5
U of A launches pilot
satellite OT program
O
n September 19, 2012 a
new pilot program was
launched to improve ac-
cess to the University of Alberta’s
Occupational Therapy program in
Calgary with a first cohort of 12
students. This pilot program is
funded by the University and
a second cohort will be admitted
in 2013 pending provincial
government funding.
The University of Alberta (U
of A) OT program began over 50
years
ago.
It
continues
to be the only program in the
province and is one of the largest
in Canada with up to 102 admis-
sions per year. U of A graduates
are disproportionately represented
in Edmonton. Currently, 55 per
cent of Calgary OTs graduated
from the U of A, compared to 91
per cent in Edmonton. A program
in Calgary will meet the following
needs:
1.
OTs in Calgary and
surrounding area will have better
access to opportunities for
research partnerships, continuing
professional development and
support for preceptor roles;
2.
Applicants who choose to
stay in Calgary or surrounding
area will have better access to the
OT program at the U of A;
3.
The U of A will have ac-
cess to more clinical preceptor ca-
pacity in southern Alberta; and
4.
The programwill facilitate
recruitment of OTs to Calgary.
Fieldwork placements have a
positive impact on recruiting
therapists by providing an oppor-
tunity for students to experience a
practice area and a chance for
employers to get to know a poten-
tial applicant before he or she
graduates. This could decrease the
need for employers in Calgary to
travel out of province to recruit
occupational therapists to Calgary.
The University of Alberta
Occupational Therapy satellite
program in Calgary aligns with
the Alberta government’s vision
for a “Campus Alberta.” This
concept embraces inter-sectoral
collaboration. The satellite
programwill be located through a
leased space at the Rehabilitation
Therapy Assistant program at the
SouthernAlberta Institute of Tech-
nology (SAIT) and TRLabs. This
allows OT students to experience
delegation of tasks with RTA
students, and collaboration with
industry on development of home
health technologies that allow
clients to remain in their homes.
Transformative interdisciplinary
learning at UBC
I
NTERPROFESSIONAL
E
DUCATION
(
IPE) L
AUNCH
Hosted by UBC’s College
of Health Discipline, on Sept 24,
2012,
the IPE Launch intro-
duced over 1,000 students from
10
different health and human
service programs within the uni-
versity to the fundamentals and
imperatives of adopting an in-
terprofessional approach to
health care. Students were or-
ganized into teams to engage in
group exercises and targeted
discussions. The IPE Launch
included keynote addresses with
one presentation by an occupa-
tional therapist who is an UBC
alumnus. The event provided
students with an opportunity to
apply communication strategies
that support interprofessional
collaboration and build their
understanding of various profes-
sional roles. Fifty-one occupa-
tional therapy students attended
with one expressing that the
event was “very effective in
demonstrating the dynamic
nature of health care teams and
providing role clarification…
providing IP education at the
beginning of the year really
highlighted its importance…the
timing was perfect.”
H
EALTH
C
ARE
T
EAM
C
HALLENGE
(
HCTC)
This year marks the 25th
anniversary of the annual UBC
Healthcare Team Challenge, an
interactive exercise inviting
students from multiple disci-
plines to work together to
develop clinical, social and ethi-
cal solutions to real-world case
studies. Presented before a live
audience, two student teams
respond to a progressive clinical
case developed by faculty mem-
bers, challenging them individu-
ally and as a team, to
demonstrate best practices in
patient care and the effectiveness
of interprofessional collabora-
tion.
According
to
an
occupational therapy student
participant, the HCTC “was a
unique opportunity to connect
with other health care students in
a focused and challenging,
though ultimately enjoyable
practical case study… it allowed
me to describe and demonstrate
to the other team members and
the audience what possibilities
occupational therapy could bring
to the case scenario.”
F
ACULTy OF
M
EDICINE
(
F
O
M)
M
IxER
The 3rd annual FoMMixer
occurred on October 12, 2012
to celebrate the depth and
breadth of the faculty’s educa-
tion and research programs. The
event attracted over 470
students and faculty members
from various programs and
departments, including OSOT,
providing a casual environment
for mingling and networking
within
departments
and
with other program and depart-
ment leaders, researchers, and
community partners.
Chair Dr Lili Liu, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alberta, speaking
at the official launch of the University of Alberta’s Calgary satellite pilot program, held on
September 19, 2012.
Together at the Faculty of Medicine
mixer.