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Document Type (Journals)

Educational Innovations

Abstract

This educational innovation aimed to explore the effectiveness of a student assignment titled ‘Pitch it Big,’ designed to enhance understanding of the business aspects outlined in the accreditation standards for occupational therapy programs. Limited research evidence exists for business education related to occupational therapy. Working in self-chosen groups based on their targeted area of interest, students collaboratively wrote a business plan for a fictitious occupational therapy business or product invention. Students then participated in a competition modeled after the popular television program Shark Tank, where they pitched their business proposals to a panel of experts acting as judges. The panel included a physical therapist, a nurse, a health sector not-for-profit director, and a business data analyst. Judges utilized a rubric to score students on specified business criteria, and winners received non-cash prizes. A pre-post survey administered to 21 master’s students in occupational therapy indicated improved knowledge in the business aspects of practice, suggesting promising preliminary outcomes for this method of business instruction. The most significant increases in knowledge were in business plan development (54%) and financial management (46%). The post-survey also included open-ended questions that revealed qualitative themes, indicating that students valued the active learning components of the assignment and believed it would help them pursue entrepreneurial endeavors. Replicating this innovation across larger sample sizes is necessary to validate these outcomes.

Biography

Margaret Grill, OTD, OTR/L is an Assistant Professor in the Master of Occupational Therapy program at Elmhurst University. Her clinical background spans twenty-nine years of pediatric clinical practice across various settings while serving as a clinical fieldwork educator. Areas of professional interest include leadership advocacy, wellness, spirituality, and education.  

Erin Epley, OTD, OTR/L is an Assistant Professor in the Master of Occupational Therapy program at Elmhurst University. Her primary experience includes school-based practice with additional skilled nursing and inpatient rehabilitation clinical care. Areas of professional interest include health promotion, prevention, wellness, pediatrics, and education. 

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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