Exploring Occupational Therapy’s Role in Concussion Management to Promote Occupational Performance

The primary focus of this capstone project was to gain advanced clinical practice in the area of concussion management. The goal was to acquire knowledge and clinical reasoning skills regarding the aspects of concussion management such as assessment, intervention, and educational topics to understand the role occupational therapy has for clients experiencing persistent concussive symptoms. This capstone was conducted at the Sanford Van Demark Building in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The occupational therapy student participated in direct patient care with adolescent and adult patients with post-concussion symptoms. In addition to direct patient care hours, continuing education courses were completed to further develop the student’s knowledge of the aspects of concussion management. Dissemination of knowledge regarding concussion management which included development and presentation of content to occupational therapy students enrolled in the OCTH 721: Neurological Foundation of Occupation course at the University of South Dakota. To emphasize the importance of occupational therapy’s role in concussion management in promoting engagement in sport participation, an OT Practice article was created to share concrete examples with occupational therapy practitioners. By successfully working towards and accomplishing the learning objectives and deliverables, the occupational therapy student gained advanced practice knowledge in the area of concussion management deeming the capstone project successful