TODAY news - February 5, 2004

Thursday, February 5, 2004 TODAY

School of Allied Health Professions news

Graduation ceremony held for coding specialist program

The graduation ceremony for the new coding specialist program, held January 19, brings 23 new coders into the profession. Housed in the department of health information management, School of Allied Health Professions, the program recently was awarded approval by the Council on Accreditation of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). The coding specialist program underwent the new approval process implemented last year by AHIMA and was given the maximum five-year approval. The coding program started in 1989 to meet a community need for trained coders in the health-care field.

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OT entry-level master's program awarded full accreditation

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Education (ACOTE) recently awarded full accreditation status plus a three-year extension to the department of occupational therapy entry-level master's program.

The extensive self-study and three-day on-site visit by two members of ACOTE was the first accreditation review since the program changed from a bachelor's to a master's level curriculum in the summer of 2000.

"We are pleased with ACOTE's recognition of our curriculum's integration of LLU's mission," comments Esther Huecker, OTR, entry-level MOT program director, department of occupational therapy, School of Allied Health Professions. "Our emphasis is to integrate the wholeness of people with the philosophy of occupational therapy to promote engagement in valued activities that people do day-to-day."

The OT faculty is thankful for the many students, alumni, colleagues, practitioners, employers, fieldwork educators, and administrators who contributed to the successful accreditation process. "The accreditation process, while intensive, is a wonderful learning experience for the faculty to reflect and focus on strategies and goals for the department," remarks Ms. Huecker.

Though the new accreditation status is valid until the 2012-2013 academic year, the faculty will continue ongoing self-evaluations of the MOT program to meet changing health-care and societal needs.

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OT students participate in National School Backpack Awareness Day

Occupational therapy student Heather McCormick talks with elementary students about backpacks.

On September 24 and 26, 11 students from the department of occupational therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, shared presentations as part of National School Backpack Awareness Day.

As a nationwide, public health awareness event sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Association, the day aims to address an issue in the "occupation" of living. This is accomplished through entertaining learning events for students, teachers, and parents.

"It is a valuable service learning experience for the OT students to be involved in educating the community about health-related issues which impact daily occupations of children," explains Ruth Jeffries, OTR, academic coordinator of clinical education, department of occupational therapy. "Everyone benefits from the event."

Once the schools were selected and the initial contact made, the OT students were responsible for organizing the event. School-wide presentations were made at two different elementary schools within the Inland Empire. Each program began with "backpack facts" including the following:

• 40 million students in the United States carry backpacks

• More than 7,000 emergency room visits in 2001 were related to backpacks and book bags

• The average student carries a backpack weighing almost one-fourth of his or her body weight (recommended weight is no more than 15 percent of body weight)

The OT students also taught "backpack strategies" using skits and active demonstrations on loading a backpack and wearing it properly. Information was also provided on how an OT assesses and teaches these skills. Backpack awareness materials were sent home with students to inform their parents about backpacks and the impact that backpacks have on children's health.

Following the presentation, a "weigh in" was conducted. Each student was weighed first with and then without his or her backpack to determine the weight of the backpack. Most backpacks weighed in at a higher percentage than the recommended weight.

Student and teacher responses were varied, with statements such as, "Wow, I didn't know I weighed so much with my backpack!" and "I really don't like it when my back hurts," to, of course, "Well, teachers shouldn't be giving us so much homework!"

The OT students also enjoyed their involvement in the event.

"I enjoyed weighing the kids in and seeing what they had in their backpacks," jokes Dina Strong, MOT student. "Some of their lunches seemed to weigh the most."

MOT student Desiree Fajayan adds, "I assumed the kids would already know how to wear their backpacks. It was fun to see the excitement on their faces when we shared the information."

This year, approximately 1,500 OT practitioners and OT students, and 10,000 children participated in this nationwide event within school, rehabilitation, and community settings.

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Thursday, February 5, 2004 TODAY