Occupational Therapy Education Research Articles

Universal design for learning in anatomy education of healthcare students: A scoping review.

There are concerns among healthcare practitioners about poor anatomical knowledge among recent healthcare graduates. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework developed to enhance students' experience of learning and help students to become motivated learners. This scoping review identified whether UDL has been utilized in third level healthcare education and if so, whether it had been used to enhance student motivation to study anatomy. Seven online databases were searched for studies reporting the use of UDL in the curricula of medical, dental, occupational therapy (OT) or speech and language therapy (SLT) programs. Studies were screened for eligibility with set inclusion criteria. Data were extracted and analyzed. Analysis revealed that UDL was not specifically mentioned in any of the studies thus there are no published studies on UDL being formally applied in healthcare education. However, the authors identified 33 publications that described teaching methods which aligned with UDL in anatomy curricula and a thematic analysis yielded four main themes relating to teaching strategies being employed. Universal design for learning was not mentioned specifically, indicating that educators may not be aware of the educational framework, although they appeared to be utilizing aspects of it in their teaching. The review revealed that there is a lack of research concerning the anatomy education of OT and SLT students. The role of UDL in enhancing motivation to learn anatomy in medical, dental, OT and SLT programs has yet to be explored.

Development of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination Station for Pediatric Occupational Therapy and an Evaluation of Its Quality.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a highly valued measure of students' clinical competencies in medical education. However, few studies have reported on the administration of the OSCE in pediatric occupational therapy education. To describe the development of a pediatric occupational therapy OSCE station to evaluate students' use of a standardized assessment and examine its standard setting, failure rates, and psychometric properties. Prospective, cross-sectional, observational study design. Three OSCE stations in a university clinical skills center. Five experienced occupational therapists, 60 examinees, 44 child standardized patients, 44 chaperones, and 15 examiners. The sum of the rating scale and the global performance scores were used. The rating scale measured the examinee's clinical competences in administering a standardized assessment. The 5-point global performance score was used to evaluate the examinee's whole performance. The OCSE station's expert validity was acceptable (item-level content validity index [CVI] = 0.8-1.0; scale-level CVI = 0.98). Passing scores according to the Angoff method (passing score = 14) and the contrasting-groups M-SD method (passing score = 13) were similar. Failure rates were high (61.7%-73.3%). Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's α = .78). No significant examiner effect was found (p = .554), and interexaminer reliability was acceptable (item score = 0.58-1.00; sum of the rating scale score = 0.97; global performance score = 0.79). The OSCE station for using a standardized assessment is a reliable and valid measure of students' interpersonal communication skills and assessment skills. What This Article Adds: The OSCE for education in pediatric occupational therapy is both effective and rigorous.

Strategies to Promote the Quality of Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Education: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Clinical education is a bridge between theory and practice. The purpose of this study was to develop strategies to promote the quality of occupational therapy fieldwork education. Methods: The qualitative content analysis was used to identify the promoting strategies of fieldwork quality in occupational therapy from students' and fieldwork educators’ perspectives during the 2019–2020 academic sessions. Participants were 12 fieldwork educators (mean age=39.33 yr, Male=5, female 7) and 14 students (mean age=23.28 yr, Male=7, female 7) in the code extraction phase and 16 fieldwork educators (12 of them were in code extraction phase too) in actions of strategies scoring phase. Results: Following the content analysis of the data, the prompting strategies categorized into 4 major categories and 10 subcategories: factors related to Fieldwork educators (Improving clinical teaching skills, Enhancing fieldwork management skills, Motivating fieldwork educators, and Fostering coordination between fieldwork educators), related to Educational Planning (Modifying clinical fieldwork planning, Revising curriculums), related to Students (Empowering students, Motivating students) and related to Fieldwork settings ( Improving the social environment, Improving physical environment ). Based on the qualitative content analysis and 3 expert panels. Finally, the 23 promoting actions were identified. Conclusion: Improving the quality of fieldwork education in occupational therapy needs a systematic collaboration between educators, students, and educational planners. Doing the promoting actions on fieldwork education process in occupational therapy may improve the quality of fieldwork education process.

