Ithaca College

 Jenna Heffron, PhD, OTR/L, Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy (HSHP) recently published a critical analysis of standardized patient and disability simulation in the Journal of Occupational Therapy Education (JOTE).  The article is timely, given that the OT profession is currently reviewing its educational accreditation standards and has considered including standardized patients and simulation as recommended experiential learning activities for OT students.  The article, which was co-authored by Heffron and colleagues from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University, highlights both the benefits and critiques of these activities and recommends alternatives to these forms of simulation that would “more accurately reflect the self-identified needs, concerns, and priorities of intersectional disability communities” (VanPuymbrouck, Heffron,  Sheth, The, & Lee, 2017, p. 1).   The article can be accessed at https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol1/iss3/5/