Entry-level Occupational Therapy Education Research Articles

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Education to Address Substance Use Disorders: Education in Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Education to Address Substance Use Disorders: Education in Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)

Mapping the Gap: Understanding the Need for Occupational Therapy Among Older Adults With Visual Impairment.

Visual impairment (VI) affects more than 9 million Americans age 65 yr and older, and it limits meaningful participation in daily living. Occupational therapy can have a considerable impact on the functional performance of those with VI; however, information is limited on the existing occupational therapy services available for older adults with VI across the United States. To calculate the prevalence of VI by U.S. county and quantify and locate the existing occupational therapy practitioners with certification in vision rehabilitation. Synthetic estimation was used to calculate the prevalence of VI among those age 65 yr and older in the United States by county. Geographic Information Systems mapping was used to illustrate the prevalence of VI and availability of occupational therapy practitioners with specialized training in vision rehabilitation by U.S. town. Communities with high concentrations of older adults with VI were more prevalent in the center of the United States, whereas occupational therapy practitioners with specialty training in vision rehabilitation were concentrated primarily on the east coast of the United States, on both Florida coasts, in selected cities in Texas and California, in western Pennsylvania, and in Alabama. The availability of occupational therapy practitioners with specialty training in vision rehabilitation does not match the visual rehabilitation needs of older adults in the United States. These findings can be used to prioritize efforts for new service provision, provide outreach to underserved populations, and guide occupational therapy education to improve access to vision rehabilitation throughout the United States. What This Article Adds: The data provided in this study can inform resource allocation, workforce development, and entry-level occupational therapy education to address the ongoing needs of older adults with VI.

How Occupational Therapists Assess and Address the Occupational Domain of Sleep: A Survey Study.

Sleep is a foundational occupation in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (2nd ed.), yet little is known about how occupational therapists assess and address sleep in practice. To survey practicing occupational therapists' comfort with their level of knowledge about sleep, how they are assessing and addressing sleep in clinical practice, and the amount of sleep-related education they have received. Cross-sectional survey study. Electronic survey. Practicing occupational therapists were invited to participate in November 2020. Survey invitations were sent via email targeting occupational therapists serving as clinical instructors. The survey consisted of 41 items assessing comfort with sleep knowledge, occupation of sleep, and sleep education received. This survey was modified from a previous survey and tailored to the occupational therapy profession. A total of 169 occupational therapists completed the survey. Most (87%) agreed that sleep was an occupation, but only 44% evaluated their clients' sleep, and 30% established treatment goals pertaining to sleep. In addition, 66% reported not receiving education about sleep in their entry-level occupational therapy program, and 78% reported receiving no continuing education about sleep in the past 2 yr. Most (92%) reported that occupational therapists should be better prepared to evaluate and treat sleep after graduation. Most occupational therapists identified sleep as an area of occupation but had limited knowledge of how to assess and address sleep in practice. Entry-level occupational therapy education programs must enhance sleep-related curricula, and continuing education programs tailored to sleep issues within occupational therapists' practice are needed. What This Article Adds: The results of this study indicate gaps in occupational therapists' knowledge regarding how best to assess and treat sleep problems. We offer next steps to improve the profession's capacity to address the occupation of sleep.

Use of a Faculty-Led Journal Club to Facilitate Evidence-Based Practice Skills for Occupational Therapy Students

A faculty-led journal club was utilized as a teaching strategy to facilitate development of evidence-based practice (EBP) skills for students enrolled in an introduction to health promotion course at an entry-level occupational therapy program. An exploratory post-survey study was conducted to collect outcomes in the areas of student satisfaction and perceived effectiveness. This article describes the faculty-led journal club, highlights outcomes data, and discusses considerations for use of journal clubs in entry-level occupational therapy education.