Describing consumer involvement, recruitment, retention in Australian occupational therapy university education: A cross sectional survey

Introduction Consumer involvement in occupational therapy programmes is one of the accreditation requirements of the Occupational Therapy Council in Australia. Consumers are direct recipients of occupational therapy services. Current knowledge about consumer involvement within occupational therapy education is minimal and mostly in mental health. This study identifies the trends for involvement and methods for recruitment and retention of consumers in Australian occupational therapy university education programmes. Methods Twenty-one occupational therapy programme directors in Australian universities were directly invited by email to participate in an online questionnaire. Prior to distribution, the questionnaire was piloted and the content validity tested. Analysis of closed-ended questions occurred using frequencies and percentages and content analysis occurred with open-text responses. Results Nine programme directors completed the questionnaire. Consumers were mainly involved in delivering lectures, sharing stories and having discussions in small groups. Consumers were recruited to programmes through collaboration with organisations and/or by direct approach. The main retention strategies included employing consumers as university educators and providing support before/during involvement. Conclusion Consumer involvement in curricula addresses university programme requirements and aims to prepare students for consumer-focussed practice. The findings inform educators about diverse ways of recruiting, retaining and involving consumers in their programmes.

Perceptions of Occupational Therapy Educators about the Educational Preparation of Occupational Therapists for Designation as Qualified Mental Health Professionals

This study investigated educators’ perspectives on whether occupational therapists were educationally prepared for designation as Qualified Mental Health Professionals (QMHPs) using a cross-sectional survey design followed by interviews to gather qualitative data. Fifty-two educators responded to an electronic survey questionnaire. Six of the 52 participants volunteered for follow-up interviews. Most educators (64.58%) thought that occupational therapists were prepared for designation as QMHPs (p=.04). Interview data indicated that educational programs prepared students for psychosocial practice using various content delivery methods. Occupational therapists need to advocate for recognition as significant contributors to the treatment of people with mental health challenges.

A Qualitative Study on Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceptions of Using Keyform Maps

A keyform map is an innovative tool, derived from Rasch analyzed measures, that reveals the relationship of a client to the item challenges on an assessment to reflect more clearly what the client can and cannot do. These maps offer increased ease and efficiency when using standardized evaluation measures. Keyform map use has been studied in clinical occupational therapy practice. Their use in occupational therapy education, however, has not been studied which creates a potential gap with the untapped student stakeholder. This qualitative study examined the impacts of using keyform maps in an online course with occupational therapy students during the evaluation and intervention planning process for different client case vignettes. A constant comparative analysis revealed that students perceived keyform maps show them two themes more clearly: (1) the just right challenge that is difficult but not impossible and (2) a task hierarchy that helps efficiently prioritize and justify choices specific to the client and decisions personalized to the client. By introducing pre-service learners to keyform maps, OT educators can take a huge step forward in meeting the profession’s charge to increase efforts towards personalized measurement.

