
OT Potential Podcast | Occupational Therapy CEUs
Earn your OT CEUs by listening for free to our episodes, then logging into the OT Potential Club to take a quiz and earn a certificate. In each episode, we discuss new OT-related research and invite an expert guest to pull out actionable takeaways. Perfect for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants. Episodes are released every other week.
Latest episodes

Oct 28, 2019 • 12min
OT, Cognition, and Parkinson's
This week, we are looking at promising research behind a cognitive rehabilitation program for Parkinson's. And, I'll just skip to the good news—the gains in cognitive rehab actually translated to increased functional abilities, which says to me that this is important research for us all to consider. To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club. You can read the article here: Improving functional disability and cognition in Parkinson’s disease randomized controlled trial. Pena, J., Ibarretxe-Bilbao, N., Garcia-Gorostiaga, I., Gomez-Beldarrain, M. A., Diez-Cirarda, M., & Ojeda, N. (2014). Improving functional disability and cognition in Parkinson disease: Randomized controlled trial. Neurology, 83(23), 2167–2174. doi: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000001043Also, Happy World OT Day to my fellow occupational therapy practitioners. On the blog this week, we updated our Guide to Occupational Therapy for you to share with your communities. (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Oct 20, 2019 • 12min
Early Mobilization in the ICU
This article subverted my expectations, to say the least. The researchers looked at the effects of early mobilization in the ICU, and their findings might surprise you, too.At the same time, reading this article left me feeling more confident than ever about occupational therapy's unique role in helping ICU patients regain function. (Not to mention, our overall focus on function in all settings!)To discuss this article please join us at the OT Potential Club. Effect of early rehabilitation during intensive care unit stay on functional status: Systematic review and meta-analysis (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Oct 13, 2019 • 10min
OT and Food Selectivity
This week on the OT Potential Podcast, we are looking at an article that explores the feasibility of a protocol designed to address food selectivity in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).The intervention being studied incorporates a parent-coaching approach to addressing food selectivity. We've seen parent-coaching employed in a previous article, and this is definitely a trend you will want to follow.To join the discussion, please sign in or sign up for the OT Potential Club, your online OT journal club. (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Oct 5, 2019 • 12min
OT and Ataxia
Hereditary ataxia is a rare condition, and you probably don't see it on a regular basis. This week's podcast discusses guidelines on the management of chronic ataxias, and you might be tempted to gloss over the info if it doesn't directly relate to your caseload.But, there are some important takeaways from the discussion—including a reminder that, in the absence of a cure, your clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills are some of the best interventions available to these patients.(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Sep 28, 2019 • 16min
Cerebral Palsy and High Repetition UE Rehab
The article we look at this week is a great introduction to and robot-assisted therapy and massed practice—and, even though this is our first time looking at cerebral palsy, you will find that this article builds on previous discussions we’ve had on motor learning. To join in the conversation, sign up for the OT Potential Club. (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Sep 22, 2019 • 11min
Conventional OT versus high tech approaches
An ongoing topic we've seen in research is whether high-tech interventions outperforms conventional OT care. And, this latest episode certainly contributes to this conversation, as we talk about virtual reality in acute stroke. While we absolutely need to keep technology developments on our radar, I hope you find renewed confidence that your clinical reasoning may be what our patients need most. To participate in the forum discussion about this topic, please go here: https://otpotential.com/ot-potential-club(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Sep 15, 2019 • 15min
OT and High-Repetition, Task-Specific Training
Even if you don't work with stroke patients, I highly suggest you take time to read about the conversation going on around high-repetition, task-specific OT interventions for stroke.A lot of research is being done around this topic and I think it is going to end up having ripple effects for therapists in many practices areas.To participate in the forum discussion about this topic, please go here: https://otpotential.com/ot-potential-club(Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Sep 8, 2019 • 11min
OT and Belonging
Have you ever felt like our understanding of occupation doesn't fully capture what matters to people and motivates them?If so, you are not alone.In this week's article, we find an argument that our current models of occupation are missing one of the prime human motivators of activity: belonging.This is our first OT-specific article and our first theory-specific article, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!To join our online occupational therapy journal club please go to otpotential.com. (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Aug 31, 2019 • 20min
OT and Cortical Changes from Therapy
I'm going to call it official. Research about biomarkers to assess the efficacy of occupational therapy is a trend in the OT Potential Podcast.This week on the Podcast we are discussing our second article about biomarkers for balance recovery after stroke.Even if you don't work with stroke patients, this is a topic that we all should be paying attention to, because my prediction is it is going to be impacting your practice in the next decade.We also briefly talk about some updates to the OT Potential Club. (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show

Aug 26, 2019 • 21min
OT and The PLAY Project
This week in the OT Potential Club, we look at a randomized control trial of the PLAY Project, which is an early-intervention program that treats young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).While this sounds very specific, I think it's applicable to all OTs, since some broad themes and questions arise from the research. One of the biggest questions, which applies to all patients, involves both time and money: How in the world can we get patients enough treatment time to actually see meaningful outcomes—and how can we do this in a cost-effective way?We also briefly talk about our new blog post, How to Become an OT, as well as some updates to the OT Potential Club. (Another great way to support our podcast is to use our MedBridge promo code!) Support the show