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  • McQueary College of Health and Human Services

Faculty fan-favorites

April 27, 2023 by Olivia R. Fowler

Boomer

Dr. Jennifer Yates, clinical assistant professor at the department of occupational therapy, and Sherri Ramirez, clinical assistant professor at the School of Nursing, are two fantastic members of our MCHHS faculty. 

Let’s ask them some questions! 

What’s been the craziest thing to happen in your classroom?  

Yates: I was introducing virtual reality as a means for therapeutic rehabilitation, but I think I will keep that experience between me and the students. I will say I am definitely not meant for virtual reality. 

Ramirez: I have a class that is very competitive. I love doing a Kahoot or a case study where they try to show they know the information. The names they give themselves in a Kahoot are very entertaining to the class. You never know what they are going to come up with. They also act out scenarios of what patients might do. That can always be interesting. 

Do you have a favorite class to teach?  
Yates posing with her students
Yates posing with her students and a recipient of a custom-made car for OT’s annual Go Baby Go event.

Yates: I love all the classes I teach and I have quite a wide array, but I am particularly fond of my assistive technology course. It’s a very hands-on course. The students participate in many community projects, but my favorite one is a program called Go Baby Go. The students adapt small, motorized vehicles for children with special needs. Most of these children would otherwise not be able to experience this type of mobility through play. Play is a child’s occupation and a fundamental right all children should be able to experience.  

Ramirez: I love teaching the medical surgical nursing class because they are so eager to learn, go to clinicals and take care of patients. They want to “get their hands dirty” and soak up as much information as they can in order to save lives. I can see how proud they are of themselves when they connect the dots of didactic and clinical practice. 

Where are you from?   

Yates: I am originally from Missouri, but I have lived around Nashville, Tennessee, and Dallas, Texas, for roughly 15 years before returning to Springfield in 2020.   

Ramirez: I’m a Navy brat and from everywhere. If I had to name my home base, it would be Texas, but I’ve lived in Springfield for the majority of my adult life. 

What brought you to Missouri State?

Yates: I’ve always known I wanted to eventually get back to southwest Missouri. After starting and owning my pediatric therapy practice, I knew the next step I wanted to pursue was teaching and research. Missouri State is my alma mater and it feels like home to be back here.  

Ramirez: I have known many faculty members from Missouri State from my previous hospital nursing positions and they were all impressive to me. They love their students and have a great rapport with the hospital staff.  

Learn more about the department of occupational therapy

What’s your favorite part about working here?  

Yates: The people for sure. I truly love coming to my job every day. The faculty, staff, students and administrators are all the best. We have a wonderful program that is next to none. I cannot say enough good things.  

Ramirez: I have worked at a couple of different nursing programs, and here I felt at home from day one. It doesn’t matter who I’m having a conversation with, the dean of nursing, the director of nursing or the AMAZING administrative staff in the school of nursing. We all have mutual respect for each other. 

Explore the School of Nursing

Filed Under: Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Spotlights Tagged With: Jennifer Yates, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Sherri Ramirez

Celebrate Occupational Therapy Month

April 11, 2023 by Olivia R. Fowler

OT students pose for Spirit Week, faculty-student swap day.

If you hadn’t heard, April is Occupational Therapy (OT) Month and the whole department at Missouri State University has been going all-out to show their pride! 

“OT month encourages students to be educated on the importance of OT and the difference OT professionals can make in someone’s life,” Sarah Bolton, class of 2023, said. 

Students and faculty have been excited to celebrate everything OT-related and are appreciating their field of study. Events range from Spirit Week, which recently concluded, and the OT Open House, coming up on April 24. 

Dr. Ashlea Cardin, OT associate professor, passionately believes in everything occupational therapists can accomplish. 

“Someone once said OT is where science, creativity and compassion collide – what a perfect description for the profession I love,” Cardin said. “Occupational therapists are highly skilled and expertly trained practitioners who also seek to connect with clients through creative and meaningful problem solving.” 

Calling all sports fans!

Spirit Week 

Beginning the month with Spirit Week, OT students dressed to the nines to show who had the most spirit. 

Sports Day

OT students showed their team spirit, decked out in their favorite team’s sportswear. 

OT is their dream job.

Faculty and Student Swap Day 

Students came to class dressed as their faculty members. Faculty dressed up like students. 

PJ Day

You know the drill! Snuggies and pajama pants only, please. 

The height of fashion.

Throwback Thursday 

Outfits ranged from togas that were worn in the days of ancient Greece to layered tank tops and tees that everyone wore in the cringey early 2000s. 

OT Open House 

April 24, 4-6 p.m., O’Reilly Clinical Health Science Center 

Enjoy free food and drinks while learning about current research and networking with OT students and faculty. This event is sponsored by MSU Pi Theta Epsilon. 

Informative and fun 

Occupational Therapy Month is a time for students and faculty to come together and celebrate their profession or future profession. 

“OT month encourages students to share the best parts of the occupational therapy profession and helps others to learn what occupational therapists do,” Jessie Lorts, class of 2023, said.  

“I love helping others who have lost their ability to be independent with daily activities that are often taken for granted.” 

Learn more about the department of occupational therapy

Filed Under: Occupational Therapy, Spotlights Tagged With: McQueary College of Health and Human Services, Occupational Therapy

Congratulations to the MCHHS 3MT winners

November 3, 2022 by Jonah Rosen

Fall colors on campus on October 26, 2022. Kevin White/Missouri State University

MCHHS hosted the college Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) on Oct. 31.  

Students were prompted to research an issue that was occurring in their field of study, and then present to a panel of judges in three minutes or less.  

This year’s competition included:  

  • 9 presentations 
  • 5 departments 
  • 21 students  
  • 8 faculty advisors 

The results  

The top four presentations were: 

  • Breanne McLay and Cameron Bruso, School of Anesthesia, Two-Handed Mask Ventilation with Alternative Ventilatory Device. 
  • Sarah Waterman, nutrition and dietetics, Accessing SNAP Benefits at a Midwestern Public University. 
  • Cecelia Peine, Jesse La Fond and Tyler Boyer, occupational therapy, How OT’s Can Address Scamming Among Older Adults. 
  • Cody Haether, Zach Gaarder and Jordan Sandusky, School of Anesthesia, Advanced Airway Techniques. 

“I would like to say a huge thank you to the participants of the 2022 MCHHS 3MT Competition and to Dr. Monika Feeney for organizing the competition,” said Letitia White-Minnis, associate dean MCHHS.  

“I also want to congratulate our winners on their presentations.  It is challenging to summarize an entire research project into 3 minutes, and they each did so in an outstanding way.” 

Filed Under: MCHHS News Tagged With: Dietetics, MCHHS Spotlights, McQueary College of Health and Human Services, Occupational Therapy, School of Anesthesia

Achieving a 100% pass rate

June 22, 2022 by Olivia R. Fowler

Occupational Therapy students studying in the classroom

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 

Filed Under: Occupational Therapy, Uncategorized Tagged With: Occupational Therapy

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