Courageous Compassion: Occupational Therapy Practitioners' Discussion on the Emotional and Psychological Impact of COVID-19 and the New Normal

This course is discounted for NOTA members.

Courageous Compassion: Occupational Therapy Practitioners' Discussion on the Emotional and Psychological Impact of COVID-19 and the New Normal

Self-paced Course
$60 | 2 Contact Hours

This course is created by the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association.

If you need assistance, accommodations, or feedback, please contact us at Info@AspireOT.us
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This presentation uses a panel discussion format to focus on two timely topics. The first discussion will focus on Nebraska OTs who have provided therapy services to individuals with COVID-19. The second discussion will focus on the increased potential for therapist burnout and address the emotional and psychological toll of being an occupational therapist during the pandemic.

Target Audience: Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, occupational therapy students

Presented by:

Andrea Thinnes, OTD, OTR/L
Hannah Wieger, OTR/L, CLT
Colleen Spellman, OTD, OTR/L


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Benefits of this course
After this occupational therapy continuing education course, the learner will be able to:

  • Increase awareness of OT’s presence in the treatment and recovery of clients with COVID-19.

  • Identify 2-3 tools to address professional burnout in OT practice.
Instructor bio
Andrea Thinnes, OTD, OTR/L
Andrea Thinnes is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Creighton University.  She teaches courses focused on Older Adults and Mental Health and serves as core faculty in the Center for Interprofessional Practice, Education, and Research.  She experienced adjustments in the teaching curriculum in the fall 2020 semester due to COVID constraints, which proved to be challenging and yield desired outcomes for OT students, older adults in the community, and course objectives. As NOTA’s VP of Mental Health and Wellness, Andrea is committed to learn about the emotional and psychosocial impacts of fellow Nebraska OTs so that discussion, education, and support can be facilitated for reducing the impact and incidence of burnout.
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Hannah Wieger, OTR/L, CLT
Hannah Wieger is an Occupational Therapist working in Acute Care and Inpatient Rehabilitation at Methodist Hospital in Omaha, NE. Hannah is also an Adjunct Professor of Occupational Therapy at Methodist College. Hannah has experienced the impact of COVID-19 with caseload fluctuations, use of PPE, policy changes and the psychosocial effects of family life outside of work hours. Hannah was also impacted in her adjunct professor role to engage MOT students in learning objectives via synchronous labs. As NOTA’s VP of Acute Care, Hannah is working alongside our ICU acute care therapists and proud to support and represent her colleagues working with the COVID+ patient caseload.
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Colleen Spellman, OTD, OTR/L
Colleen Spellman is a Clinical Instructor of Occupational Therapy at Creighton University. She teaches courses on Older Adults, Mental Health and Physical Rehabilitation and experienced curriculum adjustments for the Spring & Fall 2020 semesters due to COVID-19. She also continues to work at Lincoln Surgical Hospital and has noted the impact of COVID due to changes in caseload, policies & procedures and use of PPE. As VP of Skilled Care, Long Term Care and Home Health, Colleen works to keep a pulse on these therapists and the changes that they have endured serving as a frontline worker during this pandemic.
Completion Requirements
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In order to receive the certificate of completion, participants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
  • Full payment to enroll in course
  • View course videos in entirety
  • Pass the course exam with a score of 70% or greater
Please note that no credit or certificate will be issued unless all criteria is met.  Partial credit will not be issued.  

Course Author

logo for Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association, Blue letters with a graphic spell NOTA
This occupational therapy continuing education course is being offered as part of Aspire OT's State Association Partnership Program. This course is discounted for NOTA members.