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Finding Balance as an Occupational Therapist via an Alternative Career Format (Episode 62) Aug 16, 2019

Show notes

Occupational therapist Becca McCaskey, MOT, OTR/L, grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and attended UT-Knoxville to earn an undergrad degree in Therapeutic Recreation. She completed her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy in 2015 at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis and then began her career working in outpatient private pediatric therapy. After recognizing some of the signs of overwhelm in attempting to juggle the demands of work and home and even of early burnout in herself, she took time off from work to stay home with her young children.
In 2018, Becca discovered teletherapy and she has been working in that specialty area of OT practice since that time. She has found that as an alternative career format, working in telehealth allows her to stay active as an occupational therapy practitioner while allowing for the flexibility she needs at this point in her life. As an OT, Becca is passionate about working with children of all ages and stages to help them reach their full potential and especially dedicated to helping those children who sometimes "fall through the cracks" due to a "hidden" disability or lack of resources. On this episode, Becca talks about the burnout that seems to be becoming increasingly prevalent amount healthcare providers, the importance finding balance in one's life in order to provide the highest quality of care to clients possible, and the perks of telehealth as an alternative to the traditional format of a career in occupational therapy.

The Connection Between Nature and Children's Health and Wellbeing (Episode 61) Aug 12, 2019

Show notes

Rebecca Kadowaki is an occupational therapist who has developed an evidence-based toolkit connecting contact with nature and executive functioning in pediatrics as part of the work she's doing in the post-professional OTD program in which she is enrolled at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI).
Becca has developed a resource called "Nature + Occupational Therapy" which is a toolkit for executive function in children, which she has generously shared as a free, open-market resource. On this episode, Becca talks about her path into the field of OT, her interest in the link between development, health and wellbeing and nature, research on how and why nature benefits children's executive function, and ideas for incorporating contact with nature into practice and into daily life.
For a list of resources mentioned in the interview, to subscribe to the podcast, or to find out how to connect with host Stephanie Lancaster or guest Becca Kadowaki, go to www.ontheair.us

Trailblazing in Rehabilitation in China (Episode 60) Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

Physical therapist Karen Malone, an expert in stroke and stroke rehab after over 30 years in practice, is the guest on this episode of On The Air. In the interview, Karen reminisces about her days in PT school and her first job as a PT working at a small Southern California hospital in stroke rehab. She talks about her experiences in stroke rehab Tijuana and China where she worked for 20 years and where she created opportunities to use physical therapy in a province where no one knew about physical therapy. Now residing in St. Paul, MN, with her son who was adopted from China, Karen is a delightful storyteller who highlights the challenges and the triumphs of being a trailblazer in the rehab field in China. To access the resources discussed on the show or to connect with Karen, visit the podcast website at www.ontheair.us

Promoting Inclusion Through Books for Children (Episode 59) Jul 20, 2019

Show notes

Karen Dobyns is an occupational therapist who lives in Southern California. She loves pediatrics and mental health and is adjunct faculty in an occupational therapy assistant college program. Karen was interviewed about her path into the field of occupational therapy on Episode 10 in January 2018 and is back to talk about her experiences in writing a children's book centered around the concept of inclusion (and OT!). She talks about how she came up with the idea for her book "The Centipede Who Couldn’t Tie His Shoes" and what she learned during the process of writing and publishing. The episode is ripe with resources and suggestions; for more information and to access the resources discussed in the interview, visit http://www.ontheair.us/podcast1/episode-59-promoting-inclusion-through-books-for-children

Telehealth as a Service Delivery Model in Occupational Therapy (Episode 58) Jul 13, 2019

Show notes

Kami Bible is an occupational therapist who specializes in school-based occupational therapy delivered via teletherapy. In addition to a degree in OT from Newman University in Wichita, KS, Kami also holds a Master's degree in Business Administration. She has experience working in the field as an Allied Health Recruiter for a large hospital system in Oklahoma City, a national presenter for the Bureau of Education and Research and with Learning Without Tears, and a school-based OT both in the traditional, brick & mortar sense and through eLuma, an online therapy company.
On this episode, Kami shares about her path in the field of OT, including her work in emerging areas of practice such as telehealth. She talks about challenges in and the upside of telehealth discusses the topic of telehealth in comparison to telemedicine and telerehab.
For more information about telehealth in occupational therapy or to connect with Kami, visit www.ontheair.us.

