Hayley Meredith

Portfolio Evidence-Based Practice Reflection

When I first began graduate school and my Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
program at Touro University Nevada I was not aware of how powerful evidence-based practice
truly is. I may be challenged on the interventions I am doing with my patients in future work
places. Physicians, nurses, or even physical therapists may question the purpose or effectiveness
of occupational therapy so it is important for me to be aware of what research exists and how to
retrieve it.
My classmate Josh and I were placed at Bilingual Behavioral Services (BBS) in Las
Vegas for our first Level I fieldwork experience. I worked with a Licensed Clinical Social
Worker who provided counseling services to children. While I was at BBS I was able to
participate and observe a neurofeedback treatment session. Josh and I both really enjoyed our
experience with neurofeedback treatment and wanted to focus our evidence synthesis on a
population of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study we
examined found that use of neurofeedback as an intervention tool has positive effects on the
symptoms associated with ADHD. Neurofeedback treatment uses similar approaches and
concepts used in occupational therapy, and so it would be realistic for occupational therapists to
practice NF treatment. This was one example of how I was able to complete research and utilize
my findings in a clinical setting.
It was such an honor to be initiated into Alpha Pi Chapter of Pi Theta Epsilon (PTE) in
third semester. PTE recognizes and encourages scholastic excellence of occupational therapy
students. To be eligible to apply for PTE I had to maintain at least a GPA of 3.5 or higher and
rank not lower than the highest 35% of my cohort after completing my first two terms of

graduate school. I am proud to participate in an organization that serves not only the OT
profession, but helps to insure quality health care services for the general public. The PTE
newsletter, The Scroll and Pen, is one of many resources this honor society has to offer.
Having access to this newsletter has helped me to be a better informed student and will be
beneficial to help me continue to be an OT who is up-to-date in research in the future.
Going to the 2014 American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) National
Conference in Baltimore, Maryland was hands down the most inspiring and empowering thing I
have done since beginning this program. I met some very influential people in the world of
occupational therapy and sat in on wonderful lecture sessions. My favorite course was titled
"Intimidated by the Upper Extremity (UE)? Developing Clinically Reasoning Skills to Assess
and Treat the UE Post-Stroke." The course was taught by Debra S. Ouellette, MS, OTR/L of
Casa Colina Center for Rehabilitation in Pomona, California. She specializes in neuro, low
vision, and works in the neuro outpatient services at her facility. The course was really wonderful
and solidified my interest and passion for treating stroke. Many of the sessions I attended were
both informative and based on current research. The Expo was phenomenal and had all of the
latest and greatest equipment available to try. For the first time since beginning occupational
therapy school I really felt like I was a part of something bigger. I was a part of this community
of occupational therapists and students were passionate about all of the same things I am. It
sparked my interest of getting involved in research and potentially presenting a poster or a
lecture someday at the AOTA National Conference.
After graduating from TUN it will be easy to stay informed and seek out articles that
demonstrate evidence-based practice for OT. Thankfully, I have gained the knowledge and
resources to continually pursue evidence-based practice for OT in the future.