The OT Method to Assessing Concussion in Acute Care

This course will teach you all about how to assess concussion in the acute stages, providing an occupational therapy based protocol for your client care.

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Here's the story...

A client admits to the hospital for a bump to the head.

On occupational therapy evaluation, no evidence of symptoms are found. Client is deemed by our clinical rationale “independent in ADLs.” Client is discharged home with family.

A few days later, client goes home to find it's a bit of a challenge to get back into the daily routine.

Simple things like walking the dog and remembering what them and their loved one just talked about getting done for the day..these things seem to be hard to remember.

There's tension in the home between them and their loved one; they just cannot get a grasp on daily activities (or within their interactions with others they care about and have to interact with during the day).

Their sleep cycle is all a mess. They also poop out in energy by early afternoon and just cannot muster up enough attention to focus on one more thing. They become easily frustrated as they are having a harder time coping during the day... but just don't know why.

In the beginning stages of injury, whether concussion or mild TBI, the client’s symptoms seem almost invisible to pinpoint. It is easy for us as clinicians to think the client will be okay. Sometimes (I have even been guilty of this), our clients behavior can be mistaken for a reflection of “their personality.”

The good news: it's possible to notice signs and symptoms during the acute stages of a client's concussion. Being able to identify these symptoms, before its intensity of impact to the client’s daily life is SO rewarding (at least for me!).

That's why I created this occupational therapy based assessment protocol for acute concussion; to provide you with the tools needed to identify the clients symptoms in the beginning stages of their recovery. To provide you with the resources to guide your client and their loved ones through their beginning stages of the recovery journey. They cannot face their return to meaningful occupations, roles and routine alone (it's why we exist right?).

In this course, you will learn how to identify client symptoms while they participate in occupation based activity, interpret how this will impact their lives, communicate the results and have advocacy tools to support your client. You will be able to provide them with strategies to return back to life activity.

With this step-by-step video guide, workbook, comprehensive evaluation form, as well as resource guides for providing education to providers, clients and caregivers, you will learn how to assess your client’s symptoms BEFORE things get out of hand for them. You will also learn how to best educate clients, and their support persons, to facilitate their framework for recovery in order to support their return to daily life activity.

To get started, click on the enroll button below. See you in the classroom.


Your Instructor


Alexis
Alexis

Alexis has been practicing occupational therapy since 2011. With experience in a variety of settings through travel therapy and permanent professional positions, these courses originate from a labor of love. By way of a diverse experience of OT skills, knowledge and experiences, Alexis brings you a product from her passion for supporting clients in the acute care setting as well a place of love for neurology and its impact on clients. The same energy is poured into colleagues of the occupational therapy profession. Now sit back, relax, take out that piece of paper and preferred writing tool so we can learn, grow and thrive. Welcome to the course and welcome to our #OTtribe.


Course Curriculum


  INTRODUCTION
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  ALL ABOUT CONCUSSION
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  ASSESSMENT: COGNITIVELY TAXING
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own. Also, any new content that trickles into the course after initial purchase is on me!
What if I do not work in acute care? Can I still benefit from the information?
YES! Of course. Whether you work in an outpatient setting or alternative services, this course applies to your practice when you find that you are providing services to clients who have recently "hit their head." As long as you are an Occupational Therapist, you are good to go!
What if I am not understanding a concept or need more clarification from a video lesson?
Do not hesitate to comment below the specific video you are finding you need more guidance for. Alexis is always adding to the course, updating the videos, as well as finding resources and materials to support the information. So if something needs more clarification or you are trying to wrap your head around a concept, we will figure it out together! This is an evolving course that will be geared to supporting your learning experience.
I do not see everything in the course. What if I feel something is missing that I would like more information about?
We have not even scratched the surface with what has been added to the course. More content is being created as you read this and the course content will be dripping in during your learning journey. Because this course is on version 2 of itself and not all material is ready at release, ALL FEEDBACK IS WELCOMED! Tell Alexis what lessons can be ditched, what lessons were super helpful and what else you need.
Can I earn Continuing Education Units for completing this course?
It depends on your individual state board requirements. Some state licensing boards require you to have an approved course by a sponsor such as an OT association or a CEU broker. We have chosen to provide you with everything you need in order to submit this as a valid CEU for the states that solely require for you to provide the following: 1. proof of the "objectives of the course" 2. how it relates to Occupational Therapy 3. Receipt of purchase (keep your emailed receipt) 4. A certificate of completion can be provided upon request. This will require the instructor's verification of your course completion with a test provided to you. This test would confirm competency of the material. It is always the responsibility of the practitioner seeking CEUs to cross check the courses they take are in compliance with their individual state board requirements for license renewal
Is a standardized assessment included in the course?
The course material as a whole entity is based on evidence based articles/research related to concussion, assessment approach and activity analysis pulled from our Occupational Therapy practice framework, latest textbooks on head injury, and personal experience in utilization of the assessment form developed inside the course. The testing results from clients demonstrated consistent symptom presence with clinician creator and OT colleague usage (by way of testing with the same protocol developed in this course). However, the assessment form put together (that is located inside the course) was not studied under an IRB or published. It started as a personal project to improve efficacy, accuracy and consistency of OT (and OT based knowledge ). Evaluation process for this population of clients with potential concussion (to identify that client has symptoms). This protocol was essential to implement so the client can get the diagnosis, resources, support and education in order to thrive in daily life and not be lost in the system or have no diagnosis for follow up. All the research about why this was needed from clinical observations and the evidence based articles found is included in the course content.