The Impact of Service-Learning on Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students

Authors

  • Kristin Valdes Touro University Nevada
  • Dr Rider Touro University Nevada
  • Dr Leach
  • Dr. Capistran Manalang Touro University Nevada

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine how participation in a community service project impacts entry-level OT doctoral (OTD) students at different time points in their OT education. This study employed a mixed-method, prospective cohort design. The Community Service Attitudes Scale (CSAS) is an instrument to measure college students’ attitudes about community service. Open-ended questions were asked after participation in the experience in addition to the CSAS to gather a deeper reflection of the S-L experience. A total of 62 OTD students participated in the study. There was no statistically significant difference between the CSAS scores between the OTD first-year and third-year students. Students reported that they gained knowledge regarding occupational justice and community-based interventions, how to establish a therapeutic relationship, and the impact of occupation-based interventions when asked what they learned from the experience. Through the participation in a S-L experience, the students gained knowledge regarding occupational justice and community-based interventions, how to establish a therapeutic relationship, and an awareness of the impact of occupation-based interventions on clients. S-L enables OT educators to provide opportunities for students to gain critical skills that will translate into clinical practice.

Author Biographies

Dr Rider, Touro University Nevada

Dr. Rider joined Touro University in July of 2017 as an adjunct professor, and in February of 2018, he joined as a full-time faculty member. He is an alumnus of Touro University Nevada’s Occupational Therapy program and his positive experience led him to return as an assistant professor. His clinical expertise is in adult and older adult orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation. He started his clinical practice in rural areas of Southern Nevada and has experience in outpatient/inpatient rehabilitation, acute care, school-based, early intervention, and home health and hospice. He currently works as a community-based occupational therapist and clinical consultant. 

Dr Leach

Christen completed her BS in Special Education at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming in 1995. After graduation she began working towards her degree in occupational therapy eventually graduating with a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri in 2001. In 2001 she took a job with Healthsouth Rehabilitation in a sub-acute setting working with patients with a variety of clinical conditions as well as treating patients on a dedicated brain injury unit. Later that year she left Healthsouth and took a job with the Clark County School District initially working in a self-contained campus before moving to the southwestern part of the Las Vegas valley. She has worked with the school district for 19 years with children aged 3 to 22 with varying eligibilities and has supervised a COTA for the past 16 years. She also works in both early intervention services as well as home health pediatrics.

Dr. Capistran Manalang, Touro University Nevada

Dr Capistran Manalang completed her BS in Occupational Therapy at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2002. After graduation, she began her career in acute rehabilitation in Henderson, Nevada. In 2006, she took a job with Spring Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada to assist in opening their acute rehabilitation unit. She worked with patients with a variety of clinical conditions in both acute rehabilitation and acute care. Katie was promoted to Manager of Therapy services in 2007, helping to grow the therapy team to greater than 70 physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech & language pathologists over the next 10+ years. Katie completed her Master of Health Sciences degree from St. Francis University in 2013. She completed both her post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree and Masters in Lifestyle Medicine in 2019 from Creighton University. Katie also received her AOTA Board Certification in Physical Rehabilitation in 2019.

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Published

2023-07-17

Issue

Vol. 17 (2023): Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education

Section

Articles

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