Through OT Potential, we’ve released more than 124 podcast episodes exploring the research, ideas, and conversations shaping occupational therapy. Each year, we pause to step back and ask a foundational question:

What is occupational therapy—and how is it evolving?

In this special episode to kick off 2026, we expand the conversation beyond research alone to include advocacy, technology, and the forces shaping OT practice and public perception.

Joining us for this milestone conversation are two of the profession’s most influential leaders:

• Katie Jordan, CEO of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
• Angela Macauley, PMP, CEO of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)

Together, we explore:

• How occupational therapy practitioners can collaborate on advocacy efforts, particularly around reimbursement and sustainability of practice
• How the profession can more effectively communicate and market the value of OT to the public, referral partners, and policymakers
  How emerging technologies—especially AI—are impacting the profession.

This episode is an invitation to zoom out, reconnect with OT’s core identity, and consider how we collectively shape the future of the profession.

See full course details here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/what-is-ot-in-2026

See all OT CEU courses here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses

Support the show by using the OTPOTENTIAL Medbridge Code:
https://otpotential.com/blog/promo-code-for-medbridge

Try 2 free OT Potential courses here:
https://otpotential.com/free-ot-ceus

Support the show

Research suggests that anywhere from 46% to 84% of autistic children experience selective eating.

And the downstream risks are substantial: selective eating is linked with nutritional deficiencies, psychosocial impairment, and increased risk of developmental and psychiatric comorbidities, with severity tied to how persistent and restrictive the eating patterns become.

In this OT Potential course, Britt St. John, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, joins us to break down what occupational therapy professionals need to understand—and do—when supporting autistic children with selective eating. We’ll begin with Britt’s story and key terminology (picky eating vs. selective eating vs. feeding disorders), then move into practical, evidence-based guidance for clinicians.

Together, we’ll focus on three core areas:

• Assessment: How to identify the nature and severity of selective eating, including available OT assessments and red flags that should guide clinical decision making.
• Caregiver collaboration: How to partner with families in ways that reduce stress, build shared understanding, and promote sustainable change at home.
• Evidence-backed treatment options: What the research supports, how OT interventions fit within interprofessional care, and when to refer on.

This course is designed for OTs and OTAs looking for clarity in a complex practice area—and for practical tools you can use immediately to support families navigating selective eating.

See full course details here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/selective-eating-and-autism

See all OT CEU courses here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses

Support the show by using the OTPOTENTIAL Medbridge Code:
https://otpotential.com/blog/promo-code-for-medbridge

Try 2 free OT Potential courses here:
https://otpotential.com/free-ot-ceus

Support the show

AI is going to reshape OT education—rapidly and profoundly. The real question is: How do we harness its strengths for good? How do we protect the parts of learning that are best done without it, while also leveraging AI in areas where our profession has historically struggled?

One promising area is scenario-based learning, where AI can create realistic, dynamic situations that help learners practice clinical reasoning in a safe, supportive environment.

In today’s one-hour webinar, we’re hosting a round-table conversation featuring:

• David Foster, PhD – learning theorist and AI learning-module creator
• Sarah Lyon, OTR/L – OT educator and continuing-education provider
• Melissa Kimmerling, EdD, OTR/L – OT program director

Together, we’ll explore what’s possible in this new frontier, examine the concerns we must guard against, and—most importantly—answer your live questions about the future of AI in OT education.

See full course details here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/ai-in-education

See all OT CEU courses here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses

Learn more about Scalable Learning:
https://www.scalablelearning.net/

Support the show by using the OTPOTENTIAL Medbridge Code:
https://otpotential.com/blog/promo-code-for-medbridge

Try 2 free OT Potential courses here:
https://otpotential.com/free-ot-ceus

Support the show

Support the show

For many of us, payer negotiations feel distant—something handled “somewhere up the chain,” far removed from the day-to-day work of helping patients. But here’s the truth: nothing shapes our practice more than the reimbursement rates and contracts negotiated on our behalf.

Reimbursement determines who we can serve, how much time we can spend with them, what services we can sustainably provide, and ultimately whether our practice can survive/thrive. And while therapists may assume this is a job for billing or leadership, every OT and PT needs a foundational understanding of how payer negotiations work.

