Occupational therapy in the neonatal intensive care unit: an asynchrnous elective course

Background: Although the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a niche practice area for occupational therapists, the impact it has on patients and their families is profound. The skills needed to safely and effectively practice in the NICU are extensive. However, education on this setting is not widely included in occupational therapy programs. Therefore, OTs wishing to pursue a career in the NICU or pediatric occupational therapists wishing for further foundational knowledge on the topic are forced to rely on costly continuing education courses to fill this gap. Objective: This project aims to develop an online, asynchronous elective course on occupational therapy’s role in the NICU for current and future students pursing a doctorate degree in occupational therapy at Georgia State University (GSU). Methods: Literature reviews were conducted on the current availability of NICU-specific education for occupational therapy students, as well as the current best practice in the NICU (including but not limited to assessments, interventions, equipment, and educational resources). The capstone student also engaged in an 8-week observational rotation in a level four NICU at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to gain a full picture of actual OT practice in this setting. Additionally, literature on pedagogical theories, models, and frameworks were reviewed in order to construct course content, learning activities, and assessments. Output: The result of this capstone project is a 10-unit asynchronous elective course focused on occupational therapy’s role within the NICU. It is designed to cover background knowledge on the NICU unit as a whole, medical equipment, and medical conditions as well as the entire occupational therapy process including assessments, interventions, and caregiver support and education. The models and frameworks this course is based on include cognitivism, humanism, the Community of Inquiry framework, and Bloom’s Taxonomy. Conclusion and Relevance: If this course is offered as an elective in GSU’s Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program, it will allow students to further their knowledge on a specialized practice area that has far-reaching implications into pediatric practice in general. Having this foundational knowledge will not only prepare students for pediatric level II fieldwork rotations, but for their future careers as well. Additionally, it will help diversify the program’s curriculum and attract future students who are interested in this area of practice.