Culture and Occupational Therapy

The purpose of this capstone project was to develop a cultural intelligence program for occupational therapy practitioners (OTP[s]). However, due to the results of the project’s research component, this capstone shifted to addressing a potential need for a global shift in the occupational therapy (OT) process and diversifying the content and dissemination of cultural training courses. A mixed-methods survey was conducted to assess 45 OTPs’ confidence levels with delivering culturally intelligent care, their means of overcoming cultural barriers in clinical practice, and to collect anecdotes on the process of becoming a culturally intelligent practitioner. Four primary research themes are developed during the data analysis phase: (1) A global shift in the OT process, (2) Occupational therapy education and cultural intelligence, (3) Language and the occupational therapy process, and (4) Becoming a Lifelong Cultural Learner. This capstone project attempts to address the identified gaps via an outline to integrate increased cultural opportunities for OT students at USAHS during their fieldwork experiences. Future implementation and evaluation of the program is necessary to determine the efficacy of lived-experience on the student’s cultural intelligence and confidence levels. This project also hopes to expand and include programs for current OTPs in the future.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2021/1005/thumbnail.jp