Montana Occupational Therapy Continuing Education and CEU Credits

This intermediate level course developed for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, reviews the functional anatomy of the shoulder, provides an overview of adhesive capsulitis, including its etiology and epidemiology, and offers an up-to-date, evidence-based foundation for the diagnosis and intervention of adhesive capsulitis.

This intermediate-level course will provide Occupational Therapy practitioners and assistants with information on the criteria and classification system for Autism Spectrum Disorder, along with information on how occupational therapy practitioners can contribute to an informed diagnosis.

Occupational therapy practitioners who do not practice primarily with clients with TBI are challenged to keep up with the latest information. This course provides OTs and OTAs with a current update to providing evidence-based services to clients with TBI. Types and classifications of brain injuries, as well as treatment of performance skill impairments and occupational performance limitations commonly experienced by clients with TBI are presented.

This intermediate level course is designed to educate OTs and OTAs on the implementation of exercise prescriptions in older adults. This course will review the multiple age-related systemic changes that take place in the cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine and musculoskeletal systems and describe how exercise may mitigate these changes. This course will also provide recommended exercise prescriptions according to the most recent American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for older adults and discuss common barriers for exercise participation in older adults.

This course is designed to assist occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistants in evaluating, planning and preparing their older adult clients to age in place. AOTA has identified aging in place and home modifications as an emerging niche in occupational therapy. This toolkit will highlight the role occupational therapy plays in aging in place. Also, each participant will gain the understanding and application of home modification concepts as well as identify resources and funding for home modification projects. Because our aging clients have a desire to remain in their homes, this course will provide the necessary tools to enhance the quality of life for older adults to allow them to participate in meaningful activities and enable them to remain in their homes as they age and make the necessary modifications to do so. This course is an intermediate to advanced level course for clinicians working in the area of home modification and environmental safety.

This course provides an overview of research on sensory processing in ASD; assessments of sensory processing; and a review of the evidence related to sensory integration, sensory-based interventions, and comprehensive interventions that incorporate sensory processing knowledge. The content of this course is considered "intermediate"; that is, the learner should have a basic knowledge of ASD, children's occupations, and an understanding of pediatric intervention approaches. The target audience for this practice-specific course includes occupational therapists who work with children with ASD, and can include those working across differing settings including home and/or school.

The purpose of this basic-level course is to provide licensed practitioners with information concerning the current state of medical errors, the impact of medical errors on the safety of patients, and the importance of establishing and working in a culture of safety. Contributing causes and types of medical errors are reviewed. Strategies to reduce or prevent medical errors and improve patient outcomes are presented. Methods to identify, analyze, and report medical errors are reviewed, populations at risk for medical errors are identified, and patient safety initiatives including education for the public and healthcare professionals are explored.

This basic-level course is designed to assist healthcare professionals in encouraging, teaching, and guiding older adults to actively practice healthy lifestyles. This course allows occupational therapy professionals that work with older adults to gain additional knowledge in geriatrics and be able to provide satisfactory care to improve outcomes for older adults. Occupational therapists will be able to recognize the needs of older adult clients and develop person-centered plans to support optimal living and promote healthy aging. Additionally, this course will set the stage for developing a healthier society for all to age well and successfully.

This intermediate course provides rehabilitative personnel with the background and evidence to increase effective management of symptoms in people with MS. This up-to-date review will enable occupational therapists to better target the specific needs of their clients. While some standardization in assessments may be useful, individualization of assessment and treatment planning is needed. The evidence supporting assessment and intervention tools can help the therapist select assessments and interventions most likely to contribute to successful outcomes given a particular client's characteristics. This course describes rehabilitative management, including assessment and intervention, for people with MS. The intent is to encourage therapists to "kick it up a notch," to apply sufficient intensity of appropriate evidence-based rehabilitation that challenges clients and improves their quality of life.

This intermediate level course, will prepare OT practitioners to recognize symptoms of addiction in their clients and to identify the impact of these symptoms on occupational performance in and outside of therapy. Practitioners who have met the objectives of this course will possess the resources to create and implement an evidence-based intervention plan for dually-diagnosed clients and/or clients with physical health conditions that are affected by addiction. This course is intended for practitioners who are skilled in the occupational therapy process but wish to expand their knowledge of integrated, holistic care models rooted in current evidence. This course is particularly relevant for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants working within newly established Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).

The purpose of this basic level course is to enable occupational therapy practitioners and other rehabilitation professionals to understand and assess functional performance in older adults using a multidimensional approach. This is an introductory course for practitioners who are new to this population or who desire a refresher on the most current evidence related to functional assessment of older adults.

