Occupational Therapy
Research

Rockhurst students have opportunities to conduct research under the eye of a mentor, manage and staff a student-run free health clinic and complete fieldwork assignments at clinical sites all across the country.

As part of the Rockhurst Occupational Therapy curriculum, students complete either an individual or group research project under faculty mentorship. These projects are presented at a variety of venues, e.g., AOTA, MOTA and KOTA annual conferences. Below are the projects presented this year.

Are We Ready: Occupational Therapists’ Competence in Off-road Assessments of Older Drivers (Presented at the 2009 AOTA National Conference)
Amy Broadhurst, Lisa Trott, Kara Schrenk, and Cindy Woodroof
Faculty Mentor: Jane Rues

A Comparative Study Between Jamar Dynamometer and the Greenleaf EVAL System in Measuring Grip Strength
Monica Grewal, Amanda Thompson, Jennifer Bohan, and Jenna Hatlestad
Faculty Mentor: Kris Vacek

Training Students to Listen: Their Conceptualizations of Listening and Ability to Detect Nonverbal Emotional States
Teryn Ebert, Erin Meredith, Rachael Rama, and Georgeaana White
Faculty Mentor: Janis Davis

Communication of Evidence Based Practice in Occupational Therapy Documentation: A Training Protocol
Brittany West, Racheal Bowen, and Katie Schwartzkopf
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Zayat

Academic Dishonestly Within Occupational Therapy Assistant Programs (Presented at the 2009 AOTA National Conference)
Whitney Harmon, Natalie Bramson, and Kelly Beckler
Faculty Mentor: Ellen Spake

An Investigation of the Relationship Between Clinical Reasoning and Listening in a Problem Based Learning Course
Jennifer Ludwig, Maura Mader, Katherine Holland, and Megan Charleston
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Zayat

Establishing Normative Data for Hand Grip Strength: Greenleaf Evaluation Reporting System (Presented at the 2009 AOTA National Conference)
Rebecca Cavender, Sierra Grady, Christy Regan, and Megan Schmitt
Faculty Mentor: Kris Vacek