In this one-hour webinar, we’re joined by two leaders with deep, real-world expertise:

• John Hutchinson, MBA — Co-founder of CARE Counseling (with his wife, Dr. Andrea Hutchinson), a practice acquired by UnitedHealth in 2024. John brings firsthand experience navigating growth, payer relationships, and the business realities that shape modern care.
  
  
• Chad Herzog — VP of Operations at Aroris, an organization whose mission is simple and powerful: help healthcare providers get paid what they’re worth so they can focus on what matters most—helping people and improving patients’ lives.

Together, they’ll break down what every clinician should know about payer negotiations, how reimbursement impacts clinical practice, and what therapists can do to advocate for sustainable care models.

See full course details here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/negotiating-with-payers

See all OT CEU courses here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses

Support the show by using the OTPOTENTIAL Medbridge Code:
https://otpotential.com/blog/promo-code-for-medbridge

Learn about Aroris and payer contract negotiation:
https://www.arorishealth.com/contract-negotiation/

Try 2 free OT Potential courses here:
https://otpotential.com/free-ot-ceus

Support the show

We, at OT Potential, keep hearing stories of more and more OTs teaming up with optometrists to provide vision remediation interventions.

(Vision remediation focuses on retraining the eye and brain connection. This is in contrast to low vision therapy, which focuses on compensation and adapting the environment to maximize remaining vision.)

The need is clear: occupational therapy can provide needed interventions for those with diagnosed visual inefficiencies from such things as acquired brain injury, or even developmentally — but the number of OTs with this training is not keeping pace with the need.

But, what does it take to fill this gap?

On today’s 1 hour webinar we are lucky to have one OT, Alicia Reiser OTD, who has built a private practice around this need. We’ll learn about the special training she pursued, how she forged relationships with local ODs, and most importantly the difference she is able to make in the lives of her clients.

Support the show

OTs and PTs compete in many ways. We can be found competing over:

• Patient time
• Who gets to bill which code on which day
• Recognition
• And scope of practice

But, as looming outside forces like AI and decreasing reimbursement rates threaten our professions, it is critical to change our postures toward interprofessional collaboration.

And, there is no PT I would rather talk about this with than Rebeca Segraves. Rebeca has hard won insight as she has sought to embed our professions more fully into maternal healthcare.

In this one hour webinar, we’ll talk about the latest research on interprofessional collaboration, and what this can look like on the individual, systems and national level.

Support the show

One year ago, we released an OT Potential Podcast episode exploring what AI could conceptually mean for clinical decision support.

Fast forward to today—and AI chats have become a regular part of the decision-making process for many healthcare providers. In fact, OpenEvidence now reports that 40% of U.S. physicians use their platform daily.

At OT Potential, we recently launched our own AI chat and learned a great deal in the process.

The world of knowledge translation is changing at an incredible pace. It feels more important than ever to pause and ask: What critical questions should we be asking to harness this technology? What are the strengths of chat-based tools as they currently exist? What are their vulnerabilities? And how can we move forward strategically?

We are incredibly lucky to be joined for this one-hour CEU webinar by Jen Weaver, PhD, OTR/L, a leading voice in knowledge translation within occupational therapy. Together, Jen and I will discuss what these rapid changes mean for you and your OT practice.

Support the show

Occupational therapy assistants are the bedrock of treatment provision in many OT departments throughout the country.

In fact, In large rural SNFs, around 58% of OT staffing minutes are by OTAs.

And, in rural and underserved communities, about 48% of all Medicare outpatient therapy services are provided by OTAs.

But, not enough continuing education has been geared towards the unique challenges and opportunities within this profession. That’s why I’m so thankful to begin a new annual series on Hot Topics for OTAs, with our first guest, Amy Mahle Ed.D., COTA/L, ROH.

Amy and I will discuss the hot topics that are top of mind headed into 2026: from changing reimbursement to the OTA pipeline, to new technologies at the point of care.

This course is perfect for both occupational therapy assistants, and occupational therapists who are curious to learn more about our closest colleagues.

Support the show