Developing Clinical Competence

A newly updated, user-friendly resource for occupational therapy assistant students and new practitioners, Developing Clinical Competence: A Workbook for the OTA, Second Edition assists readers in developing practical problem-solving and "'real-life"' skills essential for fieldwork and clinical practice. Maintaining the easy-to-read workbook format from the First Edition, this book is filled with learning activities, worksheets, and detailed answer explanations, as well as expanded chapter content and revised references.

Marie J. Morreale breaks down competencies into step-by-step units to allow for independent study. With multiple choice, matching, true/false, and fill-in-the-blanks questions; case studies; vignettes; and experiential activities, this Second Edition presents helpful tips in their most useful format. Guiding the reader through occupational therapy clinical decision making, professional conduct, and meeting standards of care for various practice areas, each chapter is fully independent and can be read in the order most conducive to the reader's individual learning needs. This text can help readers measure attainment of knowledge and skills when preparing for fieldwork, the national certification exam, or transitioning to entry-level practice.

New for the Second Edition:

• Fundamental topics including effective communication, assessment of client function, safety, supervision, documentation, group process, and department management
• Additional questions regarding behavioral health and pediatric practice
• Expanded content for professionalism, ethics, cultural sensitivity, and interventions to support occupations
• Topics such as wheeled mobility, hand function development, infection control, feeding/eating, wound care basics, quality improvement, and more
• Added content regarding the American Occupational Therapy Association documents, evidence-informed practice, advocacy, chronic conditions, and new trends
• Incorporated concepts and principles from the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, Fourth Edition

Addressing fundamental areas of occupational therapy practice for a wide variety of conditions, situations, and practice settings, Developing Clinical Competence: A Workbook for the OTA, Second Edition includes helpful hints and practical clinical tips to help the OTA implement appropriate interventions and communicate more effectively.
About the Author: Marie J. Morreale, OTR graduated Summa Cum Laude from Quinnipiac College (now Quinnipiac University) with a B.S. in occupational therapy. Throughout her professional career, Marie worked in a variety of practice settings, including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, adult day care, home health, cognitive rehabilitation, and hand therapy. Marie held the designation of Certified Hand Therapist for 25 years. She also served several years on a home health professional advisory committee, consulting on quality assurance issues. Marie was adjunct faculty for 17 years at the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Rockland Community College, State University of New York in Suffern. There she taught a variety of courses, including Professional Issues and Documentation, Geriatric Principles, Occupational Therapy Skills, Advanced Occupational Therapy Skills, Therapeutic Activities, and Advanced Therapeutic Activities. Marie was also involved with OTA curriculum development and served briefly as interim coordinator of the OTA Program.

Marie created the first edition of Developing Clinical Competence: A Workbook for the OTA. She also co-authored The Occupational Therapist's Workbook for Ensuring Clinical Competence and the second, third, and fourth editions of The OTA's Guide to Documentation: Writing SOAP Notes. In addition, she wrote a chapter on documentation for The Occupational Therapy Manager, Fifth Edition and published several occupational therapy articles. For the past several years Marie has been a test item writer for American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) continuing education products. She is active in her condo community and enjoys anything travel related.