Learn practical strategies for using OTu to teach physical agent modalities. Ann Bartman, EdD, OTD, OTR/L, CPAM, and Sheila Krajnik, EdD, OTR/L, will show how OTu’s step-by-step videos, learning materials, and interactive case studies can make your PAMs instruction clearer and more engaging.

Featured Speaker: Ann Bartman, EdD, OTD, OTR/L, CPAM

Ann M. Bartman, EdD, OTD, OTR/L, CPAM is an associate professor at The Ohio State University. She has taught in entry-level OTD programs for over ten years, serving as both a doctoral capstone coordinator and program director. Her clinical background has primarily focused on inpatient acute care at level 1 trauma and burn-verified hospitals. She currently teaches physical agent modalities labs, orthopedics, and acute care courses. She is not only an OTu user, but a content editor and contributor.

Featured Speaker: Sheila Krajnik, EdD, OTR/L

Dr. Krajnik brings over 43 years of diverse clinical and academic expertise to the OTu Team, specializing in adult neurological practice and gerontology. With extensive experience across various settings, she has held administrative and clinical specialist positions, contributed to research and advocacy efforts, and excelled in educating future OT and OTA practitioners.

00:00 PAMs Faculty Webinar Introduction

02:48 AOTA’s Position Paper on PAMs & the ACOTE Standard

05:43 Tour of OTu PAMs Content

18:08 Teaching PAMs with OTu: Strategies from An Expert

32:26 Resources for Teaching: See Documents Shared with You

37:47 Contact Information, Webinar Resources, and Wrap-Up

Helpful Links: Complimentary Educator access | Educator resources | Set up a Demo

How to Teach Physical Agent Modalities in OT Courses with Active Labs and OTu

Picture a PAMs lab with 25 students, two instructors, and a full rotation of stations to run. How do you keep every student practicing, reasoning, and engaged while you supervise the stations that need you most?

That is the question Dr. Ann Bartman, Associate Professor at The Ohio State University, answered in our faculty spotlight webinar. She uses OTu as the primary teaching resource for her physical agent modalities (PAMs) course, and she walked us through how it works, whether you have 50 students or far fewer.

The 2024 AOTA Update: PAMs as Preparatory Tools

In 2024, the AOTA updated its position statement on physical agent modalities. The refresh adds instrument-assisted modalities to the traditional categories of superficial thermal, deep thermal, and electrotherapeutic agents. One principle that did not change, however, is that PAMs should never function as standalone interventions. They are preparatory tools that ready the body for the occupation-based interventions at the heart of OT practice.

This shapes how we teach. Students not only need to understand the technical parameters of ultrasound and the proper electrode placement for NMES, but they also need the clinical reasoning that tells them when a modality serves the larger therapeutic goal.

Replacing the Textbook: OTu as the Primary PAMs Resource

At Ohio State, OTu has replaced the traditional PAMs textbook entirely. The decision was driven as much by pedagogy as by cost. Dr. Bartman identified where her students were actually studying, explaining that “Students weren’t going to the textbook to look up information.”

OTu’s PAMs content gives students what they need in one place:

• Contraindications and precautions for each modality.
• Step-by-step setup videos that show modality application.
• Patient education scripts, case studies, and clinical simulations.

That makes OTu a central hub for both initial instruction and ongoing reference. A one-year subscription spans three semesters, so students can return to the content during fieldwork and beyond, which makes the investment more practical than a static text.

The Flipped Lab: Four Stations in One Class Session

Ohio State’s PAMs course is an eight-week, lab-intensive experience built on a flipped classroom model. Cohorts of 50 students are divided into sections of 25, and students arrive having reviewed the foundational content.

Student preparedness varies, so Dr. Bartman opens each session with a ten to fifteen minute mini-lecture to give everyone the same baseline without cutting into hands-on time.

With only two instructors for 25 students, some stations need direct supervision and others run on a self-directed basis. Dr. Bartman embeds OTu video links directly in her lab packets, so students can pull up setup demonstrations, review contraindications, or watch electrode placement without waiting for an instructor. That lets her stay where she is needed. “I can actually remain at my station and oversee the actual process of [students] applying [the PAM],” she noted. “It’s been a wonderful resource.”

