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Welcome to the show notes for Episode 165 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast.
Are your caseloads pushing you to the brink?
In this episode, Jayson digs into the pressing and widespread issue of high caseloads faced by school-based occupational therapists. With eye-opening statistics Jayson uncovers how these overwhelming demands contribute to burnout and impact the quality of student services. But this isn't just about identifying the problem—it's a call to action.
Tune in for innovative strategies and practical steps to create change and sustainability in school-based OT.
Listen now to learn the following objectives:
Learners will identify the critical factors contributing to high caseloads in school-based occupational therapy and their impact on service quality and practitioner retention.
Learners will understand the broader implications of high caseloads on related service providers and school systems, including the need for collaborative advocacy.
Learners will understand two different approaches to start addressing high caseloads.
Guests Bio
In 2017, Jayson founded the OT Schoolhouse website and now supports school-based OT practitioners via courses, conferences, and the OTS Collaborative community.
With experience as both a contracted therapist and an "in-house" employee for two distinctly different districts, Jayson has had the opportunity to appreciate the differences between both small-rural and large-suburban districts.
For over five years, he has been helping therapists implement proactive tiered interventions, support IEP teams with goals and services, and feel more satisfied with the job they are doing as school-based OT practitioners.
Quotes
“83% of those practitioners indicated that their workload impacts their ability to provide adequate services to students. That's 8 in 10 practitioners saying that their high caseload, whether it be speech, OT, or PT, that their high caseload is basically making it impossible for them to give their students the services that they need.”
-Jayson Davies, M.A, OTR/L
“We need to flip the script from let's figure out what the problem is with high caseloads to how the heck are we gonna fix this problem with high caseloads. Because it is not a question as to whether or not we have high caseloads. It is a fact, and we need to figure out how we are going to change it.”
-Jayson Davies, M.A, OTR/L
“ We know the impacts of high caseloads. It means that people leave the field. It means that those who stay struggle within their field and don't actually feel competent or don't feel like what they're doing makes a difference within the world.”
-Jayson Davies, M.A, OTR/L
Resources
Episode Transcript
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