Emerging Occupational Therapy Practice Areas

Chapter 12


Emerging Occupational Therapy Practice Areas






Chapter Objectives



1 Describe the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Centennial Vision and the importance of the vision to the practice of occupational therapy.


2 Identify traditional occupational therapy practice areas and describe the role of the occupational therapy practitioner in these areas.


3 Identify emerging occupational therapy practice areas and describe the role of the occupational therapy practitioner in these areas.


4 Describe a variety of creative group activities addressing emerging areas of practice.



Key Terms



Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are responsible for understanding the meaning of this vision as a way to move the profession forward. In this chapter, we describe the meaning of the Centennial Vision statement and how it directs practice. The chapter provides an overview of emerging OT practice areas along with creative examples of group programs.



Centennial Vision


Vision statements are developed to lead organizations or professions. They are designed to help members, consumers, and stakeholders understand the purpose or meaning of the organization or profession. Often the very process of developing a vision statement allows members of the organization to understand the purpose more clearly. Articulating the vision allows all members to work toward the same end goal.


The profession of occupational therapy will be 100 years old in 2017. In preparation for this landmark and in response to society’s changing needs, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) developed its Centennial Vision.1 AOTA’s Centennial Vision statement describes the future of the OT profession as powerful, widely recognized, science driven, and evidence based. A variety of strategies are being implemented to reach this vision.



Powerful: OT practitioners are encouraged to seek leadership roles in health care, education, and policy making to help the profession meet society’s needs. The leadership positions will help to move the profession of occupational therapy forward as a powerful profession to better serve clients and their families.


Widely recognized: An image-building campaign has been launched by AOTA to promote the profession such that it will be widely recognized globally. Members are encouraged to promote the profession locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The profession will be better able to meet society’s health care needs as it becomes more recognized.


Science driven: The profession seeks scientists to engage in research to develop new and effective intervention methods to be used by OT practitioners. The profession will benefit from scientific evidence to support evaluation and intervention.


Evidence based: Using research to support the efficacy of practice benefits the profession, clients, and stakeholders. Practitioners are urged to use the evidence to provide the best practice. Furthermore, practitioners are encouraged to contribute to the evidence base.


AOTA’s Centennial Vision provides direction for the future of the profession considering changes in society. The population is aging, health care costs are rising, and limitations are being placed on reimbursement. There is an increased focus on primary or preventive medicine. The areas of technology and assistive technology are expanding significantly. Universal design for active living is more of the norm rather than the exception. The need for evidence to support best practice continues as clients and consumers search for answers. Lifestyle values are changing and there is growing diversity in the workforce. All of these forces influence the delivery of OT in current and emerging areas of practice.



Emerging Occupational Therapy Practice Areas


A practice area refers to a field of work within a profession. Traditional or current areas of practice refer to those areas in which services have been provided for a significant period. AOTA has identified pediatric, psychosocial, and physical rehabilitation as traditional areas of practice. These areas of practice are conducted in school systems, acute care and rehabilitation hospitals, psychiatric centers, skilled-nursing facilities, home health, and private practice clinics.


AOTA in its Centennial Vision has identified six emerging areas of practice. These areas represent practice arenas in which OT practitioners may expand or creatively provide services to better meet society’s needs. Following is a brief description of each area and some possibilities for service provision.



Within the mental health area there is an increased need to address the psychosocial needs of children and youth. The profession has identified a need to explore areas of mental health in community and school settings rather than traditional hospital settings. For example, children may benefit from services from OT practitioners that focus on behaviors that interfere with educational goals. OT practitioners, who are trained to address the physical and psychosocial issues affecting occupational performance, are in a unique position to address these concerns in school systems or community environments.


Productive aging refers to helping older adults remain in their homes or on their own. As more people age and live healthier lives, services are required to allow them to remain independent. OT practitioners can provide services that allow older persons to live productive lives. For example, the profession has identified the need for low-vision services. OT practitioners can provide support and adaptations to help the older person with low vision continue to engage in a variety of occupations. Identifying specific needs of older adults and helping them remain safely at home are part of the domain of occupational therapy. Refer to Chapter 11 for detailed information on the needs of older persons who wish to remain in their own homes (Figure 12-1).



Although OT practitioners work in early intervention settings and school systems, AOTA has identified the need for practitioners to explore practice with children and youth and, in particular, the area of training in the use of assistive technology. OT professionals can play important roles in assisting children using assistive technology, and helping children transition into the work force (Figure 12-2). Furthermore, practitioners can play a role in facilitating healthy physical and nutritional activity to prevent childhood obesity. An example of a fitness and nutritional group is described at the end of this chapter.



Health and wellness trends are prevalent in the United States. OT practitioners can play a key role in helping people stay healthy and well. Examining habits and routines and designing individualized plans while considering the unique health needs of clients are all within the domain of OT practice. The vision statement views OT practitioners as contributing to this area of practice in creative ways. For example, practitioners may decide to conduct health and wellness classes in skilled-nursing facilities or at community centers.


Exploring opportunities for practitioners to help clients continue to engage in work and industry provides a new avenue for the profession. The need for ergonomics consulting to promote health and wellness in the work environment continues to evolve. Evaluating and designing effective work environments that promote productivity are all within the realm of OT practice (Figure 12-3).



As science and technology evolve, OT practitioners continue to be involved in rehabilitating clients so that they can reengage in desired occupations. This important role is observed as practitioners work with veterans returning from Iraq, Afghanistan, and wars in other parts of the world. Helping service men and women return to their desired occupations is essential and a part of OT’s core values. Helping people with disability participate in occupations is fundamental to OT. The profession urges practitioners to explore this area and expand the opportunities for all.


The previous examples are not exclusive and practitioners are urged to explore areas in which OT may be beneficial. Conducting practice that is supported by research promotes the profession and increases the availability of services for clients. Therefore, practitioners are encouraged to describe the findings from these programs and disseminate the results.



Developing Creative Group Protocols in Emerging Areas of Practice


Creating innovative programs in emerging areas of practice often provides the first step in developing a scientific base. The steps for developing group protocols include:



A needs assessment includes the reasons for the group and often includes a description of the gap that the group is addressing, the rationale for the group, and cost effectiveness of the proposed group. Needs assessments can be formal (complete with a literature review and data) or informal (local need expressed). Many times a needs assessment includes interviews or focus groups with stakeholders or surveys to understand the issues more clearly. Understanding the need is key for effective group intervention. To further provide evidence of the influence of the group on the members and stakeholders, practitioners should document the need prior to implementing the group. This documentation can become part of the group evaluation process.


Once the need for the group is established, the practitioner designs the group protocol. The group design and protocol provides the specifics of the group and includes such things as group membership, time, duration, location, purpose, goals, costs, and specific activities. Often budget, supplies, equipment, and supervision are included in the protocol. See Table 12-1 for a template of a group design and protocol. Importantly, practitioners decide in this phase how they will measure the group outcomes. This may be a group evaluation form (survey) or include postdata of client performance, depending on the purpose of the group. However, each group should include a measure to determine the group’s effectiveness with special attention on how participation in the group closed the gap identified in the needs assessment.


Related posts:

  1. Occupational and Group Analysis: Children
  2. Occupational and Group Analysis: Adults
  3. Therapeutic Use of Self: Applying the Intentional Relationship Model in Group Therapy
  4. Interpersonal Relationships and Communication

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Apr 12, 2017 | Posted by in MEDICAL ASSISSTANT | Comments Off on Emerging Occupational Therapy Practice Areas

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