Professional Behavior Attributes: A Survey of Occupational Therapy Faculty Perspectives

Professionalism in occupational therapy has been challenging to define due to differing values and behaviors across contexts and professions. There is a difference between how occupational therapy students and faculty view and comprehend professionalism suggesting that occupational therapists may not have an established sense of professionalism when entering the health care field for the first time. The study's purpose was to examine occupational therapy faculty’s perceptions of essential professional behavior attributes that students should possess to succeed in occupational therapy practice. This study utilized a survey methodology to anonymously collect opinions from 150 occupational therapy faculty members across the United States regarding professional behavior attributes essential for entry-level occupational therapy education. Researchers found that the five most frequently observed professional behavior attributes in occupational therapy students were empathy, enthusiasm, being personable, having a positive attitude, and responsibility. The top seven most important professional behavior attributes were being clinically competent and ethical, having communication and interpersonal skills, and being adaptable, responsible, and empathetic. The results of this study indicate that occupational therapy faculty perceive that many vital attributes contribute to professionalism within the occupational therapy field and that teaching professionalism is an integral part of occupational therapy education. This study contributes to the current literature of defining professionalism within occupational therapy to better equip occupational therapy students entering into practice.

Improvement and Retention of Wheelchair Skills Training for Students in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Education.

Although an essential component of best practice, wheelchair skills training is often inadequate; occupational therapy practitioners' professional preparation is a contributing factor. To assess the effectiveness of a boot camp on capacity and self-efficacy in wheelchair skills and self-efficacy in clinical practice, retention of improvements, and effective boot-camp attributes. Concurrent, embedded, mixed-methods cohort design that used blinded, repeated-measures quantitative evaluation with 4-mo follow-up and directed content analysis of a qualitative questionnaire. University entry-to-practice program. Convenience sample (N = 42) of final-year students. A 4-hr boot camp with demonstration and supervised practice. Content incorporated skill performance, training and motor-learning strategies, and safe supervision. Skill performance capacity (Wheelchair Skills Test-Questionnaire), self-efficacy with manual wheelchair use (Wheelchair Use Confidence Scale), confidence in provision of manual wheelchair training services (Self-Efficacy in Assessing, Training, and Spotting test), and a boot-camp experience questionnaire. Within-subjects analysis of variance revealed significant improvements on all measures (p < .001) with large effect sizes (ηp² = .68-.88). All measures except skill capacity demonstrated retention; skill capacity decreased 5.3% (95% confidence interval [2.0, 8.5]) but was significantly higher than baseline. Three themes influenced practice confidence: knowledge acquisition, experiential learning, and client empathy. Results confirm improved wheelchair self-efficacy, capacity, and self-efficacy with clinical intervention skills. Retention of outcomes suggests the potential impact on future practice. Experiential learning supports performance component acquisition and imparts empathy of client experience, which may improve occupational therapy practitioners' perceptions of client potential. A 4-hr experiential boot camp can increase students' capacity and confidence to deliver wheelchair skills training to future clients. Experiential learning increased students' appreciation for clients' experience and expectation of client potential.

Current Landscape of Teaching Diversity in Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review.

Critical research in health professions education makes clear the role of educational institutions in perpetuating problematic discourses related to diversity, as well as their potential role in dismantling and rebuilding those discourses to reflect the realities of power relations that create systemic injustice. To provide a comprehensive overview of current pedagogical practices and educational paradigms used by occupational therapy educators to teach concepts of, and skills for, equity and diversity. Seven education and health care databases were searched for articles published between 2007 and 2018. Consensually developed criteria were refined until an agreement rate of >80% was achieved among the authors. Inclusion criteria focused on entry-level occupational therapy education across the world and explicitly examined approaches to teaching diversity. All articles meeting the criteria were kept for full-text review (N = 87). Diversity in professional occupational therapy education programs is taught within five main underlying educational paradigms and theories: competency-based (44%), social justice (29%), critical (11%), social accountability (10%), and constructivism (6%). Within these paradigms, 14 key pedagogical practices were applied, with community service learning (37%), international service learning (25%), and didactic or course-based practices (23%) making up the majority of pedagogical practices. Although current occupational therapy research demonstrates a trend toward critical paradigms and practices, problematic cultural competency theories and uncritical international service learning practices continue to dominate occupational therapy education for diversity. Educators should implement pedagogies and approaches within critical educational paradigms. This article highlights the importance to occupational therapy education of attending to coherence across educational ethics, paradigms, and learning outcomes in teaching for diversity and health equity.

