Traci Kruse, OTD, MA, OTR/L
Director of Experiential Learning and Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy
Contact
Email
Office Phone
Office Address
R278 Children's Rehabilitation Center
Minneapolis, MN 55455
United States
Titles
Director of Experiential Learning, Program in Occupational Therapy
Assistant Professor, Program in Occupational Therapy
Education
OTD in Occupational Therapy, Saint Catherine University, St. Paul, Minnesota
MA in Occupational Therapy, College of Saint Catherine, St. Paul, Minnesota
BS in Occupational Science, College of Saint Catherine, St. Paul, Minnesota
Biography
Summary
Dr. Kruse is currently the Director of Experiential Learning at the University of Minnesota. She has practiced clinically in home health for 9 years, and has additional clinical experience in long-term care and transitional care settings. Dr. Kruse is passionate about aging in place and home safety, along with cognition, memory, and maintaining activities of interest through the lifespan. Her research interests include the role of Occupational Therapy in reducing hospitalizations in the home health setting. She is also passionate about community accessibility which can limit a person’s ability to participate in activities of interest.
Dr. Kruse has supervised students in the home health setting for both level I and II placements. She understands the challenges and rewards that come with having a student and feels the role of Director of Experiential Learning is more than just placing students in a site. She feels she is also here to support fieldwork educators, students, and faculty to build on strengths in their roles and guide experiential learning.
Research
Experiential learning, clinical reasoning, student perceptions of clinical experiences, interrelation between clinical educators, students, and universities, aging in place, community accessibility, mental health, and maintaining activities of interest throughout the lifespan
Teaching
OT 7271 Level I Mental Health Fieldwork; OT 7695 Level II Fieldwork
Practice & Practice Areas
Home Health Care; Rehabilitation in Long-Term Care, Skilled-Nursing Facilities, and Transitional Care Units; Community Mental Health and Wellness