Entry-level Occupational Therapy Students Research Articles

Occupational therapy students' perceptions of their experience in a role-emerging Level II fieldwork within higher education student services

BackgroundRole-emerging settings – those where occupational therapy (OT) services have not traditionally been provided – are common sites for practice placements of entry-level occupational therapy students. A growing body of literature has attempted to determine the value and drawbacks of such practice placements on the professional preparedness of OT students with mixed findings. Benefits have been identified, including increased cultural understanding, advocacy, creativity, initiative, and problem-solving skills. However, OT students have been reported to perceive such placement as limiting their professional growth and preparedness to practice compared to traditional placements.MethodsA phenomenological study was conducted seeking the perceptions of OT students (n = 14) about their clinical placement at a role-emerging site. Recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted by trained interviewers within two weeks of the end of clinical placement. The recordings were transcribed verbatim and then coded using an iterative multi-coder inductive approach. Inter-coder agreement, reflectivity, and audit trail were maintained.ResultsThree themes emerged from the analysis: (1) integrating independence and support, (2) becoming occupational therapists, and (3) filling a gap. These themes reflect students’ positive perceptions of their role-emerging clinical placement. They felt that this placement allowed them to develop self-confidence and professional identity as occupational therapists and learn new skills while simultaneously filling a gap in services for clients. Most importantly, they felt that this placement prepared them for their future OT practice.ConclusionThis finding and their resounding support of the experience suggest that OT students can perceive role-emerging placement as a solid foundation for clinical practice. Factors, included in this placement, that may have contributed to their experience include the level of support provided, time available for learning including space to make mistakes, and freedom from productivity and payor requirements.

Exploring Student Ageism Perceptions Using Life Review: An Educational Intervention

Background: Addressing student ageism is essential for promoting desires to work with older adults, but little is known about how life review intervention, used as an educational tool in OT programs, can affect ageism. This study aimed to explore the effect of life review on OT students’ ageism perceptions and desires to work with older adults. Design: A qualitative focus group research approach was performed. Method: Thirty entry-level occupational therapy students from a Texas university were used as a convenient sample. After participating in a 4-hour workshop, students conducted a life review with older adult volunteers. Data was collected during a focus group using audio-recording and field notes. A thematic approach to analysis was used including Dedoose web-based software with a code-recode procedure by 2 raters. Measure: A focus group was conducted 2-weeks after the intervention using a semi-structured interview guide with 4 open-ended and 7 probing questions to elicit in-depth discussion of the life review experience. Results: Four themes emerged related to the intervention: (1) experience influenced attitude; (2) preconceived ideas changed; (3) finding similarities and commonalities, and (4) reflective insight. Conclusions: To impact ageism and desires to work with older adults, students should participate in life review experiences during program education.

Examining Patient Outcomes at a Faculty-Led Clinic for Uninsured and Underserved Clients.

Routine measurements used in clinical settings can foster evidence-based interventions and show the treatment effectiveness. To examine the efficacy of occupational therapy services for health outcomes, as determined by modified self-care and mobility items of the Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation Tool, also known as Section GG. Retrospective and longitudinal. Data were obtained from medical records at four time points over 1 yr. The study took place at a pro bono, faculty-led clinic. Ninety-one client charts were reviewed; 64 (70%) clients met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled. Interventions were provided by registered occupational therapists and entry-level occupational therapy students under supervision. Self-care and mobility function were measured using modified GG0130 and GG0170 items from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Quality Reporting Program; three additional functional items were added. The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Version 2® (SF-36v2) was used to evaluate clients' quality of life at intake. Self-care and mobility composites significantly improved throughout the 1-yr intervention period. The additional functional composite significantly improved during the first 6 mo. Clients' scores on the physical function subdomain of the SF-36v2 were significantly related to their self-care, mobility, and additional functional items. Faculty-led clinics can improve the occupational performance of clients in need of occupational therapy services, particularly in the areas of self-care and mobility, which have previously been identified as top priorities for clients. What This Article Adds: This study addressed health disparities in unique and effective ways. By using objective measures of functional mobility and self-care, the study provides robust evidence of the faculty-led clinic's impact in providing underserved and uninsured communities with effective client-centered occupational therapy services.

