spring | 2014 in this issue · spring| 2014 care extender internship program 5 | it begins with u...

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Spring | 2014

Care Extender Internship Program

The Inside Scope

| it begins with U

3D Printing

Applications in

Healthcare

page 5

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Earlier this month, UCLA Health

Auxiliary honored several

outstanding volunteers, medical

students, and nursing students for

their academic achievements

and commitment to care.

The Care Extender Program was

Auxiliary Scholarship Awards

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• Jesse Li

• Yosephine Lumintang

• Michael Nedjat-Haiem

• Eunice Ng

• Phuong Nguyen

• Carleen Sarksian

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proud to have many of its

volunteers receiving awards.

Please join us in congratulating

the following Care Extenders:

• Suzan Arasheben

• Laura Banashek

• Chelsea Jones

In this Issue: Auxiliary Scholarship Awards

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Careers in Medicine: Occupational Therapist

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10 Outstanding Care Extenders

5 The 3D Printing Revolution

(continued on pg. 7)

Important Dates 11

8 Skin Cancer? There’s an App for That

9 Support Survey Excellence

9 New Staff Members

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| it begins with U

Careers in Medicine Occupational Therapist (O.T.)

(continued)

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What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy is a form of rehabilitation for

individuals requiring specialized assistance to

overcome physical, emotional, or social obstacles

in order to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Through the usage of “occupations” such as self-

care, work, and leisure activities, occupational

therapists are able to enhance the productivity

and independence of their patients.

History

Occupational therapy began during the

Progressive Era as an amalgamation of both the

arts and crafts and moral treatment movements.

While the former imparted a holistic perspective

onto the field through the belief that leisure and

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productivity may enhance physical and mental

health, the latter movement acknowledged the

value of individual emotions and social

interactions, placing the patient as a key player in

the healing paradigm. This resulted in the formation

of occupational therapy as an integrative and

preventative form of health management and

care.

In 1917, the Society for the Promotion of

Occupational Therapy was founded upon the

belief that human occupation, everyday

purposeful activity, could help deter illness and

enhance an individual’s physical and mental well-

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(continued)

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conditions

• Evaluate environments

based on a patient’s

health needs and identify

potential improvements

• Educate the patients’

families and employers

about how to

accommodate for the

patient

• Recommend special

equipment such as

wheelchairs and hearing

aids as needed

• Assess and record patient

activity and progress for

evaluations, billing, and

physician reports

Occupational vs. Physical

Therapy

While physical therapy focuses

on rehabilitation of the physical

body to restore mobility and

function, occupational therapy

takes a more holistic approach

by aiming to help individuals of

all ages to be able to perform

activities that are important and

meaningful to them, whether

physical, intellectual, or

emotional. Often times,

occupational therapy requires

manipulations of either the

environment, the task being

performed, or the skills employed

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being.

In spite of the holistic grounds of

its founding, the field of

occupational therapy did not

focus on prevention until the

1960s and 1970s. From there, the

profession has blossomed into

one that is not only standardized

in terms of education and

treatment, but also gaining

increasing acceptance in the

medical community as a

reputable field.

Scope of Practice

Occupational therapists work in a

variety of settings, from hospitals

to schools. Responsibilities of an

OT include:

• Observe patients

performing tasks, ask

them questions, and

review their medical

history

• Evaluate a patient’s

condition and needs

• Develop a treatment

plan, laying out the types

of activities and specific

goals to be accomplished

• Help people with various

disabilities with different

tasks

• Demonstrate exercises

that can help relieve pain

for people with chronic

Occupational Therapist (O.T.)

Duties:

Assess, evaluate, and provide solutions to improve:

• Physical function • Cognitive

function • Psychosocial

factors that may affect daily activities

• Home, school, work, and community environments

• Needs for adaptive equipment

Ave. Salary: $75,400

Education & Testing:

• Undergraduate degree

• Master’s degree • National Board

for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)

Years in School: 6-7

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involves graduating from an

accredited Occupational

Therapy program, adequate

fieldwork experience, and

passing the National Board for

Certification in Occupational

Therapy (NBCOT) exam.

