2019)

Helped with compiling most up to date research on mental health practices (specifically in regard to anxiety/depression), created slideshow presentations and facilitated 1.5 hour sessions to groups of adults on topics surrounding mental health for six weeks under the supervision of a local OT. Through this experience I was able to gain confidence with public speaking and was valued and respected by all attendees.