Janice Rocker OTD, OTR/L, CHT, CEAS
Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy
Keck Hospital
CHP 133
(323) 442-6050
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Janice Rocker received her clinical doctorate of occupational therapy degree from USC in 2014, her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Boston University in 1985 and passed the Hand Therapy Certification examination when it was first offered in 1991. In 2005, she became a Certified Structural Yoga Therapist in order to help her clients manage stress and pain due to injury or degenerative conditions, and in 2019, she became a Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist. Dr. Rocker has lectured extensively on wound healing, custom static and dynamic orthotic fabrication, ergonomics, physical agent modalities, joint protection, cumulative trauma, body mechanics and hand/upper extremity rehabilitation. Her articles have been published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. She coordinates the outpatient hand and upper extremity rehabilitation program at Keck Medical Center of USC.
Education
Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
2014 | University of Southern California
Master of Science (MS)
in Occupational Therapy
1985 | Boston University
Bachelor of Science (BS)
1980 | University of Maryland, College Park
Publications
2019
Journal Articles
Ting, A., & Rocker, J. (2019). Evaluation and treatment of musicians from a holistic perspective. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 7(4), 1-10. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1581 Show abstract
Throughout the past 3 decades, treatment of injured musicians in a health care setting has been reported; however, the quality of care from a musician’s standpoint is poor. As musicians are speaking up more about their pain, the profession of occupational therapy has the capacity to make an impact on the way musicians are treated from a rehabilitative perspective. Musicians often do not trust medical practitioners who follow the traditional medical model because their symptoms and concerns are not addressed. Occupational therapists, especially those working in the realm of hand rehabilitation, are well equipped to treat injured musicians using our unique activity analysis skills and holistic frame of reference; the goal is to return them back to their prior levels of playing. To support the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process’s vision, this article discusses evaluation and treatment of the unique musician emphasizing the musician’s point of view through an occupation-based, client-centered, and evidence-based practice.
2018
Other Articles
Wong, S., & Rocker, J. D. (2018, October). Helping a client with carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger fingers pump gas. OT Practice, 29–31. Full text
2012
Other Articles
Rocker, J. D. (2012, January). Professional power through membership. ASHT Times: The Official Newsletter of the American Society of Hand Therapists, 19(4), 11, 13. Full text
1996
Book Chapters
Rocker, J. D., & Nelson, D. L. (1996). Affective responses to keeping and not keeping an activity product. In R. P. Fleming Cottrell (Ed.), Perspectives on purposeful activity: Foundation & future of occupational therapy (pp. 527-532). Bethesda, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association.
1988
Journal Articles
Rocker, J. D. (1988). Promoting occupational therapy by using a simulated hemiplegic arm to demonstrate dressing technique. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 42(2), 123-126. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.42.2.123 Show abstract
When creating a promotional booth to increase awareness about occupational therapy remember that (a) people learn by participating and (b) positive reinforcement encourages a greater sense of learning. In addition, follow these rules: (a) keep the task simple, (b) eliminate jargon and use nonmedical terms, (c) encourage interaction and reward thoughtful reflections, and (d) make sure that participants leave with some promotional materials in hand. As described here participants acquired a hemiplegic arm and tried to dress. They were immediately rewarded with an occupational therapy sticker. Acting as patients, they experienced visual deficits with a special pair of glasses. The occupational therapist encouraged people to ask questions about dressing and visual deficits and about the display of splints and adaptive equipment. People helped themselves to occupational therapy promotional buttons and literature. They left with a basic understanding of hemiplegia. They also understood how an occupational therapist works with a patient to help the patient regain functional independence.
1987
Journal Articles
Rocker, J. D., & Nelson, D. L. (1987). Affective responses to keeping and not keeping an activity product. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 41(3), 152-157. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.41.3.152 Show abstract
This study examined whether keeping or not keeping the products of a craft activity influences affective meaning and mood. Four groups of undergraduate (n = 23) and graduate (n = 20) students created block-printed stationery. Two groups were allowed to keep their stationery, and two groups were not. The measure of mood changes was the Bipolar Profile of Mood States, which subjects completed before and after the activity. After the activity, subjects also completed the Osgood 12-scale short-form semantic differential, which measured the affective meanings of the activity. Data analysis revealed significant differences between conditions on two out of nine variables. The subjects who could not keep their products became significantly more hostile and significantly more energetic than the subjects who kept their stationery. Implications for occupational therapy theory and further research possibilities are discussed.
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