Outspoken OT

Outspoken OT

Hosted by: Michelle Eliason, MS, OTR/L, ITOT

This podcast says what needs to be said in occupational therapy—conversations that impact practitioners far beyond the boundaries of “occupation.” When occupational therapy practitioners speak up and engage in the...

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Episodes

Episode 7: The Petition that Predicted the Pipeline Crisis

In this episode of Outspoken OT, host Michelle Eliason, MS, OTR/L unpacks the data behind the 2023 OT Petition and National Survey — a grassroots effort that captured thousands of voices from across the profession....
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Episode 6: Equality’s Out, Equity’s In — But What Does That Mean for OT?

In this episode of Outspoken OT, host Michelle Eliason, MS, OTR/L dives into the American Occupational Therapy Association’s 2025 Code of Ethics and its two major updates: replacing equality with equity and adding...
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Episode 5: We Are Giving Our Own Profession Away

Today’s episode dives deep into one of the biggest professional conversations happening right now — the ongoing tension between occupational therapy and physical therapy — and what it reveals about how we’ve been...
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Episode 4: What ACOTE’s 2023 Revisions Mean for the Future of OT Education

In this episode of Outspoken OT, Michelle Eliason takes a candid, evidence-based look at the recently released ACOTE Interpretive Guide (2025) and how it reframes occupational therapy education—possibly for the worse....
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Episode 3: Growing in Number, Shrinking in Value

In this episode of Outspoken OT, Michelle Eliason takes a hard look at the growing disconnect between occupational therapy’s rising employment numbers and its declining professional worth. According to the U.S. Bureau...
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Episode 2: The Ethics No One Wants To Talk About

In this episode of Outspoken OT, we dive into the uncomfortable truth behind ethical distress in occupational therapy. From productivity pressures in SNFs to federal whistle-blower cases and the global fight against...
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Episode 1: Scope Creep, Ego, and the OT Identity Crisis

In this episode of Outspoken OT, Michelle Eliason dives into one of the most misunderstood topics in rehabilitation—scope of practice. What began as a debate about “who’s doing what” has turned into a culture of...
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