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More than one hundred Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy students were recently able to interact with a patient at Maine Medical Center through a Teleteaching exercise as part of the Maine Medical Center/Â鶹´«Ã½ partnership for clinical practice.

Concurrent courses taught by assistant professor of Occupational Therapy Mary Elizabeth Patnaude, M.S., OTR/L and assistant professor of Physical Therapy Amy Litterini, P.T., D.P.T., were able to schedule a class where 113 students would view an intervention session and interact with an actual patient while he was receiving OT and PT services.  This opportunity was made possible by a Maine Medical Center/Westbrook College of Health Professions partnership that brings together practitioners and educators in an effort to join practice and education. 

Physical therapist Liz Pontious and occupational therapist Tony Perry provided a web-streamed intervention session for a man who had incurred significant trauma that affected his spine and both upper extremities.  The patient proved to have a wonderful sense of humor and demonstrated outstanding strategies for coping and engaging in his every day activities.  The interactive portion of the teleteaching experience was facilitated by Jim Cavanaugh, P.T., Ph.D., NCS and Elizabeth Crampsey M.S., OTR/L, BCPR as students were able to ask questions of the therapists following the intervention session.  The therapists role modeled solid professional reasoning, strong interprofessional communication and relationship as well as safety and strategy use in the medical model.  The teleteaching was well received by both OT and PT students and generated much discussion throughout the week as an excellent teaching tool.