Post-Professional OTD Student Publishes on Ventricular Assist Devices, OTs Role

Post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy student Natasha Chandra used her Practicum in Social Policy & Disability to highlight occupational therapy’s important role in helping patients with Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs). VADs are a surgically implanted heart pump with internal and external equipment to assist the heart in pumping blood throughout the body. During Chandra’s practicum, she noticed a lack of supporting literature on occupational therapy’s important role with this population, as well as barriers to travel.

To fill the gap, she wrote an article with the support of the VAD Program Coordinator at Morristown Medical Center. Chandra’s article explains an occupational therapist’s contribution to the VAD team, offers opportunities and interventions for enhancing quality of life for this unique population, and discusses an innovative travel protocol she implemented at Morristown Medical Center. Her article has been accepted to The VAD Journal and is pending publication. She also adapted QR codes onto wallet cards and luggage tags to provide others with device-specific emergency management protocols.