Leadership is a complex topic that is best deconstructed to understand its parts and empower application. This basic-level course is designed to define leadership theories and models that frame current leadership practices. An exploration of various styles of leadership will enable learners to reflect on their own leadership practices and/or create a leadership plan for the application of new skills. The combination of leadership and mentorship education will enhance current healthcare practice to secure the future of the profession for the well-being of the clients served.

This intermediate-level course comprehensively presents wheeled mobility in a practice-specific context. Specifically, the course addresses mobility assessment, wheeled mobility categories, and power mobility considerations. Most practitioners will work with clients who need a mobility intervention, whether this includes evaluating the client, recommending a specific wheelchair, or training mobility skills. This course provides the information and resources required to prepare practitioners to meet these needs.

Audio Book Available  |  This intermediate level course for healthcare professionals is an introduction into the complex crime of human trafficking, with a focus on sex and labor trafficking and the common symptoms and conditions that occur in trafficked persons. The course provides insights into the facts surrounding human trafficking and relevant health risks for the trafficked person.

The purpose of this basic-level course is to provide home healthcare physical and occupational therapists and speech language pathologists with the information they need to understand the significance and importance of effectively using the OASIS instrument in order to deliver comprehensive, compassionate, patient-focused, and cost-sensitive skilled services in the home environment. This course focuses on OASIS-C2, the most recent update to OASIS, which went into effect January 1, 2017.

Audio Book Available  |  This course provides rehabilitation professionals with an understanding of the transmission and prevention of HIV, the care of persons with HIV, and the issues of living with HIV. Recent changes in terminology and staging are covered. Legal and ethical issues, including recent changes in testing, confidentiality, and reporting requirements are discussed.

This intermediate-level course provides rehabilitation therapists and therapy assistants with an opportunity to review the normal anatomy and physiology of the cardiopulmonary system, the pathophysiology of heart failure, and current medical, surgical, and therapy-based interventions. Appropriate for all therapy-based clinicians who work with persons with heart failure, this intermediate-level course reviews basic examination skills before progressing to the more advanced skills of auscultation and exercise testing interpretation.

This course is designed to increase occupational therapy practitioners' basic knowledge and understanding of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. The first part of the course presents an overview of the medical management of these disorders. The second part of the course focuses on occupational therapy screening, evaluation, and intervention of older adults with neurocognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease.

This basic course is designed to assist healthcare professionals in encouraging, teaching, and guiding older adults to actively practice healthy lifestyles. This course allows professional registered nurses, along with all other healthcare professionals that work with older adults to gain additional knowledge in geriatrics and be able to provide satisfactory care to improve outcomes for older adults. Healthcare professionals will be able to recognize the needs of older adult clients and develop person-centered plans to support optimal living and promote healthy aging. Additionally, this course will set the stage for developing a healthier society for all to age well and successfully.

This intermediate-level course is designed to provide occupational therapists and certified occupational therapist assistants with the information needed to appropriately examine and treat the client with Parkinson's Disease, including differential diagnosis of individuals who exhibit signs and symptoms indicative of PD. Equipped with the most current evidence, the learner will be able to discuss and critically evaluate interventions directed at the specific body structure and function, activity, and participation deficits associated with PD.

The purpose of this basic level course is to provide OTs and OTAs with an introduction to the study of ethical behavior and action as it is applied to occupational therapy practice, education, and research. It is designed to facilitate learning and using the ethical principles required to foster moral reasoning and to practice ethical decision making in occupational therapy. Specific objectives include defining terms used in discussing ethics, describing the principles and values of ethics organized into the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics, relating occupational therapy ethics to stakeholders in society, explaining a decision-making process for analyzing ethics issues, and discussing sample case studies. The case studies in this course are based on issues brought to the attention of the AOTA Ethics Commission (EC) members. All names and situations used in the case studies have been changed to avoid identifying any person or facility.

In coming years, healthcare professionals will face an aging of the population, along with the accompanying health and economic challenges. The purpose of this course is to highlight ethical issues that may confront healthcare and behavioral health professionals working with older adults and their families as these individuals near the end of life. Many of these issues are related to advances in medical technologies that have occurred over the past several decades (and that continue to be developed) and have led to increasingly complex choices. This course will also identify major ethical issues concerning older adults and healthcare decisions and provide a model for addressing ethical dilemmas in healthcare settings.

Depression is the most prevalent mental health disorder among older adults. Depression and anxiety affect an older adult's performance patterns related to habits, routines, rituals, and roles, as well as ADLs and IADLs, rest and sleep, formal and informal education, work, play, leisure, and social participation. This basic-level course provides current information on depression and anxiety disorders among older adults, including their types and causes, and their ramifications for occupational performance and treatment strategies. Screening tools and evidence-based treatment interventions are discussed. A case study further elucidates the role occupational therapy practitioners can play in the detection and treatment of depression and anxiety in older adults.