Successful licensure permits

usage of the title of

Occupational Therapist

Registered (OTR).

Programs

According to the Board of

Occupational Therapy, there are

a total of 7 accredited OT

programs in California:

• California State University,

Dominguez Hills

• Dominican University of

California

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• Loma Linda University

• Samuel Merritt College

• San Jose State University

• University of Southern

California

• University of St. Augustine

Salary

Based on the Bureau of Labor

Statistics, Occupational Therapists

earn an average annual salary of

$75,400 as of 2012. !

Title picture courtesy of Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.

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during the task in order to

enhance the patient’s

productivity.

Furthermore, physical therapists

mainly work with patients

suffering from sports-related

injuries or chronic health

problems such as back pain or

osteoarthritis. Occupational

therapists engage with individuals

with both physical and or mental

impairments that arise as a result

of events such as a stroke, work-

related injuries, or even arthritis.

Academic Preparation

To become an OT, students need

to first obtain a Bachelor’s

degree. Majoring in a science-

related field is not required.

Students should then obtain a

Master’s degree in Occupational

Therapy. Most programs range

from two to three years in length,

and some institutions even offer

dual degree programs or

accelerated options in which a

student will earn both a

Bachelor’s and Master’s after a

total of about five years.

Once the Master’s degree is

obtained, occupational

therapists must then become

licensed. Licensure varies

according to state, but typically

Patients participate in stitching activities as a form of occupation to help maintain a sense of independence and satisfaction. Photo courtesy of Grandview Heights Rehab and Healthcare.

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(continued)

The 3D Printing Revolution

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What is 3D Printing?

Also known as additive

manufacturing, 3D printing is the

process of creating three-

dimensional objects from a

digital file by applying layer after

layer of building material—

plastic, glass, metal, synthetic

polymers, human tissue, wax,

edible food—until the entire

object is complete.

The object can either be

designed in a 3D modeling

program and saved as a

computer aided design file

(CAD) or replicated via a 3D

scanner. The printer then prints

every horizontal cross-section of

the model to create the three-

dimensional product.

Since its development in 1984, 3D

printers were initially used in the

industrial sector for the rapid

production of prototypes or end

user products. Recently,

however, they have been

gaining ground for use by the

general public and in the world

of healthcare.

3D Printing and Healthcare

According to Markus Fromherz,

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by using different nylon, scientists

are able to create strong and

flexible knee joints that better

mimic natural bone and

cartilage.

In addition, Richard van As,

founder of the company

Robohand

(http://www.robohand.net/),

applies 3D printing technology to

create affordable mechanical

prosthetics to aid those in need

of limbs. It started in 2011 when

van As underwent a

woodworking accident and

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Xerox’s Chief Innovation Officer

for Health IT Practice, 3D printing

would be most valuable in

healthcare for the manufacturing

of prosthetics, medical devices,

and human tissues. Not only does

it decrease the turnaround time

required to produce these items,

but it also boasts a limitless

potential for customizability.

Prosthetics

Also known as scaffolding, the

production of prosthetics opens a

new frontier for amputees and

those born without limbs. 3D

printers can produce more

effective prosthetics, for instance,

Five-year-old Liam was born with amniotic band syndrome (ABS), leaving him without fingers on his right hand. Minutes after his Robohand was fitted, Liam exclaims in excitement: “It copies me!” Photo courtesy of Makerbot.

www.robohand.net

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severed all of the fingers on his

right hand. After collaborating

with mechanical effects artist

Ivan Owen, the two developed

mechanical fingers for van As.

Since then, their creation has

grown to a full hand, and they

hope to someday provide entire

limbs and exoskeletons to aid

paraplegics.

Medical Devices

Hearing aids, dental crowns, and

other dental implants have also

been created by 3D printing

technology, providing ultimate

customizability for the patient

and decreasing the turnaround

time from what used to be weeks

to a only few hours. While this

would be helpful in small-scale

settings, 3D printed medical

devices may not be as

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advantageous in hospitals due to

the current practice of

purchasing devices in bulk.