Her electrical stimulation lab packet, available as a resource from the webinar, has students rotate through four stations in a single class session:

• Station 1, NMES: Students click through to OTu’s setup video, review precautions and contraindications, and practice application on a partner.
• Station 2, Journal Club: Students discuss the evidence supporting PAMs use, which elevates the course beyond technique.
• Station 3, TENS: The structure mirrors Station 1, with linked video demonstrations and guided questions.
• Station 4, Case Study: Students work through an OTu case study and apply clinical reasoning to patient-specific situations.

Questions in the lab packet send students back to specific OTu content, which builds the habit of navigating OTu on their own. Rotating from station to station maximizes student hands-on practice, works evidence-based discussion into the flow, and keeps instructor-to-student ratios manageable.

Simulations and Case Studies: Building Clinical Reasoning

Teaching PAMs means a lot of memorizing: contraindications, precautions, parameters, and electrode placements. Memorization alone does not create competent clinicians, and students need to understand the “why”: why they would use this modality, for this patient, at this stage of recovery.

OTu also includes mini-simulations for each major PAM category. These slide-based scenarios take about ten minutes and push students toward higher-order clinical decision-making. Students face realistic patient scenarios, select appropriate modality parameters, and get immediate feedback on their choices. Dr. Bartman uses them as structured assignments and as flexible fill-ins. “Sometimes we’ll move through stations more quickly than I think we will,” she shared, “and I’ll say, let’s wrap this all up with a case study.”

The embedded OTu case studies are text-based scenarios on upper extremity conditions, with lower extremity options for programs with that focus. Each one includes client background, an occupational profile, and presenting complaints. Questions build reasoning skills progressively, and answers stay hidden from students until you choose to release them. Because the answers are available in the educator’s view, you can lead a meaningful discussion at the end of a long lab day without memorizing every detail. The same cases work as in-class discussion starters or take-home assignments.

OTu’s “Ask the Patient” sections add another layer. They guide students through the questions to ask patients, caregivers, or medical records to find out whether a contraindication actually exists, which moves them from abstract knowledge to applied investigation.

Dr. Bartman also developed problem-based scenarios as supplemental resources. These present brief patient profiles and walk students through decisions as the condition evolves, such as which PAM to start with and how your approach changes as range of motion improves. These scenarios mirror the adaptive thinking fieldwork supervisors hope to see.

Making It Work in Your Program

Not every program runs an eight-week intensive course nor has cohorts of 50 students. You might teach PAMs across multiple courses, fold it into an orthopedics or acute care curriculum, or work with far smaller groups. The good news is that the same principles Dr. Bartman shared during the webinar can apply to your teaching situation.

Think of OTu as an extension of your teaching capacity, not a replacement for instruction. Here are four ways to get started:

• Show OTu videos to the full class before breaking into groups, so everyone sees proper technique.
• Link OTu content in digital handouts so self-directed stations run smoothly.
• Use the case studies as ready-made discussion material that needs little development time.
• Use the simulations for standardized assessment, so you are not building new scenarios every semester.

OTu’s content is updated regularly to reflect current practice standards, and it stays available during fieldwork when students need quick reference support.

The one moment that has stayed with us from the webinar is Dr. Bartman’s point that she can remain at her station and oversee students applying a modality while OTu guides their practice. When digital resources handle foundational content and self-directed practice, your expertise goes where it matters most: hands-on facilitation, clinical reasoning, and rich discussion.

The webinar also included three faculty resources you can adapt to your own context:

• The electrical stimulation lab packet with embedded OTu video links.
• The problem-based scenarios.
• The case study resources.

As educators, our goal is preparing students who know how to apply an electrical stimulation treatment or set up a paraffin bath, and who also understand when those modalities serve occupation-based practice. Start with one small change, such as linking a modality setup video in a lab packet, and grow from there.

Watch the full recording to see Dr. Bartman’s approach in action. You can also claim Complimentary Educator access to explore OTu’s PAMs content, or set up a demo with our OTu Education Lead to see how it fits your curriculum.