Daily Archives: June 5, 2018

Occupational Therapy, Enactus Students Support Senior Ride Nashville

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Senior Ride Nashville volunteer driver Vicki helps and gives a ride to Celia from FiftyForward in Madison to her home not far away in Nashville, Tennessee, May 30, 2018.

Though Senior Ride Nashville (SRN), a local nonprofit dedicated to providing affordable and assisted transportation to older adults in the Nashville community, has only two and a half full time staff members, the team becomes much larger when considering the Belmont students who have become actively engaged in the organization’s mission. Launched just six months ago in late 2017, SRN has provided more than 800 trips for nearly 90 riders throughout the West Nashville and Madison communities. Looking forward, the team plans to be county-wide by 2020.

Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Dr. Debra Gibbs has been Continue reading →

Physical Therapy Students Build Wheelchair Ramp for Nashville Resident

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PT students stand on a recently constructed ramp

Project marks 19th consecutive year of students constructing wheelchair ramps

Belmont University Physical Therapy Class of 2019 recently built a wheelchair ramp for a Nashville woman who was previously unable to safely leave her home to go out into the community. This makes the 19th consecutive year that physical therapy students have built wheelchair ramps in coordination with United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee to enable community access for Nashville residents.

Since 2000, more than 600 physical therapy students have participated in ramp builds while learning about federal and local disability access regulations and the construction skills required for ramp building.

PT and OT Students Teach Local Children about Nature

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Occupational and physical therapy students recently worked with naturalists from the Tennessee State Parks to create a day of fun and learning for children with disabilities and their families at Long Hunter State Park.

The students developed and implemented a variety of activities with nature themes including arts and crafts, building bat boxes, a scavenger hunt and a nature walk. They went on to utilize their pediatric therapy skills to adapt the activities to the unique abilities and needs of each participant, enabling each child to have fun while learning about nature.

Shankel’s Interview Published on NursePractitionerSchools.Com

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Assistant Professor of Nursing & Interim FNP Coordinator Dr. Erin Shankel was recently interviewed for a story that was published on nursepractitionerschools.com. The article, “Tennessee NPs: The Fight for Full Practice Authority,” highlights the differences in practice authority between Tennessee and other states. Five nursing professors from across the state, including Shankel, are featured throughout the piece.

Shankel shares her support for full APRN practice authority, citing not her own opinion, but existing evidence that supports the stance. “Despite claims from opponents, research shows that NPs provide care that is not only safe, but patient-centered, relational, and holistic, not to mention often preferred by the patient,” she said. Shankel closes with specific steps professionals can take to further this cause including advocating for legislative transparency and supporting the Tennessee Nurses Association.