Director of Occupational Therapy | Senior Lecturer

Angela McCombs, OTD

Angie McCombs, OTD, OTR/L is a professor of Occupational Therapy in the College of Health and Human Services. McCombs is the author of IRB Approval Project Title: Nature Play Project: Developing students observation skills using an interprofessional approach (2022). Angie teaches OTD 520 Process in the first year of the OT curriculum. Additionally, she teaches in the Critical Inquiry series courses for first and second year students in the OT curriculum.

Her interest is in promoting social participation for children and youth within the community setting.

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Center for Health Sciences Education 234

563-333-6353

McCombsAngelaT@sau.edu

Education and Training

OTD, Washington University, St. Louis, Clinical Doctorate of Occupational Therapy
BS, Purdue University, Health Sciences
Assistive Technology Certificate, University of Illinois-Chicago

Presentations

2024 Mentee Acceptance 2024-2025 AOTA Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Mentorship Program. American Occupational Therapy Association, Bethesda, MD
2024 Upcoming Oral Presentation Phares, S., Jones, J., Lansing, A., & McCombs, A. (2024, November 8). Addressing Student Stress and Anxiety in Graduate Level Occupational Therapy Students Using a Cognitive Behavioral Approach: A Mixed-Methods Randomized Control Study. American Occupational Therapy Association Ed Summit, Charlotte, NC.
2024 Oral Presentation Rekers, A. & McCombs, A., (2024, May 30) Using the Outdoors for Early Intervention: Collaboration between occupational therapy and education. Children and Nature Network Conference, Madison, WI
2024 Poster Presentation Jones, J., Schmidt, J., McCombs, A., Petersen, J., Lansing, A., Holst. K., Phares, S., Blackwell, C., & Engelbrecht., S. (2024, March 22) Faculty-led level I fieldwork: Utilizing the OT framework to prepare OTD student for Level II fieldwork. AOTA Inspire Conference. Orlando, FL
2023 Professional Presentation “The Nature Play Project: Preparing Future Early Childhood Educators and Occupational Therapy Practitioners in Outdoor Learning Environments” Natural Start Alliance Conference, Virtual Recording, July 2023
2022 Oral Presentation “Utilizing Outdoor Spaces for Children’s Holistic Development”
IOTA State Conference, Virtual Recording, October 2022
AOTA Educational Summit Fall 2015: Evaluation of a Health Promotion and Coaching Experiential Learning Project on OT Student Abilities and Perceptions
Iowa Occupational Therapy Association Fall 2014 Conference: Fieldwork Education: Evaluating, Progressing and Monitoring Student's Performance
American Public Health Association Fall 2007 Conference: What factors determine exercise adherence in individuals with mobility impairments?

Courses Taught

Occupation Therapy Process

Within this course students will be initially exposed to the occupational therapy process through learning the occupational therapy practice framework and how to utilize the framework with individuals and groups. This course provides an introduction to professional terminology and the formulation of reasoning processes necessary for occupational therapy practice. Prerequisite: Admission to the OTD program.

Critical Inquiry I

This first Critical Inquiry course focuses on using professional knowledge and evidence to inform OT practice with a particular emphasis on motor, sensory, and neuromotor client factors that support occupational performance. Critical reasoning utilized throughout the OT Process is employed through case-based learning as students examine the literature and solve issues related to theories, conditions, assessment, needs, and interventions covered in Interventions IA and IB. Through this constant use of the literature students will develop an attitude and process of inquiry that can be utilized whenever faced with a new situation. This reflective process will promote the development of advanced knowledge. Students are encouraged to search the literature in their area of interest; building the foundation for their culminating doctoral project with evidence focused on these client factors as they seek to relate theory to practice. At the end of this course students will identify a possible area of interest, propose and discuss this with faculty mentors and receive feedback to carry forward into upcoming coursework. Prerequisite: Completion of the first OTD semester.

Critical Inquiry III

In this third course of the Critical Inquiry series, students will continue to build upon their reasoning skills and knowledge of the OT Process to understand how contextual and environmental factors, along with client factors, will impact occupational performance. Critical reasoning utilized throughout the OT process is employed as students examine the literature and solve issues related to theories, conditions, assessment, needs, and interventions covered in Interventions IIIA and B. This constant examination and reflection on the literature will encourage students to think beyond current practice skills and will promote the development of advanced knowledge. Additionally, they will continue to develop and modify their culminating projects by adding literature examining these same contextual and environmental factors related to their individualized goals leading toward their culminating doctoral project relating theory to practice. ?Students finalize individualized objectives and continue to examine literature to support knowledge in their advanced area of interest to carry forward into upcoming coursework and develop a model connecting theory to practice.

Angela McCombs, OTD

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Education and Training

Presentations

Courses Taught

Professional Service

Professional Memberships