Keiser University (KU) students in the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program, from campuses in the tri-county area, attended the Occupational Therapy Annual Research and Community Project Symposium held at Nova Southeastern University. Sponsored by the South Florida OT Forum, all major universities participated with students presenting their latest research projects. This year was the first time the KU OTA program participated.
Students from campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach presented their community projects, which had been developed as part of the Aging and Performance course. The OTA student’s projects that earned first places at each campus were then selected to present at the OT Research Symposium.
“The event had over 200 people in attendance including students, faculty and clinicians so this was a tremendous learning experience for the OTA students,” said Dr. Arthur Keiser, Chancellor and CEO.
The OTA students in their final academic semester completed a poster presentation for the Aging course. The students were asked, as part of a class activity, to interview a well-elder living in the community and perform a quality of life questionnaire and a home safety checklist. These assessments would help determine if the elders were at risk of any preventable health risks. By identifying lifestyle balance issues and any obstacles that interfere with wellness or aging in place, these OTA students helped elders in the community live healthier and safer lives.
Students completed a poster board presentation held in the Fort Lauderdale campus auditorium. All Allied Health programs were invited to attend the presentation and attendees were encouraged to vote for the strongest presentation. This is all taking place during the month of April because it is Occupational Therapy Month and this year’s theme is “Living Life to its Fullest”.
My instructors believed in me. They were more than instructors, they tried to get to know you as a person and tried to understand your goals so they could push you towards them. Student services helped me find a job before I even graduated. Everyone was dedicated to my overall success.
