Evolution of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History of Marsha Waind, OTR/L

This project, one of 29 life history interviews which are a part of a larger project, is titled Life Histories of Individuals Who Have Been Influential in Developing Occupational Therapy (OT) in North Dakota and Wyoming. The purpose of the project is to gather information about the history and evolution of occupational therapy (OT) practice in North Dakota and Wyoming through life histories of individuals who have been influential in developing OT in these two states. It is anticipated that the life history process will be a powerful way to gather this information. This study is intended to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice in North Dakota and Wyoming. The focus of this section was on Marsha Waind an occupational therapist practicing since 1975, with a majority of her career spent in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She was a graduate of the University of North Dakota Occupational Therapy Program in 1975. Marsha currently works for Altru Health System as the regional services manager. The interview with Marsha took place at her office in the Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The interview was based on a qualitative research design with a focus on a life history approach. The Kawa Model helped to guide the development of some of the interview questions. The semi-structured interview was guided by an interview schedule prepared by the project directors; the questions on the interview schedule were designed to be used with all the individuals as part of the larger project. The researchers were allowed to modify or add interview questions as needed for each specific interview