Official Documents Available From the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Official documents and professional policies are approved by the AOTA Representative Assembly and undergo scheduled review and approval by the Representative Assembly Coordinating Committee (RACC). These documents are used by the Association and its membership to guide education, practice, advocacy, and policy on behalf of the profession. The documents are a valuable resource for occupational therapy practitioners and provide a solid grounding in the profession for students, consumers, and external stakeholders.The Representative Assembly adopted the RACC Standard Operating Procedures, Attachment A, at the fall online meeting in November 2020. As a result of this motion, the types of official documents have been renamed and are categorized and described below.Items in bold are new for 2021 and are available in this supplement to the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. Official documents are periodically reviewed, and documents may be superseded by newer versions or rescinded. A complete list of the most current documents is available at https://www.aota.org.Guidance documents provide comprehensive perspective and guidance on topics that shape advancement of the profession and its future direction. Guidelines for Documentation of Occupational Therapy (2018)Guidelines for Occupational Therapy Services in Early Intervention and Schools (2017)Guidelines for Reentry Into the Field of Occupational Therapy (2020)Guidelines for Supervision, Roles, and Responsibilities During the Delivery of Occupational Therapy Services (2020)Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 4th Edition (2020)The Practice of Occupational Therapy in Feeding, Eating, and Swallowing (2017)A Descriptive Review of Occupational Therapy Education (2016)Scholarship in Occupational Therapy (2016)Position statements present an official stance on the provision of services, practice of occupational therapy, or role of occupational therapy. They are developed in response to a professional issue, concern, or need. Academic Terminal Degree (2017)Assistive Technology and Occupational PerformanceCognition, Cognitive Rehabilitation, and Occupational Performance (2019)Complex Environmental Modifications (2015)Continuing Professional Development in Occupational Therapy (2016)Driving and Community Mobility (2016)Fieldwork Level II and Occupational Therapy Students (2018)Importance of Collaborative Occupational Therapist-Occupational Therapy Assistant Intraprofessional Education in Occupational Therapy Curricula (2017)Importance of Interprofessional Education in Occupational Therapy Curricula (2015)Importance of Primary Care Education in Occupational Therapy Curricula (2017)Mental Health Promotion, Prevention, and Intervention in Occupational Therapy Practice (2017)Obesity and Occupational Therapy (2013)Occupational Therapy and Complementary Health Approaches and Integrative Health (2016)Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Education: Value and Purpose (2016)Occupational Therapy for Children and Youth Using Sensory Integration Theory and Methods in School-Based Practice (2015)Occupational Therapy in the Promotion of Health and Well-Being (2019)Occupational Therapy Scope of Practice (2021)Occupational Therapy Services for Individuals Who Have Experienced Domestic Violence (2017)Occupational Therapy Services in Facilitating Work Participation and Performance (2017)Occupational Therapy Services in the Promotion of Mental Health and Well-Being (2016)Occupational Therapy’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (2020)Occupational Therapy’s Perspective on the Use of Environments and Contexts to Facilitate Health, Well-Being, and Participation in Occupations (2015)Occupational Therapy’s Role in Case Management (2018)Occupational Therapy’s Role in Medication Management (2017)Occupational Therapy’s Role in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (2018)Philosophical Base of Occupational Therapy (2017)Philosophy of Occupational Therapy Education (2018)Role of Occupational Therapy in End-of-Life Care (2016)Role of Occupational Therapy in Pain Management (2021)Physical Agents and Mechanical Modalities (2018)Role of Occupational Therapy in Primary Care (2020)Role of Occupational Therapy in Wound Management (2018)Scope of Occupational Therapy Services for Individuals With An Autism Spectrum Disorder Across The Life Course (2015)Telehealth in Occupational Therapy (2018)Value of Occupational Therapy Assistant Education to the Profession (2019)Vestibular Impairment, Vestibular Rehabilitation, and Occupational Performance (2017)Professional standards describe and define minimal standards for practice, continued competence, and other professional behaviors. AOTA 2020 Code of EthicsStandards for Continuing Competence (2021)Standards of Practice for Occupational Therapy (2021)Societal statements are written in the form of public announcements and identify a societal issue of concern; state how the issue affects the participation of individuals, families, groups, or communities in society; and may offer action to be taken by individuals, families, groups, or communities. AOTA’s Societal Statement on Disaster Response and Risk Reduction (2017)AOTA’s Societal Statement on Health Disparities (2013)AOTA’s Societal Statement on Health Literacy (2016)AOTA’s Societal Statement on Livable Communities (2016)AOTA’s Societal Statement on Stress, Trauma, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (2017)AOTA’s Societal Statement on Youth Violence (2016)

Comparing Web-Based and In-Person Educational Workshops for Canadian Occupational Therapists and Understanding Their Learning Experiences: Mixed Methods Study.