Exploring Professional Behavior Development in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students

Exploring Professional Behavior Development in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students

Using a Flipped Classroom to Teach Evidence-Based Practice to Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students

Using a Flipped Classroom to Teach Evidence-Based Practice to Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students

Benefits of Peer-Mentorship for Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students: A Descriptive Study

Background: This study explored the benefits of a new peer-mentorship program designed for Master's-level occupational therapy students.

The Impact of a Psychosocial-Focused Experiential Learning Activity on Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceived Clinical Reasoning

A primary objective of occupational therapy education is to facilitate development of clinical reasoning skills. These skills are complex and difficult to cultivate in classroom settings, therefore educators often use experiential learning activities to support clinical reasoning development. Most of the literature about experiential learning activities aimed at developing clinical reasoning focuses on activities occurring in-person, with individuals in physical disabilities settings. This research addresses the gap in the literature by evaluating the impact of a group based, psychosocial focused experiential learning activity that occurred virtually and in-person on entry-level occupational therapy students’ perceived clinical reasoning. Students (n=36) completed the Self-Assessment of Clinical Reasoning and Reflection (SACRR) before and after engaging in a six-week experiential learning activity. The mean total score for the SACRR increased after the learning activity (Z=-4.92, p=.00). Mean scores on 25 of 26 subtests increased and the change on 19 of the 26 items was statistically significant. Items about applying theory to practice increased the most, indicating that students’ perceived abilities increased related to applying theory. Additionally, the learning activity occurred on virtual platforms, demonstrating the potential role of virtual platforms in experiential learning for clinical reasoning development. Overall, this study found that an experiential learning activity designed to address psychosocial needs of groups, using in-person and virtual delivery, increased occupational therapy students’ perceived clinical reasoning. Results add to the literature about clinical reasoning development in students by providing evidence for the use of group based, psychosocial focused learning activities delivered virtually and in person.

Short-Term Program on Three-Dimensional Printed Self-Help Devices for Occupational Therapy Students: A Pre-Post Intervention Study

Despite the increasing importance of digital fabrication, of which three-dimensional printing is an important aspect, educational programs in this area have not been fully developed. To utilize three-dimensional printing optimally, occupational therapists need to be familiar with this new technology, understand its scope of application, and possess certain levels of skills for producing. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a short-term program for occupational therapy students to increase the acceptance of three-dimensional printed devices by acquiring the basic knowledge and skills of making three-dimensional printed self-help devices. The research involved an intervention study with a pre-post design. Participants comprised 112 entry-level occupational therapy students. The program consisted of two 90-minute sessions during 2019 and 2020. It included a three-part lecture series and two types of practice. The conducted pre-post questionnaires were structured into four categories: I. student profile; II. knowledge about digital fabrication technology; III. ideas and attitudes toward three-dimensional printed self-help devices; and IV. impressions and thoughts. After the program, the number of students who acquired basic knowledge of digital fabrication and who felt confident about making three-dimensional printed self-help devices significantly increased (p < 0.05). The study suggested that the program was effective and assisted occupational therapy students to understand the usefulness of this new technology and be comfortable using it.

Growing occupation-centred therapists for the future: Understanding student experiences of learning about occupation and its place in occupational therapy practice.

Occupational therapy entry-level education is integral to how students obtain deep understanding of occupational therapy's core philosophy of occupation and its place in practice. However, there is a lack of research that explores occupation-centred education from the perspectives of students. Therefore, this study aimed to identify Australian entry-level occupational therapy students' experiences of learning about occupation, and its place in practice. A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. Overall, 20 students participated in four focus groups lasting between 45 and 75 min. Data were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed in two phases, using reflexive thematic analysis. There were three themes that encapsulated what helped students to better understand occupation and its place in practice: (1) making occupation real; (2) relating occupation to me; and (3) theory as a focussing lens. There was also a range of pedagogical strategies that helped students to better understand occupation: using active and interactive teaching and learning strategies. One additional theme indicated a challenge to helping the students understand occupation and its place practice: when practice education settings were not centred on occupation. Learning about occupation and occupation-centred practice may be facilitated by using practice examples, encouraging students to think about occupation in their own lives, teaching and applying occupation-centred theory, and employing interactive learning and teaching strategies. Student learning in practice settings where occupational therapy is centred on occupation is imperative. Further exploration of students' perspectives of learning about occupation across multiple occupational therapy programmes is warranted.

