February 2021 Newsletter

Occupational Therapy

More than 200 Creighton students, faculty and staff assisted with first COVID-19 clinic at Creighton's Rasmussen Center on the Omaha campus on Feb. 6, from salting walkways to providing shuttle service, greeting attendees at the door and preparing and administering the vaccine. The first clinic administered more than 1,400 vaccines to Douglas County seniors 75 and older. Creighton will continue to host COVID-19 community vaccination clinics on Saturdays until further notice. Learn more.

From the Chair Dear Creighton Occupational Therapy Community,

Greetings from the Department of Occupational Therapy! The Department of Occupational Therapy in the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions entered the new year and the spring semester with more attentiveness than we would normally see as the University required all returning students to have a negative COVID-19 test before returning to campus.

The department administration has worked with Creighton University's COVID-19 Strategy and Implementation Leadership team and our health care partner, CHI Health, to ensure all of our students had an opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccination starting the week of Jan. 15. Students were informed of their eligibility and given an opportunity to schedule the vaccine. Of those students who responded and were scheduled, more than 400 were vaccinated. Faculty and staff considered to be on the front line, whether in lab settings or working as practitioners, were also offered vaccination. We continue to emphasize masking, social distancing and appropriate hand washing. The safety of our students, faculty, staff, administration, patients, family and friends is of paramount importance!

During the academic year 2020-2021, our entry level OTD program will undergo the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) re-affirmation. The virtual onsite visit from ACOTE will take place June 7-9. The department’s accreditation lead team has been working tirelessly with faculty and staff to prepare the self-study and on-site virtual visit. In fall 2021, we will launch the Creighton Phoenix Hybrid pathway at the Creighton University Health Sciences – Phoenix Campus, building upon our successful hybrid pathways at the University of Alaska – Anchorage and Regis University in Colorado.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone in every aspect of our lives. As a society, however, we have begun to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Creighton exists for students and for learning. Despite all the challenges and obstacles, our students in all programs and pathways continue embracing education with grace and high standards. Faculty and staff continue sharing their gifts with our students and preparing future practitioners and leaders to meet societal needs.

I wish you and your loved ones a healthy, joyous and prosperous semester and a new year!

With gratitude,

Keli Mu, PhD, OTR/L Chair

New and Expanded Telehealth in Rural Agreements Settings A newly inked agreement between Creighton OTD students, Loriana Harkey, Sadie Jung University and Loyola Marymount University in and Elizabeth Newton, along with faculty Los Angeles, and an expanded partnership member Angela Patterson, OTD, OTR/L, with Regis University in Denver, demonstrate published in the International Journal of how cooperation between Jesuit universities Telehealth Rehabilitation, "Patient Satisfaction expands educational opportunities. Our with Telehealth in Rural Settings: A Systematic partnership with Regis University on the Review." The article reflects a project that was Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree has carried out during the students’ research been an example of how collaboration courses and finalized during their fieldwork. between two institutions can focus on student Patterson mentored the research group, while success. Learn more. Molly McCarthy, PhD, MPH, Brenda Coppard, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, and Sarbinaz Bekmuratova, PhD, co-instructed the course, offering mentorship and support.

Refer a Future Bluejay Alumni are asked to support a referral program for prospective students by filling out this form to let our admissions team know who we should connect with. Each prospective student entry will be entered into a drawing for Creighton apparel. We know our best referrals come from word of mouth. Your support for our programs does not go unnoticed.

Pi Theta Epsilon Distinguished Lecturer Event The 12th Annual Pi Theta Epsilon Distinguished Lecturer Event will be held via Zoom on Thursday, March 18, passcode PiTheta. Student awards will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the distinguished lecturer will speak at 6 p.m. This year's distinguished lecturer is Pamela Toto, PhD, OTR/L, BCG, FAOTA, FGSA, presenting on "Occupational Therapy: Promoting Your Distinct Role in Aging in Place." Toto is an occupational therapist with expertise in reducing disability and promoting aging in place for older adults. Practitioners can receive 1.5 CEUs by emailing [email protected] by March 16.

Get LSVT BIG Certified! Creighton University is hosting a “Virtual Live” LSVT BIG Training and Certification Course on March 19- 20, 2021. Register now to join this course along with 60 current Creighton OTD and DPT students!

Department Scholarship Update The Department of Occupational Therapy continues to participate in presentations and to produce numerous publications concerning telehealth in rural settings, expanding educational curriculum and working with patients and their families. Read more about the projects from November 2020 to January 2021.

Pharmacy and Health Professions Student Government Update Student leaders and organizations within the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions (SPAHP) remained vigilant during the fall semester in their effort to contribute to the local community through service. Pharmacy and Health Professions Student Government (PHPSG) awarded grant money to Jays 4 Peds and Creative Occupations to help them complete their service projects during the spring. Jays 4 Peds will work directly with two families to provide their children with a Make-A-Wish day, and Creative Occupations will complete a mural and sensory garden project next to the Boyne Building. We are very excited to see these projects flourish and hope you can all enjoy their success with us!

Additionally, PHPSG leaders organized monthly interprofessional seminars, at which students may learn from their peers and from alumni about various health care settings and how our three professions collaborate to provide care and meet patient needs. Our January seminar concerned the hospital setting and drew 150 participants from our SPAHP community! This was an incredible success that we look forward to continuing in March and April.

We are so proud of our community and look forward to building our alumni-student relations and supporting more organizations in their endeavors throughout the semester!

Alumni: If you have an interest in participating in the interprofessional seminars or connecting with students at a different capacity, please use the following link so we may contact you!

Creighton Gets Werner Donation to Help Erect $75 Million Health Sciences Building The new facility will feature a centralized interdisciplinary simulation center and active group classrooms, bringing together medical, nursing, physician assistant, pharmacy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavioral health and other students to train and learn with — and from — each other. Learn more about this health sciences Omaha campus building.

Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program Creighton University has received a $25 million gift to establish the Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program, which will develop global medical leaders. The scholars will earn a medical degree while working at global sites and addressing significant health challenges facing local populations around the world. Find out more about this transformational gift.

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