Rocky Mountain College PA and OTD Students Team Up for Interprofessional Stroke Simulation
BILLINGS, Mont. — April 2026 — Rocky Mountain College recently hosted a landmark interprofessional education event that united students from its Physician Assistant (PA) and Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) programs for a shared, high-impact stroke simulation focused on collaborative patient care.
In RMC’s state-of-the-art lab spaces, mixed teams of PA and OTD students worked with a trained standardized patient, applying their classroom knowledge to a complex post-stroke case. Together, they conducted an evaluation, identified priorities, and developed a coordinated treatment plan—mirroring how modern healthcare teams operate in hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
This event underscores why Rocky Mountain College’s graduate healthcare programs are recognized among U.S. News & World Report’s top graduate schools in the healthcare sector, and highlights the kind of hands-on, team-based training that sets RMC students apart in the Montana healthcare landscape.
A Realistic Case: Stroke Recovery on the Neurology Unit
The simulation centered on Arthur Miller, a 68-year-old rancher admitted to St. Francis Hospital’s neurology unit after a left middle cerebral artery (MCA) ischemic stroke. The case, built from detailed clinical documentation, challenged students to manage a medically and functionally complex situation:
- Persistent right-sided hemiparesis and sensory loss
- Expressive aphasia and right homonymous hemianopia
- High fall risk, requiring two-person assistance for transfers and gait
- Dysphagia concerns, with a mechanical soft diet and signs of aspiration
- Emerging post-stroke depression, low engagement, and statements such as, “Why didn’t I just die with this?”
Arthur’s personal goal grounded the case:
“I’m tired and still can’t walk, but gotta get home to bail hay.”
This rural, ranch-based context reflected the kind of patients many graduates will see in Montana’s urban and rural settings, making the simulation especially relevant.
One Patient, One Plan: PA and OTD Students Working Side by Side
In this interprofessional simulation, PA and OTD students were intentionally integrated rather than separated:
PA students completed a focused history and physical exam, reviewed labs and medications, and worked through stroke management, depression screening, and discharge planning.
OTD students conducted a functional occupational therapy evaluation in the same encounter, focusing on mobility, ADLs, cognition, mood, and safety in relation to Arthur’s life roles as a husband and rancher.
Both groups were present for the OT evaluation and later debriefed as a unified care team, blending medical, functional, and psychosocial perspectives into a single plan.
The PA Perspective: Medical Stability and Stroke Management
Working from the chart and their patient interaction, PA students focused on evidence-based stroke care, including:
- Ongoing secondary stroke prevention with antiplatelet therapy and high-intensity statin use
- Blood pressure targets under 140/90 mmHg, balanced with close monitoring during mobilization
- Dysphagia management, aspiration precautions, and ordering a formal swallow study
- Recognizing post-stroke depression and considering pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions
- Evaluating options for disposition—with inpatient rehabilitation favored due to high assistance needs, hemiplegia, and safety concerns
- The PA teams had to weigh clinical findings, patient values, and family input to justify their recommendations—a crucial skill for future primary care and hospital-based PAs in Montana and across the country.
The OT Perspective: Function, Safety, and Life Roles
OTD students approached the patient as an “occupational being” whose stroke affected every part of his daily life:
- They analyzed how right-sided weakness, neglect, and visual field loss influenced transfers, dressing, grooming, and safe mobility.
- They addressed early fall-prevention strategies, joint protection for a flaccid upper extremity, and one-handed techniques for self-care.
- They explored communication support and caregiver education to help Arthur and his wife navigate the emotional and functional changes brought on by the stroke.
Their intervention plans emphasized meaningful goals—such as progressing from two-person to one-person assist, regaining upper-body dressing skills with modifications, and building toward safe, supported mobility that would eventually connect back to his ranching life.
Learning to Collaborate in a State-of-the-Art Simulation Environment
The simulation took place in RMC’s modern healthcare education facilities, designed to reflect real clinical environments. These state-of-the-art lab spaces allowed PA and OTD students to:
- Interact with a standardized patient trained to portray stroke-related deficits and emotional responses
- Use realistic documentation, vitals, and imaging summaries to inform decisions
- Practice interprofessional communication, including bedside collaboration and post-encounter team debriefing
During the debrief, faculty guided students through what went well and where interprofessional communication could improve, reinforcing that effective patient care depends on teamwork, not just individual competence.
Students noted that:
- The PA role clarified medical stability, stroke risk, medications, and diagnostic follow-up.
- The OT role clarified what life after stroke could realistically look like, and which skills and supports would make that life safe and meaningful.
Working together helped them understand how to speak up, listen, and negotiate priorities across disciplines.
Why Rocky Mountain College Is the Ideal Education for Future Healthcare Teams
This PA–OTD stroke simulation exemplifies the strengths of Rocky Mountain College’s healthcare graduate programs:
- Recognition as one of U.S. News & World Report’s top graduate schools in health-related disciplines
- Strong interprofessional education that prepares students for team-based care in hospitals, clinics, and community settings
- State-of-the-art labs and simulation facilities that support realistic, hands-on learning
- A mission-driven focus on serving Montana’s urban centers, rural communities, and underserved populations
“As healthcare becomes more complex, no single profession can address everything a patient needs,” faculty shared. “Our graduates must be outstanding in their own disciplines—and equally skilled at collaborating across professions. This simulation is a powerful step in that direction.”
Connecting Aquatic Therapy to Everyday Function
Throughout the Fortin Pool lab, OTD students were continually asked to link what they were learning back to function and occupation:
- How could Halliwick support someone learning to trust their body again after a fall or injury?
- Where might Ai Chi fit into a plan for a client with chronic pain or high stress?
- How could Watsu contribute to a sensory regulation strategy for someone with a trauma history?
- In what ways could Bad Ragaz patterns translate to walking, transfers, or upper extremity use in daily activities?
By experiencing these methods as both therapist and patient, students deepened their understanding of how aquatic therapy can be a powerful component of occupational therapy doctorate-level practice—especially in a state like Montana, where creative, resourceful interventions are essential in serving diverse communities.
Preparing OTD Students for Innovative Practice in Montana
This aquatic therapy lab is one of many hands-on, lab-based learning experiences built into Rocky Mountain College’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program in Billings, Montana. Alongside labs in play therapy, prosthetics, canine-assisted therapy, equine-assisted therapy, and more, it reflects the program’s commitment to:
Integrating health and well-being into occupational science
Teaching future OTs to use varied environments—including water—to support function
Preparing graduates to serve clients in hospitals, rehab centers, community clinics, and rural Montana settings
By the end of the session, students left the Fortin Pool not just knowing the names of Halliwick, Ai Chi, Watsu, and Bad Ragaz—but having felt their impact, understood their clinical applications, and seen how aquatic therapy can help people move toward their goals with greater ease, safety, and confidence.