Human Tissues

The application of 3D printing

towards the fabrication of human

tissues has proven to be an

exciting frontier in medical

research. While edible artificial

meat tissue has been engineered

in an exploration to decrease

dependence on red meat,

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sustainable tissues and organs

have yet to be perfected for use

in transplants. If successful,

scientists hope this technology

will eliminate or significantly

decrease the need for organ

donors.

3D printed human tissues are also

used in surgical training. The

provision of life-like replicas of

human tissue, not only in size and

shape, but also in texture,

provides inexperienced surgeons

with the luxury of practicing in a

low-stakes situation. According to

Dr. Alexander Dzakovic, a

pediatric surgeon at the Loyola

University Health System, “You

don’t want their learning curve to

be in the patient.”

This technology also aids in better

visualization of organs during pre-

operative planning, providing

physicians with details that MRI

scans and other imaging

techniques may miss. For

instance, Dr. Bohdan Pomahac,

a plastic surgeon at Brigham and

Women’s Hospital in Boston, uses

3D printing to plan complex

facial transplant surgeries. He

agrees with the utility of 3D

printing in that it “may be one of

“

”

3D printing may

be one of the

most profound

tools that we

hope to use in

the coming

future.

(continued)

A 3D printed heart model of a fourteen-month-old with major congenital defects. The model provided the cardiothoracic surgeon with the information needed to perform an efficient and effective corrective surgery, minimizing the operating time on the infant’s heart. Photo courtesy of 3DPrint.com.

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Auxiliary Scholarship Awards (con’t)

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• Cynthia Wang

• Sophie Zhao

These individuals have all

volunteered at least 150 hours of

service during the past year, and

completed an application

packet that consisted of an

application essay, transcripts,

and a letter of recommendation.

These scholarships were made

possible by the generosity of the

Auxiliary and UCLA Health. !

Back Row (L-R): Phuong Nguyen, Jesse Li, Carleen Sarksian, Laura Banashek, Chelsea Jones, Stephanie Hinojosa, Silva Thomas Front Row (L-R): Suzan Arasheben, Eunice Ng, Michael Nedjat-Haiem, Sophie Zhao, Cynthia Wang, Yosephine Lumintang

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the most profound tools that we

hope to use in the coming

future.”

Currently, it takes at least thirty

minutes to print anything from a

3D printer, rendering its

application to emergency

situations as unnecessary.

However, its usage in other

settings, have proven to not only

save companies time, but also

money.

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The Future of 3D Printing

Once 3D printing technology is

more developed, Fromherz

believes that the next step would

be to integrate electronics, which

would allow “every printed

device or tissue [to] double as a

source of data.”

As 3D printing becomes

increasingly ubiquitous, the

possibilities will be limitless;

however, it is inevitable that

issues may arise, with the most

foreseeable being the amount of

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expertise required to create

digital files of advanced

prosthetics, medical devices, and

human tissues. “With a regular

printer, everyone can create a

document…[but] not everybody

will be skilled or knowledgeable

enough to create a knee.” !

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(continued)

Skin Cancer? There’s an App for That

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Researchers at the University of

Houston have developed an

iPhone application that is

capable of detecting melanoma

better than your average primary

care physician.

The project began in 2005 under

the leadership of George

Zouridakis, Professor of

Engineering Technology at the

University of Houston. With the

appropriate tools, the iPhone

application, called DermoScan,

is able to detect and identify

cancerous lesions on the skin with

an accuracy rate of about 85%.

While DermoScan is a promising

and attractive idea, there is a

caveat. In addition to an iPhone,

the application requires a special

magnifying lens attachment

called a dermoscope in order to

accurately recognize potential

skin cancer lesions. At a cost of

$500, the package may not be

affordable for usage by the

everyday individual.

This is because DermoScan was

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physician.