Building Stress Resilience and Wellbeing: Introducing Mindfulness Training to Reduce Stress in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students

Building Stress Resilience and Wellbeing: Introducing Mindfulness Training to Reduce Stress in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students

Student Technology Acceptance of 3D Printing in Occupational Therapy Education.

Reports on the integration of 3D printing in occupational therapy education and changes in student acceptance of technology over time are lacking. 3D printing technology applications may offer effective solutions to increase client participation in occupations. However, the use of these applications in occupational therapy practice requires attention to occupational therapy students' perception of the technology's usefulness and ease of use. Students' perception of technology potentially influences their perceptions of technology use in future practice. This was an exploratory one-group, pretest-posttest, repeated-measures study over 12 wk to examine whether an assignment that integrated 3D printing improved students' perceptions of technology acceptance. The study used a modified questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Academic educational institution. Second-year entry-level occupational therapy students (N = 58). Paired t tests showed significant differences for all categories of the TAM questionnaire, including perceived usefulness (p = .001), perceived ease of use (p < .001), attitude toward using (p = .014), and intention to use (p < .001). The experiential learning assignment increased students' acceptance of 3D printing technology; however, future studies should include an exploration of clients' acceptance and perception of technology. This study provides evidence for the use of instructional strategies for "maker" technologies by educators when integrating experiential and interactive approaches.

Entry-level Occupational Therapy Students’ Beliefs about Knowledge and Knowing: Findings from Three Masters Level Programs in the US

Entry-level Occupational Therapy Students’ Beliefs about Knowledge and Knowing: Findings from Three Masters Level Programs in the US

Self-Reflection and Measurement of Professional Behavior Growth in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students

Self-Reflection and Measurement of Professional Behavior Growth in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students

Validation of a Scale to Measure Self-Efficacy in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Among Health Care Sciences Students

Abstract Date Presented 4/19/2018 We validated unidimensional, long and short forms of a tool measuring self-efficacy in interprofessional competence based on a sample of 1,350 students, including entry-level occupational therapy students and students from 10 other health professions programs. Primary Author and Speaker: Anders Kottorp Additional Authors and Speakers: Elizabeth Peterson Contributing Authors: Mary T. Keehn, Valerie Gruss, Memoona Hasnain

The association between undergraduate occupational therapy students’ listening and interpersonal skills and performance on practice education placements

Background: Communication skills such as listening, empathy and body language are core competencies that entry level occupational therapy students must demonstrate when completing practice placements.Objective: To investigate if interpersonal skills taught to undergraduate occupational therapy students predict their practice performance.Methods: Second, third and fourth year occupational therapy students (n = 132) completed the Active-Empathetic Listening Scale (AELS); the Listening Styles Profile-Revised (LSP-R); and the Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale (ICCS). The Student Practice Evaluation Form–Revised (SPEF-R) measured students’ performance at the completion of a placement. Regression analysis examined the relationships between students’ interpersonal and listening skills and their fieldwork performance.Results: Higher ICCS Interaction Management subscale scores were significantly associated with better SPEF-R Communication Skills at final evaluation (β = 1.46, p < 0.05). Higher AELS Sensing subscale scores were predictive of greater Self-Management Skill performance on the SPEF-R (β = 0.84, SE = 0.42). Student’s demographic characteristics were also predictive of their SPEF-R scores. The ICCS and LSP-R’s subscale scores were not predictive of SPEF-R scores.Conclusion: This preliminary evidence identified several interpersonal skills that were predictive of some key SPEF-R competencies. To better prepare students to successfully complete practice placements, these interpersonal skills should be incorporated into occupational therapy education curriculum.

