Lecture: 4 hours/week
In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, discussion, group work, case studies, team-based exercises, and community experiences.
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
Course content will be guided by research, empirical knowledge, and best practice. The following values and principles, consistent with professional standards, inform course content.
-
Increasing knowledge and understanding of therapeutic recreation standards of practice equips professionals to successfully advocate for the profession and implement suitable programs within their scope of practice.
-
Understanding the scope of practice for a recreation therapist and a recreation therapy assistant allows for improved communication, job functioning, and program efficacy.
-
Documentation is an essential element of the therapeutic recreation process as a means to properly record and communicate to clients, family members, staff, community, stakeholders, and other allied health professions.
-
Utilizing a standardized system to gather client feedback and report client progress establishes legal and confidential records of care and ensures accountability among therapeutic recreation professionals.
-
Recreation therapists utilize several assessment tools within the therapeutic recreation process, such as assessment summaries, DSM-5 criteria, the ICF, and RAI/MDS. The recreation therapy assistant must understand assessment tools to provide effective programming to the clients.
-
Recreation therapists utilize several documentation techniques within the therapeutic recreation process, such as program protocols, individual program plans, progress notes (e.g. SOAP and DART notes), and client evaluation summaries. The recreation therapy assistant must understand documentation techniques to provide effective programming to the clients.
- Understanding standardized reporting methods including medical abbreviations, medical terminology, and classification systems (e.g. ICF, DSM-5) allows for more effective and efficient communication between therapeutic recreation practitioners, allied health professions, and regulatory bodies.
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Articulate the importance of assessment, documentation, evaluation, and interdisciplinary collaboration as therapeutic recreation standards of practice.
- Facilitate programs according to the scope of practice for therapeutic recreation practitioners.
- Interpret medical terminology and abbreviations used to document client progress.
- Use information from common tools used for therapeutic recreation assessment to inform programming.
- Interpret common forms of therapeutic recreation documentation, including individual program plans and program protocols.
- Document client progress, attendance, engagement, and feedback regarding recreation therapy activities.
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. This is a graded course.
Typical means of evaluation would include a combination of:
- Testing
- Written assignments
- Presentations
Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of a student’s grade performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the instructor’s course outline and allowed for in the course curriculum guideline.
This course may have an assignment that has been identified as part of the TR Department Research Framework and therefore the assignment must be passed at a minimum of a C (60%) level in order for a student to achieve a C (60%) final grade in the course. Each course outline will clearly identify these research framework assignments if relevant.
Students in the TR program, both diploma and degree students, are required to attain a minimum of 60% (C letter grade) in all courses utilized for credit towards a diploma and/or degree in Therapeutic Recreation in order to progress in the program.
Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester.
None
None