We are still reflecting on the fun, learning and inspiration we all shared at this year’s IOTA Annual Fall Conference, with the theme of “Inspired by Our RoOTs.” We greatly appreciated the collaboration we were able to achieve in hosting the event at the Best Western Plus Burley Inn and Convention Center in Burley, Idaho on Friday, October 18th and Saturday, October 19th, as the event management staff went above and beyond to support us. We want to thank the over 80 total participants, including our presenters, volunteers, vendors, and especially the attendees who made this year’s event such a success.
The first event of the conference involved Friday’s Annual Business Meeting, with major highlights including updates on the IOTA’s new 5-Year Strategic Plan, legislative and advocacy wins and future plans, continuing education partnerships and member benefits, social events, and announcing the Executive Board’s outgoing, remaining and incoming members. Attendees were then able to attend multiple concurrent presentations throughout the day, featuring both pediatric and adult-based practice topics, as well as interact with our incredible vendors.
The Saturday of the event was kicked off by a keynote presentation that was true to the theme of being ‘’Inspired by Our RoOTs’’ as retired OT George Hage shared his experiences as part of the Free Wheelchair Mission and the power of occupation through the gift of adaptive mobility. Our Future Leader Award student winners were honored, with the nominations from the faculty of Idaho State University’s MOT and OTA programs respectively, as well as College of Western Idaho OTA program, read out and students presented with an award certificate and scholarship check with funds generated by our generous conference sponsors. Attendees were then able to choose from a variety of presentations to attend, including the Car Fit event which allowed both students and practitioners to showcase their new ability to assess and provide safe vehicle set up and driving recommendations for the older adult drivers that participated.
Other highlights from Saturday’s line up included occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistant students from the Idaho State University and College of Western Idaho programs respectively working together to create a memorable student event with trivia and raffle prizes, leading into the presentation given by Kari Thompson, our Idaho National Board Certification for Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) ambassador, providing important tips for the NBCOT exam. Idaho State University third year MOT program students also had the opportunity to showcase important topics and research projects via poster presentations. Saturday concluded with the presentation of this year’s Becki Stephens Excellence in Occupational Therapy Award, once again remaining true to this year’s theme ‘’Inspired by Our RoOTs’’, as the legacy of Janice Seargent was honored, and she left us all reflecting on how much the profession of OT has grown in the state of Idaho and how proud we should all be of where it is headed.
We cannot give enough thanks to all the excellent work and effort our presenters, attendees, and volunteers put forth to make this event possible. This was truly a celebration of occupational therapy and all it can do! We have already begun planning for next year’s conference, so please check back frequently on our website and follow us on social media, as we will announce our 2025 IOTA Annual Fall Conference date/location, call for both speaker proposals and for sponsors/exhibitors as soon as possible and you won’t want to miss out.