Outcomes of Simulation Hospital Experience for Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students

Abstract Date Presented 4/8/2016 Research has shown the use of simulated experiences for professional students to have a positive effect. However, research regarding this method within an occupational therapy program is limited. This presentation will explore this method and how it influences students. Primary Author and Speaker: Anissa McGee Additional Authors and Speakers: Adam Rawson, Jaccqueline Denton Contributing Author: Lou Jensen

Construct validity test of evaluation tool for professional behaviors of entry-level occupational therapy students in the United States.

Purpose:This study aimed to test the construct validity of an instrument to measure student professional behaviors in entry-level occupational therapy (OT) students in the academic setting.Methods:A total of 718 students from 37 OT programs across the United States answered a self-assessment survey of professional behavior that we developed. The survey consisted of ranking 28 attributes, each on a 5-point Likert scale. A split-sample approach was used for exploratory and then confirmatory factor analysis.Results:A three-factor solution with nine items was extracted using exploratory factor analysis [EFA] (n=430, 60%). The factors were ‘Commitment to Learning’ (2 items), ‘Skills for Learning’ (4 items), and ‘Cultural Competence’ (3 items). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the validation split (n=288, 40%) indicated fair fit for this three-factor model (fit indices: CFI=0.96, RMSEA=0.06, and SRMR=0.05). Internal consistency reliability estimates of each factor and the instrument ranged from 0.63 to 0.79.Conclusion:Results of the CFA in a separate validation dataset provided robust measures of goodness-of-fit for the three-factor solution developed in the EFA, and indicated that the three-factor model fitted the data well enough. Therefore, we can conclude that this student professional behavior evaluation instrument is a structurally validated tool to measure professional behaviors reported by entry-level OT students. The internal consistency reliability of each individual factor and the whole instrument was considered to be adequate to good.

Benefits of Student Engagement in Intervention Research.

Accreditation standards require entry-level occupational therapy students to understand, critique, and design research. However, the extent to which students should be embedded in research projects is unclear. The purpose of this study was to understand the benefits of student immersion in research for student learning and research quality. Using a multiple case study design, the principal investigator trained six occupational therapy students to implement a manualized intervention with research participants. Learning quizzes, video analysis of research activities, a practical exam, student documentation, an exit interview, and an exit survey identified student learning and research outcomes. Students successfully implemented the study protocols with good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .89) and fidelity (99%). Students also reported improvements in comfort with client interactions, confidence in practice skills, self-efficacy in research, and clinical reasoning. Student participation in hands-on research supports researchers in attaining their research goals and provides students with valuable learning experiences.

The intermingled history of occupational therapy and anatomical education: A retrospective exploration

Few research articles have addressed the anatomical needs of entry-level occupational therapy students. Given this paucity of empirical evidence, there is a lack of knowledge regarding anatomical education in occupational therapy. This article will primarily serve as a retrospective look at the inclusion of anatomical education in the occupational therapy curriculum. Focusing on the historical inclusion is the first step to address the gap in existing knowledge. Examining the history of anatomy in occupational therapy provides an educational context for curricular developments and helps current anatomical educators understand the evolution of occupational therapy as a profession. Exploring the educational history also offers anatomy educators an identity, as significant contributors, in the training and preparedness of entry-level professionals while focusing on the ideals of occupational therapy. However, there is a critical need for empirical evidence of best teaching practices in occupational therapy and anatomical education. This manuscript provides a foundation and a starting point for further investigation into the anatomical competencies for entry-level occupational therapists.

Teaching mindfulness to occupational therapy students: Pilot evaluation of an online curriculum

How mindfulness can be learned by occupational therapy students to manage their own self-care processes has not been fully examined as yet. This article describes an online curriculum approach for teaching a general introductory mindfulness course and examines outcomes with master's entry-level occupational therapy students. Fifteen students participated in an 8-week online mindfulness curriculum and completed a pre- and post-training survey. The Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS) was used to measure mindfulness. Demographic, MAAS-scored mindfulness, and clinical utility data were collected. Results showed a statistically significant change (t = -4.82, p = 0.002) in MAAS mindfulness scores from the program start to end. Informal practice exercises and guided meditations were perceived by participants as being more helpful ways for developing an understanding and approach to mindfulness than were readings about mindfulness. This study suggests that mindfulness can be taught using an online approach.