All level of therapists will learn to apply an occupation based approach to a biomechanical application and acquire techniques to lessen the burden of rotator cuff rehabilitation on clients. The basic science portion of this course is presented in a manner appropriate for the beginner and intermediate level occupational therapist. Therapists will benefit from learning about common misconceptions about rotator cuff injuries uncovered by the advancement of imaging in recent years. Research in this area is difficult due to the confounding nature of the disease; therefore, it is vital for an evidence based practitioner to keep up with these changes. Participants will not only learn palpation and testing methods to assess a client, but also how to listen to and interpret the client's complaints and symptoms in order to determine the best intervention strategy.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis found in the hand and upper extremity. As many as 54.4 million Americans – or approximately 28% of the adult population – are affected. This intermediate-level course provides OTs and OTAs with a detailed overview of the pathophysiology and mechanics of the joints of the hand of those diagnosed with OA. The course offers practitioners in-depth knowledge of several of the most common medical and evidence-based treatments, and it provides instruction for application of techniques in occupational therapy evaluation and intervention. These include specific occupational therapy interventions, physical agent modalities, splinting, adaptive equipment, and joint protection to allow clients to engage in meaningful daily occupations.

Concussion most commonly occurs during sports-related activities. The purpose of this intermediate-level course is to provide an overview of concussion with areas to assess and treat for the occupational therapy practitioner. Current evidence-based references are highlighted along with topics widely accepted in practice. This course is for practitioners who have a basic knowledge of brain injury and want to advance their skills in the assessment and treatment of concussion.

This basic-level course is designed to assist healthcare professionals in encouraging, teaching, and guiding older adults with chronic conditions to practice healthy lifestyles. This course explores common chronic conditions associated with aging, and discusses how healthcare professionals can help older adults manage these conditions and enhance health. Prevention, treatment of, and coping with such common problems as hearing loss, hypertension, and incontinence are also discussed. Because stroke, arthritis, and osteoporosis all have the potential to negatively affect functional status, these conditions are also reviewed to help promote healthy aging.

Audio Book Available   |  This basic-level course addresses the knowledge gap by providing rehabilitation professionals with an overview of the co-occurrence of depression and chronic conditions and identifying challenges in screening and referring adults with chronic conditions and depression. It provides explanations for potential causes of and contributing factors to depression unique to individuals with chronic medical conditions. Although individuals with chronic conditions are at increased risk for depression, this course also explores factors that may enhance such individuals' well-being and diminish the likelihood of depression.

This course describes the symptoms and the biological, psychological, and social factors that must be considered when working with individuals who have bipolar disorder. Psychopharmacology is addressed, and participants will learn about indications for and side effects of typical medications used in the treatment of bipolar disorders, such as mood stabilizers, atypical antipsychotics, and antidepressants. The course describes how single-system design methodology is used for outcome evaluation, an important consideration in today's environment of managed care and third-party payers. Relapse prevention is discussed, including medication adherence and individual therapy.

This basic-level course presents information on the diagnosis of Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)and the assessment tools and intervention strategies used in addressing this disorder. This course is designed for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants who have the background knowledge required for working with individuals with neurobiological disorders such as ADHD.

This basic-level course provides an overview of the nature and scope of chronic pain, including the basic physiological principles that underlie pain, and presents skills for effective chronic pain assessment across various domains and settings. The course describes acute and chronic pain, and the prevalence and impact of chronic pain on physical and psychological functioning, overall health, and quality of life. Selected tools and interview procedures for assessing the role and influence of chronic pain on an individual's psychosocial functioning are described.

This change in population serves as one factor warranting an increase in occupational therapy (OT) services for those individuals experiencing deficits in occupational performance due to age-related visual loss. The importance of occupational therapy's role in low vision rehabilitation is paramount as the profession progresses as a leading skilled allied health care service for older adults.This basic, introductory course is intended to introduce the occupational therapy practitioner, who may not have received low vision education or is not comfortable intervening with this population, with current evidence-based information related to the management of clients with low vision. The course content is designed to increase the reader's understanding of and ability to generalize concepts into daily assessment and intervention for clients experiencing occupational performance deficit due to low vision.

This intermediate course provides a critical review of current evidence to ensure occupational therapy practitioners are adequately prepared to provide the best care possible within the breast cancer population. Upon fulfilling the course objectives, practitioners will be prepared to develop an evidence-based approach to the evaluation and treatment of individuals with breast cancer throughout the pre-operative, post-operative and community phases of recovery.