BackgroundThe Do-Live-Well (DLW) framework is an occupation-focused health promotion approach. Occupational therapists (OTs) have been interested in training opportunities regarding this framework. Traditionally, in-person continuing educational interventions are the main way that OTs obtain knowledge, but web-based learning has become popular among health care professionals. However, its effectiveness and learners’ experience in web-based learning have not been well-studied in occupational therapy education.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the web-based and in-person educational DLW workshops for Canadian OTs and to understand their experiences in both workshop types.MethodsAn explanatory sequential mixed methods study design was used, where quantitative data were collected first, then qualitative data were used to explain the quantitative findings. A quasi-experimental design and interpretative description methodology were used in the quantitative and qualitative phases, respectively.ResultsQuantitative results were as follows: a total of 43 OTs completed pre-, post-, and follow-up evaluations (in-person group: 21/43, 49%; web-based group: 22/43, 51%). Practice settings of the participants varied, including geriatric, hospital, long-term, mental health, pediatric, and primary settings. The primary outcome was as follows: there were no statistically significant differences in knowledge changes at the 3 time points (P=.57 to P=.99) between the groups. In the web-based group, the knowledge scores at follow-up were lower compared with the posttest results, meaning that knowledge gain was reduced over time (P=.001). The secondary outcomes were as follows: there were statistically significant differences between the groups in factors influencing DLW adoption at posttest (P=.001) and in satisfaction with the workshop (P<.001) at posttest in favor of the in-person group. Qualitative results were as follows: a total of 18 OTs (9/18, 50% from each group) participated in an individual interview. Five themes were identified regarding learners’ workshop experiences: relevance to their practices and interests may improve learning, a familiar learning environment may facilitate learning, synchronous in-person interaction is valuable in the learning process, ease of access to learning should be considered, and flexibility in web-based learning can be both beneficial and challenging.ConclusionsThe quantitative results of this study reported no difference in knowledge acquisition between the in-person and web-based groups, indicating that web-based education is as effective as in-person workshops. However, participants’ satisfaction with the workshop was statistically significantly higher for the in-person workshop. The qualitative findings described the participants’ perceived benefits and challenges of each educational format. The participants in both the web-based and in-person workshop groups valued in-person interactions in learning, but the participants in the web-based workshop group expressed web-based learning lacked in-person-like interactions. Thus, adding synchronous in-person interactions to web-based learning may improve learners’ educational experiences in web-based occupational therapy and continuing education.

Promoting growth mindset in occupational therapy education

Occupational therapy education has seen an increase in rigor and scholarly expectations throughout the years as many programs transition to the doctoral level. Because of this, students continue to struggle with a fixed mindset of their perceived academic abilities. Increasing growth mindset in graduate occupational therapy students is described and further discussed in this article in order to facilitate the development of academically and emotionally prepared occupational therapy practitioners. Growth mindset examples are further described in congruence with the literature on student self-reports of what impacts their perceived ability of intelligence.

Anti-racism and Occupational Therapy Education: Beyond Diversity and Inclusion

There is a pressing need to address racism within healthcare education; however, occupational therapy educators lack a compilation of discipline-specific knowledge of anti-racist actions. The objective of this study was to examine anti-racist instructional practices for educators to employ in occupational therapy education. We conducted a scoping review and systematically searched six electronic databases to identify and synthesize anti-racist educational practices within the occupational therapy literature. The 20 included articles identified that educators should: use collaborative, anti-racist teaching strategies throughout the curriculum; engage in reflexivity including how intersecting identities impact occupational engagement; decolonize curricula through including Indigenous content and non-Western practice frameworks; increase representation of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color students and faculty; and strengthen educators’ capacity to engage in anti-racist actions. To address systemic injustices to educational inclusion and prepare students to address health care inequities, occupational educators must engage in anti-racist actions across curriculum, programs, and universities.

Exploring Students’ Experiences in Occupational Therapy Education: A Phenomenological Study of Professional Identity Development

The existing literature on professional identity enactment and development, subscribes to students’ socializing in a learning environment, where they regularly encounter practicing professionals throughout their education period. However, in most countries with less resourced occupational therapists like Ghana, education in occupational therapy is fraught with inadequate number of same professionals to mentor undergraduate occupational therapy students. The students are thus faced with serious dilemma regarding their professional identity which tends to elicit a bleak perception of their chosen career. The present study was therefore envisaged to interpret and analyse the students’ lived experiences, with the view to capture the process of constructing and developing professional identity. The study focused on purposively sampled group of nine undergraduate occupational therapy students during their practice placement education, and their learning styles on didactic lectures. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted for the study. The students were followed up throughout their four-year study program for data collection, using one-to-one semi-structured interviews each year. With reference to the threshold concepts, transcribed interview data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological procedures. The study established a transformational development of professional identity from the novice stage into graduate professionals, amidst complex interaction of co-constructed themes which included: personal knowing, professional knowing and experiential knowing.