Identifying Instructional Methods for Development of Clinical Reasoning in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Education

Abstract Date Presented 4/21/2018 This study provides relevant information about what instructional methods faculty use most often and what they find valuable to successfully teach clinical reasoning. Future work needs to identify specific methods that are most effective to build the cadre of contemporary scholarship of teaching and learning for occupational therapy. Primary Author and Speaker: Whitney Henderson Additional Authors and Speakers: Brenda Coppard Contributing Authors: Youngue Qi

Identifying Instructional Methods for Development of Clinical Reasoning in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Education: A Mixed Methods Design

Identifying Instructional Methods for Development of Clinical Reasoning in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Education: A Mixed Methods Design

The Next Paradigm Shift in Occupational Therapy Education: The Move to the Entry-Level Clinical Doctorate.

The occupational therapy profession in the United States is considering another shift in the level of entry-to-practice education. Currently, all accredited U.S. occupational therapy education programs offer graduate-entry master's degrees or clinical doctorates. In 2014, the American Occupational Therapy Association Board of Directors published a position statement supporting the idea of moving all entry-level occupational therapy education programs to the clinical doctorate level by 2025. This article provides an overview of the proposed reasons for doing so and the potential impact of this move on future students, education providers, clients and families, employers, and third-party payers and funding bodies along with the implications for the occupational therapy profession internationally. An open, informed, transparent, multiperspective, comprehensive debate about this education paradigm shift is recommended. In August 2015 the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education decided that the entry-level qualification will remain at both the master's and the doctoral degree; it is anticipated, however, that the move toward the entry-level clinical doctorate will continue.

Capstone Projects as Scholarship of Application in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Education

ABSTRACTCapstone projects are integrative student learning experiences used in higher education. This article describes the value and merit of capstone projects as scholarship of application within an entry-level occupational therapy education program. The capstone process is outlined and roles and responsibilities of student, faculty members, and community mentors described. Summative curricular evaluation from 5 years of capstone projects indicated that project characteristics and objectives aligned with the theory and desired outcomes of applied scholarship in the areas of student learning, faculty practice and development, and community service. Challenges identified can further inform development of the capstone experience in occupational therapy education.

Consensus Statements on Occupational Therapy Education and Professional Development Related to Driving and Community Mobility

ABSTRACTProfessional and postprofessional education for occupational therapy practitioners in the area of driving and community mobility has been inconsistent and not sufficient to meet the growing community mobility needs of the aging population. This article reviews the current expectations of entry-level occupational therapy education, the postprofessional credentialing opportunities, and the professional development path for occupational therapy practitioners. Finally, consensus statements are presented to move both entry-level and professional education forward in the area of driving and community mobility.

The provision of weight management advice: An investigation into occupational therapy practice

Obesity affects more than half the Australian population and has become epidemic throughout the world. Little is known regarding occupational therapy interventions with clients who are overweight or obese. This study aimed to identify occupational therapy practice in relation to the provision of weight management. This was part of a larger study investigating health professional practice. A cross-sectional study design using a self-administered, purpose-designed survey was employed to identify the current practices of occupational therapists working in a regional area of New South Wales, Australia. Participants were recruited via email or mail as publically available. Fifty-one occupational therapists anonymously completed the survey. Results revealed that 53% (n=26) of respondents did not consider weight management to be within their scope of practice or their workplace role description. The most common intervention was the provision of physical activity advice (65.2%; n=30). Dietary advice was provided by 20.8% (n=10), while 77% (n=32) referred onto dietitian services. During entry-level occupational therapy education, only 7.8% (n=4) had received weight management advice education. Completion of postgraduate professional development training in this area was reported by 14% (n=7) of respondents. This study provides insight into the current practices of Australian occupational therapists in relation to the provision of weight management advice. This research displays a need to acknowledge both a generic and a discipline-specific role for the provision of healthy lifestyle interventions. This may be achieved through better access to education during entry-level programmes and in the workplace.

Occupational therapy entry‐level education in Australia: Which path(s) to take?

There has been an increase in the number of occupational therapy educational programmes offered in Australia over recent years. Although universities offer bachelor, masters and graduate-entry masters programmes, there is a push to consider phasing out occupational therapy bachelor degrees. The aim of this study was to identify advantages and disadvantages associated with current and future credentials needed for entry into the profession. This article reviews current literature and other issues concerning entry-level occupational therapy education. The underlying issues are complex and require great consideration as a profession. As a profession we need to take charge of our destiny before governments, universities and other stakeholders/professions determine the basic level of entry for our profession.

