Campus Connection

Partnership helps UWL students practice occupational therapy, give back to community

Step by step, rep by rep, students in the occupational therapy master’s program at UW-La Crosse are serving the community and gaining valuable hands-on experience.

During the spring semester, students in Kim Servais’ Community Mental Health Promotion course have been working with employees at ORC Industries in La Crosse, offering them personalized training exercises designed to promote wellness in their lives and careers.

The partnership originated from a meeting between UWL and ORC leadership last fall, and is already proving to be mutually beneficial.

“With me teaching this community wellness course and looking for a chance to get the students out of the classroom and more hands-on, this has been a perfect fit,” says Servais, clinical assistant professor of health professions and a 2009 graduate of UWL’s occupational therapy program.

“Our students started by interviewing employees about their needs and developing a personalized exercise plan, just like they were treating a real patient in the field,” Servais says. “If someone is stressed or holding onto tension, we might have them do some breathing, stretching or relaxation. If someone wants to work on full-body strength, we might have them use weights and pulley machines for strength training. It’s all determined by individual needs.”

ORC Industries is a not-for-profit organization that specializes in the manufacture of military equipment and outdoor recreation products, and that provides employment opportunities to people with disabilities.

Many ORC employees work manually, performing tasks with their hands in an assembly line, which makes the opportunity to step away from their station and engage in therapeutic exercise particularly impactful.

Servais’ class has 26 students, and the exercise program between UWL and ORC was capped at the same number to ensure each employee would receive one-on-one instruction.

Scott Iverson, president of ORC Industries, says there’s an even higher demand for this type of program among his staff.

“You’re going to need more students,” Iverson quips, “because we have the numbers here — people want to do this. And it’s not just companies that employ people with disabilities. Any facility can benefit from occupational therapy. Without it, you’re more likely to run into cases where people are sick or sore or this or that, and that costs you and your people so much.”

In addition to the exercise sessions at ORC, Servais’ students are inspecting various workstations at the company to help improve ergonomics and other measures for injury prevention — another key aspect of occupational therapy.

Chancellor James Beeby, who was part of the group that first toured ORC in the fall, says he is proud of the impact students and faculty have already made through this budding partnership.

“This all started with a conversation and listening to what the needs are in the community, making sure we have the expertise to support that, and then having our students get hands-on experience working with employees,” Beeby says. “One student just told me they have so much more confidence now, knowing they can do hands-on work in a real environment like this. It’s great for our students, great for our community. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

The employees at ORC Industries say they are enthused to partake in these customized sessions because they have learned new exercise regimens complete with trainings that match their physical challenges. It’s a win-win for both the employees at their workstations, and the assigned occupational therapy students.

Later this semester, Servais’ students will lead group sessions with ORC employees, helping them practice self-care, communication and emotional regulation — mental health principles that can be just as important as physical exercise.

Alex Ricci, a student in the program, says the partnership with ORC has allowed him to take theoretical skills he’s developed over the past few semesters and apply them in the real world. It’s the type of experience that gives students a leg up as they embark on their careers.

“It's one thing to learn how to measure someone's range of motion in a classroom, and (it’s another thing) to do it with a real person in the community,” Ricci explains. “To be able to practice and integrate all these skills in a safe and supportive setting has been invaluable to me. Plus, the added bonus of interacting with and trying to help someone reminds me why I went into this field in the first place.”

Rachel Gundrum, another student in the program, says the hands-on experience has been valuable, but there’s another aspect that has made this partnership so special.

“The best part, she says, “has been getting to know our employees, building professional relationships, and actually seeing their improvement and the excitement on their faces when we walk into the building.”