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Hand Therapy and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation McKenna Scheldt | Doctor of occupational therapy program | Huntington University, ARizona Location

Areas of Focus

  • Primary Focus Area: Clinical Skills- Hand Therapy and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation
  • Secondary Focus Area: Education- Creation of an education resource: A Quick Reference Guide to Best Practice Use of Physical Agent Modalities (PAMs) by Occupational Therapists

Area of Practice

Hand Therapy and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation

Primary Project Site

Desert Hand and Physical Therapy- Gilbert, AZ

Mission and Vision Statements

Project Mission Statement: To provide patient care solutions in this specialty practice area and evidence-based solutions when using physical agent modalities.

Project Vision Statement: Gain advanced beginner skills in hand therapy and upper extremity rehabilitation while creating a sustainable guidebook on evidence-based physical agent modalities to allow therapists to perform treatments at expert levels.

MB participating in active assist forearm rotation using a wheel.

Outcome Measures

  • OM #1: To develop in-depth knowledge in clinical practice skills for hand therapy and upper extremity rehabilitation, the student will complete patient contact hours for the purpose of becoming a competent practitioner.
  • OM #2: To develop in-depth knowledge in resource creation, the student will create a research-based educational guidebook that will focus on education-based PAMs and how to have clients participate in functional exercises while using PAMs.

Learning Objectives

  • OM #1:
  • LO #1: The student will observe her expert mentor to gain increased knowledge about hand therapy and upper extremity rehabilitation.
  • LO #2: The student will demonstrate increased knowledge of clinical skills as measured by a skills check-off assessment.
  • OM #2:
  • LO #1: The student will research which PAMs are evidence-based.
  • LO #2: The student will research evidence-based functional activities for clients to participate in while using PAMs to make treatment suggestions.
  • LO #3: The student will categorize the information by type of PAM to make the guide an easy-to-use reference.

Project Outcomes

  • This project was completed over 14 weeks and 629 hours.
  • Collaborating partners included: Desarae Johnson, OTR/L, CHT, and Dr. Jennifer Muriithi, OTD, OTR/L, CNS.
  • This project allowed me to gain the skills required to be an advanced beginner in the practice area of hand therapy and upper extremity rehabilitation.
  • I created an educational resource for students and clinicians about best practice use of PAMs.
  • Secondary outcomes: learning energy conservation techniques, body mechanics and posture, advanced research skills, resource creation skills, goal writing, and intervention planning.

Deliverables

Deliverables

Impact on Occupational Therapy

Students and clinicians will be able to use the deliverables created through this project to gain in-depth knowledge on hand therapy and upper extremity rehabilitation and physical agent modalities (PAMs).

All About Me: McKenna Scheldt

I was born and raised in South Central Illinois. I attended the University of Arizona and achieved a Bachelor of Science in Public Health in May 2020. I am expected to graduate with my Doctorate in Occupational Therapy in August 2023. I chose to pursue occupational therapy because of my passion for client-centered care and the ability to promote independence for individual clients. I will be getting married in January 2024.

Appreciate