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School of Occupational Therapy employs creativity in time of pandemic

March 30, 2020 in Innovation

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As UIndy moves through this challenging time of uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic, our faculty and staff are working to ensure our students can continue their academic work. This is especially difficult for students who need to complete clinical experiences required for graduation. The School of Occupational Therapy has developed a creative solution for Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) students to complete their required fieldwork.

In cooperation with BeWell, UIndy’s employee wellness program, UIndy MOT students will be offering UIndy employees and their families free telehealth OT sessions focusing on wellness and daily occupations. Please note that participants must reside in the state of Indiana to adhere to licensure laws. The 30-45 minute sessions will be conducted by MOT students with supervision of licensed occupational therapy clinicians and faculty.  

“We have a commitment to our students to continue to provide meaningful fieldwork experiences,” said Jayson Zeigler, Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) academic fieldwork coordinator. “This experience will not only provide a needed service to our UIndy community, but will also introduce our students to the growing applications of telehealth.”

Third-year MOT student Hannah Masemore is grateful for the opportunity. Before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the suspension of all student clinical experiences, Masemore was working on an inpatient rehabilitation unit at the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois. 

“I think it’s pretty amazing that we are able to provide OT services via telehealth during this difficult time,” Masemore said. “This is a service that many people still need and this allows them to receive the services while staying safe.”

Masemore suggested that people who could benefit from the free OT telehealth service include:

  • older adults who need a home safety evaluation or aging in place modifications; 
  • people who are working from home and want guidance on ergonomic adaptations to their workstations; 
  • people who were receiving outpatient OT to provide exercise education; 
  • children who were receiving school OT for things such as handwriting; \
  • people receiving OT services for mental health. 

All sessions are confidential and HIPPA compliant. The service is available to any UIndy employee and their family members who live in the state of Indiana. The program will launch on March 30. Anyone interested in signing up should look for an email from BeWell and access the sign-in link on the BeWell website. Questions can be directed to  Jayson Zeigler at zeiglerjw@uindy.edu or Katherine Matutes at matutesk@uindy.edu.