Learning in the Field (Episode 57) Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

As third-year OT students preparing to graduate from the Master's level program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN, Chelsea Chandler Holden and Caroline Montague share about a unique experience in the field that both say really helped to shape their learning as future OT practitioners. Both Chelsea and Caroline volunteered at an event called Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) held at Vanderbilt University in Nashville in January 2019. On this episode, we talk about how an experience like TOM can serve as a significant professional learning development opportunity for OT students and practitioners.
To learn more about the TOM initiative, visit https://tomglobal.org/
For more information about the TOM event (past or future) at Vanderbilt, check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/tikkunolammakers.vanderbilt/

Innovating to Fill a Gap (Episode 56) Jun 21, 2019

Show notes

Jason Gonzales is an occupational therapist and an innovator with experience in product and software development and production. Jason graduated from The Ohio State University in 2001 with a bachelors degree in Occupational therapy. From a clinical standpoint, most of his experience has been in the school setting with some experience in mental health and SNF. Jason has worked in school districts in NY, HI, CA, MA, and NJ. He currently lives with his wife and two children in NJ. He has started two companies (Innovative Therapy Solutions and Double Time Docs), holds one patent and is currently working on production of the new pencil grip.
On this episode, Jason shares about how he became an entrepreneur and talks about how ideas can be turned into products. Resources mentioned during the interview and Jason's contact information can be accessed at http://www.ontheair.us

Universal Design (Episode 55) Jun 14, 2019

Show notes

Have you seen the post making the rounds on social media of the photo of a man in a wheelchair and a baby in an infant carrier in a parking lot with shopping carts blocking the sidewalk between the entrance of the store and the parked vehicles? The post also contains a link to an article on Medium entitled "The Day My Two-Month Old and Husband Blew Up the Internet," which was written by occupational therapist Sarah Pruett.
Sarah is married to Scott, the man in the photo, and the couple have a baby. Together, they founded and run a nonprofit organization based in Virginia called The Universal Project Design which is dedicated to designing universally accessible homes. In their line of work and as a couple living with a disability - Scott sustained a C-6 level SCI 20 years ago - accessibility (and the lack thereof) is something they deal with regularly. "Barriers like this are everywhere and until you experience yourself or take the time to understand someone else’s perspective, you just won’t get it," says Sarah.
On this episode, Sarah and Scott talk about the nonprofit they created and share their insight about the need for universal design and improved accessibility and inclusiveness in the U.S. They discuss the website they created - https://safescore.org/ - where information about home modification and home features designed to improve safety and function for individuals with disabilities can be found, and they talk about how OT students and practitioners can widen their perspective to become true advocates for people with challenges related to accessibility.
The article on Medium can be accessed here: https://medium.com/@sarahpruett/the-day-my-two-month-old-and-husband-blew-up-the-internet-37915e65b9ba
To access the resources mentioned in the interview and to connect with Sarah and Scott, visit the podcast website at http://www.ontheair.us/

A Dual Perspective: A Career Pathway from Occupational Therapy Assistant to Occupational Therapist (Episode 54) Jun 07, 2019

Show notes

Jill Gebhard, MS, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist (OT) who currently practices at Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI, where she holds the position of Senior Occupational Therapist. Jill's primary areas of concentration in her practice as an OT have been inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation focused on the neurological population. She also has a special interest in stroke, concussion, dementia, Parkinson's, Functional Neurological Disorder and visual deficits. Jill has completed advanced training and holds a specialty certification in low vision through ACVREP, LSVT BIG for Parkinson's, and in the use of the Interactive Metronome. In addition, she has assisted in the development of driving, low vision and cognitive programs and currently serves as an adjunct professor for Mount Mary University.
Jill has a bit of an unusual career path in that she began in the field of occupational therapy as an occupational therapy assistant (OTA) and later went back to school to earn a Master's degree in occupational therapy, after which she worked as an occupational therapist. On this episode, she shares about that journey including how her experience and training in OTA versus OT school compared, and we talk about what "the secret sauce" of a successful OT/OTA partnership is. Resources from this episode can be found at http://www.ontheair.us

The Benefits of Out-of-the-Box Interventions for People with Parkinson's Disease (Episode 53) May 31, 2019

Show notes

Have you heard of the Rock Steady Boxing movement among people with Parkinson's Disease? On this episode, occupational therapy assistant Stephanie Smith Goodman from Kansas City, Missouri, talks about that program as well as other non-traditional, out-of-the-box type of intervention approaches and ideas being used to benefit people with PD. As a coach at The Parkinson's Exercise & Wellness Center in Overland Park, Kansas, a Rock Steady Boxing Certified Trainer, a yoga instructor of 20+ years, a professionally-trained theatre actor/director, and a recently trained instructor in Tai Chi for Rehabilitation, Stephanie has a unique background and perspective and brings a multi-faceted approach to the battle against Parkinson's Disease.
Access the resources mentioned on this episode and connect with Stephanie at http://www.ontheair.us/podcast1

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