Inter-Professional Collaboration:

Occupational Therapist

Mary Grace Patterson

Ellen Shaw
Kayla Fernandez
Allison Kilroy
Leiron Bayless
Alli Yant
Delivering Nursing Care via Practice Partnerships

● Marie Manthey, 1989

○ Can be integrated into other care
models
● RN with a partner
○ UAP, LPN, less experienced RN
● Senior RN directs care and
delegates to partner
● Benefits
 Role of Occupational Therapist

● Treat injured, ill, and disabled people through the

therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations)
● Examples:
○ Children and Youth
○ Major injuries
○ Older adults
○ Chronic diseases
○ Mental illness
○ Work and Industry

Goal for Patient: To help Mr. Harris regain as much

functioning in ADL’s as possible
 Licensure and Education

● Masters in Occupational Therapy

● Pass the NBCOT Exam
● Congrats!
 Communication and Collaboration Strategies
The nurse collaborates and communicates with occupational
therapists to help restore the patient’s quality of life

● Communication strategies
○ SBAR (Situation, Background,
Assessment, Recommendation)
○ Effective and active listening
○ Focus on the common goal of the
patient
○ Provide follow-up for the OT after
the communication is complete
 Communicating, as an RN, with the OT

As a nurse, effective communication strategies with the

occupational therapist are essential for the benefit of the
patient.

● Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

○ Medication management
○ Swallowing
● Nursing Home Placement
 Interview with Susie Sims, MSOT

● Nurses can assist OT’s by:

○ Ensuring recommendations
are carried out
○ Promoting patient’s
functional independence
○ Ensuring access to
adaptive equipment
○ Pain medication
○ Reporting functional
changes
(S. Sims, personal communication, July 9, 2018)
References
Sims, S. (2018, July 9). Email interview.

Sullivan, E. J. (2018). Communicating effectively. In Pamela Lappies (Ed.),

Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing. (9th ed., pp. 145-162). New
York, NY: Pearson.

Sullivan, E.J. (2018). Delivery Nursing Care. In Pamela Lappies (Ed.), Effective
Leadership and Management in Nursing. (9th ed., pp. 36). New York, NY: Pearson.

The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. (August 2017). Occupational Therapy’s

Role in Medication Management. Retrieved from
https://ajot.aota.org/article.aspx?articleid=2652591

The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (2018). Occupational Therapy:

Improving Function While Controlling Costs. Retrieved from
https://www.aota.org/About-Occupational-Therapy/Professionals.aspx