Lunch, Posters, & Committee Meetings

The ASHT Leadership Development Program (LDP) aims to foster and enable present and upcoming leaders in hand and upper extremity therapy.  During this session, LDP mentors will provide an overview of the program, discussing the application process and layout of the didactic content.  Current LDP cohort members will also present their program poster presentation deliverable, highlighting leadership concepts explored during the LDP.

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Educating the Educator: Exploring Communication, Learning, and Teaching Styles to Promote Successful Fieldwork Opportunities

Explore communication, learning and teaching styles to prepare fieldwork educators to foster a successful fieldwork experience for hand therapy students.  Hand therapy fieldwork is a unique experience for students who are looking to explore specializing in and gaining knowledge in upper extremity rehabilitation. Fieldwork educators should be knowledgeable in their own strengths of communications and teaching styles in order to be able to assist students in their specific learning and communication styles. It is crucial to explore the inter-generational differences to help create a student specific fieldwork experience while also upholding high standards needed to succeed in hand therapy.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Explore communication, teaching and learning styles that can be implemented into hand therapy fieldwork experience for educators and students
2. Identify ways to promote high standard and student specific hand therapy fieldwork
3. Describe inter-generational differences and be able to implement them in a collaborative approach to ensure positive fieldwork experience

Speaker: Emilia Pollnow, MS, OTR/L, CHT

Leading Change: Integrating Prehabilitation Before Elective Upper Extremity Surgery

Are you ready to lead change in your clinic? This dynamic poster highlights how hand therapists can drive the integration of prehabilitation before elective upper extremity surgery. Based on survey data collected from 120 hand therapists, only 46% are currently utilizing prehabilitation strategies. Through the application of leadership strategies and a practical toolkit, this session empowers clinicians to turn evidence into prehabilitation practices. Explore how you can overcome barriers and enhance patient outcomes before surgery even begins. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Define prehabilitation and its relevance to upper extremity surgery
2. Determine how interprofessional collaboration can facilitate prehabilitation programming
3. Develop actionable steps to advocate for prehabilitation services in your clinic

Speaker: Tondalaya Brainard, DrOT, CHT, CLT

Standardized Hand Therapy Elective Course for Students Interested in a Level II Placement 

The goal of this program is to provide occupation and physical therapy students interested in Level II fieldwork in hand therapy a fundamental knowledge base for success. By developing a standardized course, clinical instructors will have the reassurance that students have received training in the evaluation and treatment skills necessary to be effective with patient care for positive outcomes. The program format will be a 9-week hybrid learning format with recorded lectures, synchronous sessions, and 3 in person meetings. The program will begin by establishing a base knowledge of functional anatomy, kinesiology, and physiology. Participants will then progress to learning evaluation skills with proper methods for testing strength, sensation, range of motion, and dexterity. Subsequent sessions will cover orthopedic injuries from the elbow to the fingers, and their suggested treatment regimes.  A hands-on manual assessment lab will cover provocative testing and palpation skills.  The program will then advance to focus on modalities, orthotics and clinical reasoning problem solving. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand how a course designed for this population would bridge knowledge gaps and improve entry level success for level II FW acceptance in the hand clinic
2. Verbalize how this course could be used by clinical instructors and employers to improve entry level student and therapist knowledge base

Speaker: Adrienne Tesarek, OTR/L,CHT

Orthosis Online: A Tool Connecting Therapists to Clinical Orthosis Application

This poster presents the benefits of creating an online orthosis library application for hand and upper extremity therapists. The contents of the application would be recorded videos of orthosis fabrication as well as recommended materials to be used.  The purpose of this application is to have a quick and easy to use clinical resource, and to promote collaboration of the hand and upper extremity community. The goal would be to recruit volunteers to submit their videos of orthoses and use these submissions to create the application content. This would create a resource from many different therapists with varied skill levels and experience.  The secondary purpose of the application is to connect newer therapists and remote therapists to clinical resources, and to provide a modern, environmentally conscious option for learning and clinical application.

Learning Objectives: 

1. List the benefits of mobile/electronic applications in learning and healthcare
2. Describe the usefulness of an application that contains an orthosis library and how it may be a helpful tool for all therapists, particularly those new to the field or remote therapists

Speaker: Hayley Brown, Physiotherapist, CHT

Development of a Pediatric Hand Therapy Fieldwork II Curriculum

This presentation provides a framework for transitioning a traditional pediatric fieldwork II curriculum to one that is focused on pediatric hand therapy. Recent studies indicate a need for more structured fieldwork programs and clearer fieldwork expectation for students seeking to pursue a hand therapy rotation. This is especially true when beginning a pediatric hand therapy rotation. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Discuss how the implementation of a structured hand therapy program in pediatrics would be beneficial to the profession and bolster mentorship opportunities