Occupational therapy students' attitudes towards inclusion education in Australia, United Kingdom, United States and Taiwan

This international, cross-cultural study investigated the attitudes of occupational therapy students from Australia, United Kingdom, United States and Taiwan towards inclusive education for students with disabilities. The possible impact of professional education on students' attitudes was also explored. A total of 485 students from 11 entry-level occupational therapy education programmes from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Taiwan participated in the study. Among them, 264 were freshmen (first-year students) and 221 were seniors (final-year students). Data collected from a custom-designed questionnaire were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. In general, the occupational therapy students reported having positive attitudes towards inclusion. Considerable differences, however, existed among the student groups from the four countries. Professional education appeared to have a significant impact on students' attitudes towards inclusion from first year to senior year. Although students were in favour of inclusion, they also cautioned that their support for inclusive practices depended on various factors such as adequate preparation, support and assistance to students with disabilities. Limitations of the study included the small, convenience sample and different degree structures of the participating programmes. Future research studies need to compare occupational therapy students' attitudes with students from other health care professions. A longitudinal study on the impact of the professional education programme on students' attitudes towards inclusive education is warranted.

Opinion Paper A perspective on entry level occupational therapy education

Educational standards for entry into the profession of occupational therapy have undergone widespread changes in the past decade. The impacts of higher education standards in North America and in Europe have been positive for both the visibility and practice of the profession. These changes have been reflected in the Standards and Quality Programme of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. This paper provides a summary of these challenges and the opinion of the author on steps toward meeting these challenges in way that supports all occupational therapy educational programs.

The Evolving Postbaccalaureate Entry: Analysis of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Master's Degree in the United States

At the American Occupational Therapy Association's Annual Conference in 1999, the Representative Assembly passed Resolution J, which became Resolution 670-99 and mandated that entry to the professional level of practice in occupational therapy be at the post-baccalaureate degree level. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) set the effective date as 2007. As a result, more than 50 of the existing 157 occupational therapy educational programs faced the challenge of developing postbaccalaureate entry degree programs. These programs had previously offered only baccalaureate entry degrees. This article compiles the expectations that were articulated as outcomes of transitioning to postbaccalaureate entry, describes findings from an analysis of the current structure of the evolving master's entry level occupational therapy education and identifies concerns for consideration by educational programs and practitioners.

Paediatric Occupational Therapy University Programme Curricula in the United Kingdom

The paediatric curriculum component of entry-level occupational therapy education programmes in the United Kingdom was examined and comparisons were made with the practice literature to determine if students were being taught current best practices. Questionnaires were mailed electronically to the identified paediatric faculty members of the 27 universities with an entry-level occupational therapy education programme in the United Kingdom. Ten completed questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 37%. The survey results indicated that paediatrics constituted less than 5% of the total curriculum content of the respondent university programmes. The theory, assessments and treatment approaches taught in the education programmes were similar to those used in clinical practice with children. Some gaps in what was taught to students were apparent, notably in the key paediatric area of visual perceptual dysfunction. The theory, assessments and intervention methods were not always taught as a cohesive stand-alone unit, so gaps occurred in the education programmes. This could lead to graduates using an eclectic approach or using personal conceptual frameworks based on postgraduate learning and work experience.

The Evolving Postbaccalaureate Entry: Analysis of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Master's Degree in the United States

At the American Occupational Therapy Association's Annual Conference in 1999, the Representative Assembly passed Resolution J, which became Resolution 670–99 and mandated that entry to the professional level of practice in occupational therapy be at the post-baccalaureate degree level. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) set the effective date as 2007. As a result, more than 50 of the existing 157 occupational therapy educational programs faced the challenge of developing postbaccalaureate entry degree programs. These programs had previously offered only baccalaureate entry degrees. This article compiles the expectations that were articulated as outcomes of transitioning to postbaccalaureate entry, describes findings from an analysis of the current structure of the evolving master's entry level occupational therapy education and identifies concerns for consideration by educational programs and practitioners.