Investors were eager to support

the application as early as 2013,

but Zouridakis wished to

postpone its commercialized

usage in order to maximize its

accuracy and increase its

diagnostic scope to other skin

diseases such as a Buruli ulcer, a

flesh-eating bacterial disease in

Africa.

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designed for usage in rural

communities that would

otherwise not have access to a

dermatologist. Although pricey,

making this one-time investment

would be sufficient to help

diagnose an entire village. Only

when a suspected lesion were to

be identified, would a patient

then be referred to embark on

the journey to a health care

facility for a follow-up with a

George Zouridakis, Professor of Engineering Technology at the University of Houston, is using DermoScan, an iPhone application he developed, to help detect cancerous melanomas. Photo courtesy of the University of Houston

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The Care Extender Program

would like to acknowledge the

following CEs for completing the

most surveys:

Support Survey Excellence

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• Linda Barnes

• Marina Marmolejo

• Andrea Martinez

• Rebecca Nussbaum

• Binh Pham

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Thank you for practicing C-ICARE

and collecting valuable

feedback from patients! !

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The Care Extender Internship

Program would like to welcome

its newest additions to the staff

team:

• Stella Zaringhalam

DC 8 East-West

• Tina Torbati

DC Greeters A

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• Anasheh Almasi

DC Greeters B

• Mike Friedman

Admissions Coordinator

• Scott Messier

Public Relations

Coordinator

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Welcome aboard! We look

forward to working with you in

the rotations to come.!!

Welcome, New Staffers!

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Dr. Ana Ciurea, Assistant Professor

of Dermatology at MD Anderson

agrees that the development of

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DermoScan is still in its early

stages, but is hopeful for its future.

“We are in early stages of

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planning and approval for this

project, but such an application,

if validated, has the potential for

widespread use to ultimately

improve patient care.”

DermoScan is currently being

tested at the University of Texas

MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Zouridakis is optimistic of its

abilities because the program is

“an intersection” of engineering,

physics, biology, computer

science and medicine. !

The DermoScan iPhone application. Photo courtesy of the University of Houston

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These Care Extenders have gone

far beyond their duties and are

honored for their initiative and

service to the patients of both

UCLA hospitals. Thank you!

UCLA Santa Monica:

• Tiffany Chow

Priya Patel

Aubrey Schachter

Cardiac Catheterization

Lab

• Hannah Graham

Tracy Hu

Greeters

• Eric Chavez

Chris Kocar

Soo In Kim

Emergency Room

• Angela Wong

Labor & Delivery

Care Extenders of the Rotation for Winter 2014

+

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Ronald Reagan UCLA:

• Joyce Rivera

7-ICU

• Tracy Kinell

7W-CTU

• Jonathan Phan

Maryam Razmandi

Greeters

• Keenan Faix

Mihran Hovhannesyan

Medical ICU

• Dena Hillo

Pediatrics

• Leslie Kannenberg

Christina Page

Pediatric ICU

Additional Involvement:

• Alexis Alejandre

Recruitment Committee

* Did you know?

Care Extenders that have been nominated as “Care Extender of the Rotation” at

least two times may be eligible for a letter of recommendation.

Although all completing CEs will receive a reference letter, only our most

outstanding volunteers will be considered for a letter of recommendation. For

more questions, please email [email protected].

“

” -Mohandas Gandhi

The best way to

find yourself is to lose yourself in

the service of

others.

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• Karen Bui

Ryan Makhmali

Les Kelley Clinic

• Antranig Mesrobian

Gabriela Perez

Orthopaedics

• Brittany Moore

Pediatrics

• Lani Bowman

Lena Purtu

Post Partum

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Spring 2014 Training Day 1

Spring 2014 Training Day 2 & Department Meetings

Spring 2014 Rotation begins

Sign up for preferences

Extension Request Forms due

Preferences due

Department assignments posted

Summer 2014 Training Day 1

Summer 2014 Training Day 2 & Department Meetings

Summer 2014 Rotation begins

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May June July

August 04.27.14

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