Texas Christian University’s occupational therapy program will become the nation’s first to offer an academic track to board certification in lifestyle medicine.
The course, set to launch this spring, will allow second-year doctor of occupational therapy students to pursue certification in the specialty, which focuses on helping patients change lifestyles in order to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease.
Occupational therapists work with patients to address health challenges that impact their ability to carry out daily tasks and activities, said Crystal Smith, a TCU assistant professor and doctor of occupational therapy.
“We, as occupational therapists, understand how to help people overcome those challenges in practical ways,” she said. “What we’re doing is preparing our students in lifestyle medicine to be able to have the additional tools that they need to help those individuals and communities improve their health.”
Before planning the pathway for students, Smith spent about a year going through the lifestyle medicine board certification process herself.
Those seeking the certification must undergo 30 hours of continuing education and take a foundational course. The course, Smith said, teaches students the six pillars of lifestyle medicine — whole-food, plant-forward nutrition; physical activity; restorative sleep; stress management; social connection; and avoidance of risky substances.
After obtaining her board certification, Smith spent another year developing a partial pathway. She spent the past year completing the full pathway that fulfills all requirements for a student to be able to sit for a board exam.
The specialty is new but needed in the medical field, Smith noted.
“In the United States alone, we spend trillions of dollars on healthcare related to chronic disease, and so something as simple as changing someone’s lifestyle can have an enormous impact on their ability to either reverse that disease, or treat that disease, or completely be able to manage it in a way that they are able to have that quality of life,” she said.
McKinnon Rice is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Her position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org.
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