This project promotes the occupational therapy profession while educating health care professions about the certified hand therapist’s role in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions of the upper extremity. This capstone project, “The Occupational Therapist’s Role in Hand Therapy: A Collaborative Approach to Health Care Success,” gathers medical students and physician assistant students for a 4-hour interactive interprofessional education course (IPE), in which a certified hand therapist (CHT) teaches in a dual format involving a didactic lecture and a hands-on lab. The course provides health care professionals with a better understanding of the occupational therapy profession and evidence supporting effecitve therapeutic outcomes that occupational therapists/CHTs offer. Educating future medical and physician assistant students through an effective interprofessional approach will foster their understanding of upper extremity muscuoskeletal conditions, thus improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their treatment approach. Sharing theoretical knowledge of occupational therapy, which is the basis for client-centered evaluations and use of evidence-based interventions for these conditions, allows for increased collaboration among healt care providers, resulting in improved functional outcomes. Health care providers must make the most appropriate treatment decisions for their clients to ensure successful occupational performance outcomes, as the rising cost of health care premiums and out-of-pocket expenses may restrict treatment visits.
