(Pronouns: she/her)
What year did you start the program?
2022
What are your prior degrees and at which institutions?
MSOT, Mercy College, 2011
AAS, Suny Orange, 2004
What was your favorite course in the program?
Teaching and Learning in the Health Professions
What was your Innovation Project title?
Time to Sleep: An Occupational Therapy Sleep Program for People with Insomnia
Tell us about your Innovation Project.
During a literature review, I discovered the problem that many adults receiving outpatient occupational therapy (OT) services experience co-occurring sleep dysfunction that may not be addressed and can affect recovery time, pain levels, and quality of life. Additionally, there is a need for CBT-I providers and a high prevalence of untreated insomnia. These issues led me to build my innovation; a sleep program for adults with insomnia using CBT-I in an outpatient clinic.
Some of the steps I took to implement this project include making a project proposal, designing key deliverables consisting of a brochure and a program manual. I was able to put my innovation into practice relatively quickly and in three months I had over 12 referrals. To inform other OTs about this niche area of practice I wrote an article and plan to publish it in the OT practice journal.
Why did you choose to come to this program?
There are a few reasons I chose the program at the MGH IHP. One was being able to take the information and integrate it immediately into practice. Another reason is the fact that it is a fully virtual program with synchronous and asynchronous learning that worked well with my work schedule.
What are your goals for the future after you graduate?
After graduation, I plan to present a short course at my state OT association to educate OT on how they can become trained. Another short-term goal is to expand the sleep program, train a colleague to help with providing CBT-I. Long term I would like to develop a basic CBT-I training program for OTs.
Every semester, I grew as a person and professionally by learning new concepts, resources, or strategies. I became more comfortable with creating and delivering presentations. I noticed each semester that my writing became clearer, stronger, and more organized, and I felt more confident when writing my progress notes and emails at work.