Speaker: Jessica Knapp-Johnson, MOT, OTR/L, CHT

 Sustaining a Volunteer Hand Clinic in the Navajo Nation

How can a volunteer hand and upper extremity clinic serving the Navajo Nation maintain continuity of care during a leadership transition? This poster explores how leadership principles, combined with change management strategies, can successfully guide the clinic's transition from individual leadership to sustainable institutional management.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Analyze how leadership behaviors impact team dynamics during leadership transitions in a hand and upper extremity setting
2. Propose a change management framework for leadership transitions in a hand and upper extremity setting

Speaker: Tauni Bird, OTD, OTR/L

Building Competencies and Confidence: Expanding Learning Pathways in Pediatric Hand Therapy

Pediatric hand therapy is a subspecialty within the broader field of hand therapy, requiring unique clinical knowledge and skills. Occupational and physical therapy students and new practitioners often face barriers to gaining experience in hand therapy due to limited foundational education and fieldwork opportunities. Educational opportunities specific to pediatric hand therapy are even more limited. This gap can lead to reduced confidence and competence when treating pediatric populations. Expanding accessible, evidence-based learning pathways, such as targeted educational strategies, reflective practices, and specialized mentorship, can support skill development and foster clinical expertise. Increasing awareness and visibility of pediatric hand therapy as a distinct practice area empowers therapists to pursue focused growth in this field. By enhancing educational access and professional engagement, we can better prepare therapists to deliver high-quality, developmentally appropriate care to children with hand and upper extremity conditions. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Identify foundational knowledge and clinical skills required to assess and treat pediatric clients with upper extremity conditions in a hand therapy setting
2. Recognize common barriers to clinician confidence and competence in pediatric hand therapy and explore actionable strategies to overcome them
3. Describe evidence-based educational strategies and reflective practices to enhance skill development in pediatric hand therapy

Speaker: Heather Hopkins, MA, OTR/L, CHT 

Teaming Up: Utilizing Microsoft Teams to Improve Intraorganizational Communication Between Therapists

Hand therapists often work as solo clinicians within large healthcare organizations, which can lead to professional isolation and limited opportunities for collaboration. With busy schedules and geographically dispersed offices, there is often little time or structure for therapists to connect, consult on complex cases, or share clinical insights.  This project introduces a practical solution: leveraging Microsoft Teams as an online platform to enhance communication, collaboration, and resource sharing among hand therapists. By creating a centralized digital space, clinicians can ask questions, exchange treatment ideas, and support one another in real time.  The initiative connects over 25 hand therapists working across five counties within the same healthcare organization, offering a scalable and sustainable model for improving intraorganizational communication. The ultimate goal is to enhance patient outcomes, foster clinical growth, and support therapist wellbeing through meaningful, technology-enabled collaboration.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand barriers to communication between geographically dispersed therapists
2. Understand the use of Microsoft Teams for increasing therapist communication  

Speaker: Courtney Wood, OTR/L, CHT

Considerations and Resources for Managing Burnout with Specialized Practitioners in Rural Hospitals

With fewer practitioners to deliver specialized care in rural hospitals, many therapists are having to change how they practice in order to manage larger caseloads with fewer resources - and to navigate major systemic healthcare changes. This poster outlines considerations and resources for leaders, aiming to help mitigate the effects of clinicians working in a rural healthcare system with limited community resources and increased workforce caseloads. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Summarize key elements that lead to burnout in rural health settings
2. Describe personal or professional repercussions of clinician burnout
3. Identify strategies that leaders in rural hospitals can employ to help mitigate burnout in their workforce

Speaker: Elizabeth Allstadt, MS, OTR/L, CHT

How Can Clinical Instructors Leverage Emotional Intelligence Assessments and Personality Profile Results to Improve Student Fieldwork Experiences and Performance?

Traditionally, admissions committees for competitive programs focus primarily on the applicant’s GPA. While grades may contribute to the academic success of a graduate student, studies have found no significant relationship between grades and success on Level II fieldwork.  After a thorough review of the literature, it is apparent that students who lack emotional intelligence may struggle to connect with patients, communicate with his or her clinical fieldwork educator, accept constructive feedback appropriately, and collaborate with other team members in a professional manner.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Identify emotional intelligence and personality type traits and how that relates to the student fieldwork experience in order to influence and create a positive learning experience during level II fieldwork
2. Analyze and explain how emotional intelligence (EI) and personality profiles impact student fieldwork experiences and how to leverage the EI and profile information to amplify success and encourage professional development of students during fieldwork experiences

Speaker: Sarah Whitworth, OTR, OTD, CHT

Multidisciplinary Clinics: Enhancing Patient Outcomes with Advanced Therapy Practitioners

In recent years, the healthcare landscape has undergone a transformation from a focus on medical specialists to multidisciplinary clinics that cater to the care of specific, complex medical conditions. This session will examine the evolution of these clinics, their impact on patient outcomes, and the crucial role of occupational and/or physical therapists within these specialized teams.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Define the purpose of a multidisciplinary team and the benefits to patients in health care
2. Describe successful components of a multidisciplinary team
3. Reflect on how advanced therapy providers in rehabilitation can provide leadership skills to advance clinical outcomes in multidisciplinary clinics

Speaker: Sarah Johnson, OTRL