Growing Diversity in OT
Our first class of masters-level students is currently in their second year of the program. This class is made up of 15 students students with a rich array of backgrounds. Their undergraduate degrees include biology, business administration, communication arts, economics, education and social policy, human development and family studies, psychology, rehab psychology, and religion. The students share the faculty’s excitement about the new curriculum, and have helped us shape our new program in ways that have made it responsive to the needs of graduate students.
Our second class of 20 students is the most diverse group that our program has ever had. They are exceptionally talented, and have fascinating backgrounds and life experiences. They were the first group to have benefitted from the previous classes’ input on methods to enhance the summer anatomy learning experiences which are summarized below. OT Anatomy Discussion Section and Teaching Associate: In response to suggestions from our first MSOT class, we developed a 2 hour per week discussion section to enhance our summer anatomy course. The purpose of this class is to introduce OT practice principles along with the anatomy curriculum. Topics included ROM and muscle strength testing, myofacial release, and kinesiotaping. Students also suggested providing additional assistance in anatomy labs, and we created a student summer position to assist in both areas. Megan Nankee, class of 2007, served as our first “Anatomy Teaching Associate” under the direction of Diane Harlowe, who served as the Clinical Instructor for this program.