Accountability and competence: occupational therapy practitioner perceptions.

OBJECTIVE: Occupational therapy practitioners must meet ever-increasing accountability demands in all service delivery environments. Accountability is made possible through the ongoing development of continued competence throughout a practitioner's career. Behaviors that demonstrate accountability and reflect competence include commitment, leadership, and professional knowledge. This article discusses issues related to accountability and competence, presents findings from focus group discussions with occupational therapy practitioners regarding professional competence, and identifies actions that will bring about greater understanding of this topic. METHOD: Thirty-nine randomly selected occupational therapy practitioners attended one of two focus groups. Participants responded to a structured discussion guide, including questions addressing the definition, process for sustaining, and outcomes of continued competence. RESULTS: Several themes emerged from these discussions. Views about what constitutes and contributes to continued competence in occupational therapy were diverse, and perceptions of occupational therapy "practice" were broad. Participants believed that the "outcomes" of a practitioner's continued competence were best defined as autonomy in executing the occupational therapy process. CONCLUSIONS: Findings offer potential language to articulate competence in occupational therapy and facilitate a discipline-wide conversation. The findings likewise challenge practitioners to assume new professional behaviors that require both personal and interpersonal skills. Such behaviors are critical to demonstrating accountability and competence.

Career ladder development for certified occupational therapy assistants.

Practice models which depict the interactions of Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants and Registered Occupational Therapists are described. These models portray career ladder development for the Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. Job enrichment for the assistant facilitates the provision of qualitative and cost effective occupational therapy sessions.

The ability of professional programs in occupational therapy to accommodate the older student.

Research data suggest that 24% of the 25- to 34-year-old age group are college graduates who are prime candidates for returning to the university campus. As a professional field in which the enrollment of traditional-age students might decline, occupational therapy may need to find ways to attract older students. Thus, there is a need to examine whether occupational therapy curricula are designed to accommodate older students.

Exploring sensory integrative dysfunction in process schizophrenia.

During a 6-week period, the effects of sensory integrative activities on a group of seven chronic nonparanoid schizophrenic adults were compared to the effects of sedentary activities in a control group of seven similar subjects. The effects of each therapeutic approach were evaluated by measuring the patients' performance in several areas using the Nurses Observation Scale of Inpatient Evaluation-30 (NOSIE-30), The Object Manipulation Speed Test, a gait analysis, and grip strength. The results indicated general improvement in the experimental group. Behaviors measured by the NOSIE-30 showed the most significant improvements. The control group showed isolated improvements in grooming (measured by the NOSIE-30) and in right-hand use (measured by The Object Manipulation Speed Test). These findings suggest that 6 weeks of sensory integrative activities can improve the overall functioning of chronic nonparanoid schizophrenic patients, facilitate their adaptive responses, and enable them to participate more fully in other areas of therapeutic intervention.