Kimberly Tanish, OTD, OTR/L

I believe that you learn the most through hands-on learning. I try to incorporate a hands-on component into all of my material. The field of occupational therapy is my passion and I want to share that passion with my students. I strive to provide real-life examples of what the textbook teaches in order to enhance learning. Humor in the classroom also is vitally important to how I teach my material.

Kimberly Tanish received her training in occupational therapy from Saint Francis University and graduated with her master’s in 2009. After a few years of practice, she decided to continue her education and enrolled in Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah. She graduated with her post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy in 2015.

“My clinical expertise is with the geriatric population,” says Tanish. “I fell in love with treating that age group from my first encounter.” Her areas of specialty include seating, positioning and working with patients suffering from dementia. She practiced for several years in a skilled nursing facility as well as home health settings in Harrisburg.

Tanish became the director of rehabilitation at a skilled nursing facility and then eventually transitioned to managing three skilled nursing facilities in Harrisburg, Camp Hill and Gettysburg. She continues to practice on an as-needed basis at skilled nursing facilities as well as home health settings in the central Pa. region.

Two of her favorite hobbies are working out and shopping. While she hates to run, she does love to participate in mud runs or obstacle course races. Away from work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends. She also has an uncanny ability to remember song lyrics and movie quotes. She will sprinkle them in conversations––and sometimes even in lectures––on a regular basis.