Dr. Baylee Noe is an OTD student of our first graduating cohort of CUW’s entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (2022). Here she shares her experience of presenting her capstone project research at a large, multi-disciplinary conference.
Baylee’s Experience
The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) conference occurred in November 2022 in Chicago, IL. The poster presentations were scheduled for a whopping five minutes, including time for questions. You would think I’d be relieved to only have a few minutes to present, but somehow I felt even more nervous preparing such a short presentation.
I decided to quickly throw an application together with the help of my OT faculty advisor Dr. Susan Wilbanks. Weeks later, I checked my email and noticed that my application to present at ACRM was accepted along with congratulations from Dr. Wilbanks. She also was not hesitant to schedule a meeting to discuss the poster and how I would go about presenting my project at one of the largest multi-disciplinary conferences in the nation.
I presented my Occupational Therapy Doctoral capstone project titled, Exploring Facilitators and Barriers to Early Mobility in the ICU in Patients Post-Cardiovascular Procedure. This project turned into something more than I expected. However, the results were not the main highlight of the capstone experience. The best part was the professional relationships that I developed throughout the process. Collaborating with everyone who helped me with the details of the project aided in building my confidence and even encouraged me to partake in the ACRM.
While attending, I explored the conference a little bit before I was greeted by several members of the Concordia University Wisconsin OT faculty. There was a good number of us representing CUW including Dr. Wilbanks, Dr. Michael McKinnis, and Dr. Anne Martin. When my turn was up to speak, I was not nervous, but excited. I could sense they were proud of me and all my hard work.
Reflection
Overall, this conference was a great opportunity that posed a positive kick-off to my career in Occupational Therapy. I feel like this experience adds a bit of glamour to my resume. I have learned that I enjoy speaking in front of people, especially about things that I am passionate about.
Occupational Therapy at Concordia University
The OTD program at Concordia University Wisconsin offers a variety of opportunities for students. Our program is geared to prepare students to be the best occupational therapist they can be. This fulfilling career is not for everyone but for those who are willing to and are driven to put in the work will love the program. Ultimately, students will be serving their communities in so many ways. Baylee is just one example of what opportunities are ahead for OTD students.
Learn more about Baylee’s story along with a few other Occupational Therapy students and what they love about the program.