Cultural Competence - An OT practitioner is working with a consumer who has immigrated from Afghanistan.  This consumer loves to the cook and share food traditions of his culture with others.  The therapist suggests meal preparation as an occupation-based activity for therapy, and actively seeks out information about cultural traditions and practices that will help her to facilitate a meaningful therapeutic experience for the consumer. 

Interprofessional Value - A rehab manager is overseeing a staff of 10 therapists  Two of the therapists, an OT with 25 years of experience and a new DPT graduate, have been experiencing difficulty collaborating to achieve positive patient outcomes.  There has been consistent conflict regarding each therapist’s role in patient care.  The rehab manager steps in to facilitate an open discussion and guides the therapists to a better understanding of the other’s scope of practice.  Following this discussion the therapists demonstrate the ability to better collaborate and use their unique and specific knowledge to enhance patient outcomes.

Effective Communication - An OT practitioner is working in a mental/behavioral health setting with a consumer who is having difficulty managing her medications due to what she perceives as negative side-effects.  The therapist uses motivational interviewing as a tool to guide the consumer to articulate her experience of the side-effects.  The therapist plans to share the information she has learned with the consumer’s psychiatrist, and also works with the consumer to develop the skills to advocate for herself when discussing her concerns with her psychiatrist.  The resulting positive outcomes of this effective communication will vary based on the specific situation, but it is likely the psychiatrist will gain a better understanding of the consumer’s experience and may be able to adjust medication/dosage OR the consumer will gain a better understanding of the purpose of her medications and why she should take specific dosages.

Ethical Decision Making - An OT practitioner working at a SNF is directed by her manager to place a patient at the highest rug level and engage him in the highest amount of therapy for the next few days so the facility will receive the maximum amount of medicare funding for the entire length of the patient’s stay.  That afternoon the patient is seen by his PCP and is placed on palliative care and given approximately four weeks to live.  The OT tells her manager she does not feel comfortable carrying out the previously delineated plan of care.  The manager insists the OT complete her directions and threatens to take disciplinary action if the OT refuses.  The OT explains the ethical dilemma of the situations and holds to her convictions.  She is ultimately written up by her manager, but demonstrates an unwavering dedication to the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and competence in this area of leadership. 

Perspective Thinking - An OT practitioner working in a school setting is attending the first IEP meeting for a child he has evaluated.  The parents are resistant to accepting the label required for the child to receive additional services in the school setting, and the meeting ends without a solid resolution.  The OT and the school social worker arrange to meet with the parents later that week to further discuss the label for the child, as well as other options for accommodations and modifications that could be made in the classroom.  During the meeting, the parents are still resistant to the IEP requirements.  Seeing the situation for the perspective of the parents, the OT identifies an alternative solution and makes recommendations for a 504 and suggests the parents speak with their PCP about receiving a referral for OT services outside of school.  He even refers the parents to a former GVSU OST classmate who runs her own holistic, client-centered, and evidence-based pediatric practice he believes would be a good fit for this child.

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