Document Type (Journals)
Educational Innovations
Abstract
Intraprofessional knowledge and skills are essential to the field of occupational therapy. Despite the importance, not all occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) educational programs provide collaborative intraprofessional experiences to students who are expected to collaborate effectively in practice. Therefore, increased intraprofessional experiences are needed to support entry-level OT practitioners. The purpose of this project was to create an intraprofessional pilot program that included three intraprofessional events to provide an opportunity for collaboration between OT and OTA students and enhance their understanding and confidence with intraprofessional collaboration prior to practice. The pilot program was implemented and evaluated using a mixed method, pre-post survey design to determine its effectiveness. Student participants noted increases in understanding and confidence with intraprofessional collaboration skills, such as understanding of shared roles, shared value of each role and confidence in communication. OT and OTA educational programs should continue to promote and implement intraprofessional learning activities to support entry-level OT practitioner competence. The occupational therapy profession should continue to strengthen education related to intraprofessional collaboration between the OT and OTA.
Biography
Katelyn Brady, OTD, OTR/L is an assistant professor and academic fieldwork coordinator at Mount Mary University. Her main teaching focus is related to level I fieldwork and fieldwork preparation. Her scholarship focus is on experiential learning best practices and student leadership development.
Heather E. Johnson, OTD, OTR/L obtained her Master's of Science in Occupational Therapy from East Carolina University and her Post Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate from University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. She is currently working as an assistant professor for the OTA Online Program at St. Catherine University. Current research focuses are intraprofessional collaboration, the use of artificial intelligence in higher education, perinatal loss, and compassion fatigue.
Alexandra Stellmach, OTD, OTR/L is a recent graduate from St. Catherine University and a current occupational therapy practitioner for a non-profit organization in Minnesota.
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no declarations of interest.
Recommended Citation
Brady, K., Johnson, H. B., & Stellmach, A. (2025). Reimagining Education for OT and OTA Intraprofessional Collaboration: A Virtual Pilot Program. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 9 (3). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2025.090314
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