Health and Human Services News

Achieving a 100% pass rate

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When an entire cohort of students passes the top exams in their field, it’s clear the program is succeeding at meeting the demands to prepare students.  

For the seventh year in a row, all Missouri State University occupational therapy (OT) students have passed both the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and MSU comprehensive exams. 

Occupational therapy department head Dr. Sapna Chakraborty said, “They always work so hard and it’s amazing seeing them be rewarded for that.” 

The program admits up to 28 students every year.  

The importance of passing both comprehensive and NBCOT exams 

Passing both exams is essential to show professors and future employers that OT students have retained all the valuable information from their MSU courses. 

In the comprehensive exam, questions are derived from five semesters worth of information in OT courses. 

The NBCOT is taken after their fieldwork is completed, putting their knowledge to the ultimate test. 

How are our students so successful? 

Chakraborty believes the reason all their students excel is because of how well the program is taught. 

“Our program stands out because it focuses so much on building a strong foundation in theory and scientific background of occupations in variety of contexts for students,” Chakraborty states. “Once the foundation is set, students then analyze and apply the skills in the lab and clinic environments before hitting the final aspect of learning. That’s when they create intervention plans independently in fieldwork to use the same skills in real world scenarios later in their practice.” 

The combination of solid foundational classes, caring professors and access to a pro-bono clinic makes all the difference when it comes to student success. 

“We’re so proud of our students and are happy to be a stepping stone for each one of their bright futures.” 

Learn more about the occupational therapy program 

Hands-on experience while you learn

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The occupational therapy department at Missouri State University believes strongly in giving their students clinical experience while learning the curriculum.  

The OT faculty created learning spaces to serve the dual-purpose of educating their students and treating patients in need.  

“By creating those treatment spaces, we were able to open the clinic Tuesday through Thursday from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. during the fall and spring semester,” said Dr. Traci Garrison , clinical assistant professor. During these times, students work in the clinic under the supervision of licensed OTs to evaluate and treat clients.  

How the clinic operates 

Clinic operations center around the curriculum taught in the OT program.  

“In the springtime, we tend to offer more pediatric openings because that is what our students are learning about at that time,” Garrison said.  

The clinic then focuses on adults in the fall semester as the curriculum shifts to this population. This allows students to integrate the information they are learning in class into real-world situations.

Services offered 

The clinic offers free services to those in the Springfield community who do not have access to health care and insurance. 

“We work with clients of all ages who need help performing everyday activities,” Garrison said.  

These activities may include: 

  • Eating.  
  • Meeting developmental milestones. 
  • Social interactions. 
  • Driving a car. 
  • Adapting to injury. 

If you think you may benefit from occupational therapy services, contact the clinic at OccupationalTherapy@missouristate.edu or call 417-836-6190. 

Learn more about the OT program

Adapting dreams into reality

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Power Wheels and other ride-on toys are a big hit at the holidays and can bring joy all year round. 

For children with limited mobility, though, these toys present major challenges. 

Missouri State University’s occupational therapy department has again partnered with Go Baby Go to provide modified, ride-on cars to seven local families.  

The children will have final fittings for the cars Nov. 3 at noon at O’Reilly Health Sciences Center. 

How are the cars adapted?  

The department identified families with children who were 3-5 years old that had mobility challenges. 

“For the children we are working with, the main goals of adapting these cars are to allow for increased independence, safety, and of course, to have fun. So, for some of our kids, the accelerator might be an issue,” said Dr. Jennifer Yates, OT faculty member. 

The Go Baby Go cars are adapted to make acceleration possible through a switch on the steering wheel or other means. 

“Other kids may need additional postural support to keep them safe, and so we’ve adapted the harnesses and seats to protect our clients,” Yates said. 

Dr. Marc Willey, OT faculty member stated, “For the OT graduate students, it is a great way to progress their clinical reasoning skills, and for the children involved, it brings an independence with an activity every child should be able to take part in and enjoy. Overall, this project brings a lot of joy to everyone involved.”  

Families will be able to take the custom fitted car home Nov. 3 after all adaptations are finalized. 

OT and PT 101

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Occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) have differences when it comes to treating patients.

OT focuses on helping patients relearn everyday tasks, like brushing teeth or cooking a meal. Physical therapy focuses on rehabilitating movement after injury, trauma or overuse pain.

However, the two disciplines often work together to form a comprehensive treatment plan for a recovering patient.

“We often work with someone who is post-stroke or post-brain injury,” said Dr. Traci Garrison, clinical assistant professor of OT at Missouri State. “So, they have movement issues, cognitive issues and psychosocial issues. With this patient, my PT colleagues will work on balance and specific transfers, while I help the individual get back to everyday tasks, like dressing themselves. It’s a very collaborative process.”

Dr. Traci Garrison works with a student in a biomedical sciences class in 2016.

Garrison and Dr. Jason Shaw, assistant professor of physical therapy, discuss the partnership between OT and PT in April’s “Health Queries” episode.   

Listen to the episode

View episode transcript.