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In the ICU with Jessie Franco: Training Competent Neuro ICU Occupational therapists

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In the ICU with Jessie Franco: Training Competent Neuro ICU Occupational therapists

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Jessie Franco PP-OTD Innovation Project Final Presentation

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Jessie Franco is an occupational therapist with 12 years of experience across various practice settings, including inpatient rehabilitation (IRF), skilled nursing facilities (SNF), long-term acute care (LTAC), and acute hospital settings. She earned her Master's in Occupational Therapy from Boston University and completed her Post-Professional Doctorate at MGH Institute of Health Professions. Jessie currently works as an acute care practitioner at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she serves as the lead therapist for the inpatient burn service. For her doctoral project, Jessie identified a knowledge and practice gap within her workplace and developed an educational, evidence-based website (www.IntheICUwithJessie.com) to enhance practitioner knowledge and confidence in managing patients in the Neuro ICU. She also contributes to academic education as a Level II fieldwork supervisor and adjunct lecturer for entry-level OT courses.

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Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Boston, MA

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Contact: jessie.franco@gmail.com

Follow me: LinkedIn, @jessiefranco, @intheicuwithjessie, & Facebook

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My innovation project aims to enhance knowledge and skill implementation to increase confidence and competence for OTs working in the Neurology ICU.
An evidence-based educational website was developed to support practice in the Neuro ICU, including a skill competency and guidelines for self-paced learning supplemented with structured mentorship. The website provides a forum for online learning and community networking.

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The intensive care unit (ICU) is a challenging practice setting that requires occupational therapy practitioners to have basic medical knowledge, safety awareness, strong clinical reasoning skills, and confidence. However, a standardized training program does not exist causing many students and new practitioners to feel overwhelmed and unprepared to practice in this dynamic setting.
This lack of knowledge and experience negatively impacts decision-making and clinical judgment. Additionally, other ICU providers are not accustomed to including OTs in the treatment team and are unaware of their role and benefit to the patient. This lack of knowledge may lead to a chronic and reduced presence of OT in the ICU, resulting in prolonged patient hospitalizations and impaired functional recovery.

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Graduation: May 2022
What's Next: continued expansion of my website and OT's role within the ICU at my workplace!

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There is a need to address this knowledge and confidence gap for occupational therapists working in the Neuro ICU through the creation of programming that could easily be implemented in the acute hospital setting.
A pilot case study was completed to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of self-paced online learning and structured mentorship for the neurology ICU to increase knowledge and confidence. Results showed that when paired together knowledge and confidence are increased. Showing that this type of programming has the potential to provide guidelines for hospitals with limited training practices in place as well as expand to other types of ICUs.