The Use of Interprofessional Education (IPE) to Address Collaboration for Individualized Education Plans (IEPs): A Retrospective Study of Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, and Special Education Students’ Perceptions

The purpose of this project is to measure the effects of interprofessional education (IPE) on the perceptions of preservice professionals’ development of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The preservice professionals (PSPs) participants included master’s students from speech language pathology (SLP), occupational therapy (OT) and special education (SPED) programs (N = 78). The primary project goals were to examine the perceptions of the participants’ roles and knowledge on a multidisciplinary education team, their perceptions of the collaborative process, and their familiarity with the IEP development process. A mixed-methods, retrospective, cross-sectional investigation was used to obtain quantitative and qualitative outcomes. A pre-workshop and post-workshop survey were used to collect the quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected via open-ended survey questions. Results demonstrated increased perceptions of knowledge as a result of the workshop across the three disciplines (OT: t(32) = -3.85, p < 0.001; SLP: t(29) = -5.70,p < 0.001; SPED: t(14) = -2.12, p = 0.02). Qualitative themes identified included increased confidence, collaboration, and preparedness to develop an IEP, and new understandings of roles and responsibilities among the participants.

SELTEC: Service and Experiential Learning Through Engagement in the Community: A Level I Fieldwork Model: Part 2

The SELTEC model of Level I fieldwork was developed and published in 2020. The SELTEC model combines service and experiential learning to benefit student learners, the educational system, and the community. The purpose of the study was to determine students’ perceptions of a SELTEC model experience compared to a traditional Level I fieldwork experience. The research team administered a 24-item survey to thirty students who participated in the study. All participants received both a traditional one-week and SELTEC level I fieldwork experience during their occupational therapy education at Arkansas State University. Seventy-nine percent (n=23) of the respondents selected the SELTEC model to meet the question criteria the majority of the time, while 20% (n=6) selected the traditional experience. The study results indicate that the SELTEC model was preferred over the traditional FW model. The results show the experiences offered in the SELTEC model prepare students for occupational therapy practice in ways not offered in a traditional FW model.

Use of the Subject-centered Integrated Learning Model and the Occupational Experience Profile to Promote Students' Connections Among Occupation, Self, and the Profession

Recent research related to occupational therapy education identified the need for a conceptual model to help guide the design and implementation of occupation-centered education. Spurred by this research, the Subject-centered Integrative Learning Model-Occupational Therapy (SCIL-OT) emerged as a model to enable educators and learners to keep the concept of occupation at the center of all occupational therapy education and learning. That work, largely focused on teaching students to connect non-occupation content to occupation (Hooper et al., 2020). However, teaching students about occupation directly can also benefit from using the SCIL-OT model to design learning experiences. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: 1) to demonstrate how the SCIL-OT model guided the development of a semester-long occupational balance assignment, and 2) to introduce the Occupational Experience Profile (OEP) used in the assignment. Content analysis of students’ written components of the semester-long occupation-based learning assignment revealed two themes: 1) completion of the occupational balance assignment contributed to an increased awareness of occupation and the dynamics of occupation and 2) students’ learning revealed interconnections between self, occupation, health, clients, and OT practice. Use of the SCIL-OT enhances students’ abilities to make connections; however, educators need to continually create and communicate explicit connections with and to occupation.

A Snapshot of How Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Programs Collect and Use Doctoral Capstone Outcomes

Entry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs are required to gather program evaluation data regarding the doctoral capstone for accreditation purposes. This study aims to describe the processes used by a sample of OTD programs to gather doctoral capstone outcome data and to determine the type of data collected in order to understand the perspectives regarding doctoral capstone outcomes by doctoral capstone coordinators (DCCs) within the United States. The investigators used purposeful sampling to recruit DCCs at accredited entry-level OTD programs in the United States. The most common outcome data collected included information about the doctoral capstone experience from students, student performance outcomes, employment and scholarship outcomes from alumni and employers, and various outcomes from site/expert/faculty mentors. Results highlight the need to disseminate doctoral capstone outcomes as few participants in this study used the data they were collecting outside of their program. By sharing and reporting outcomes of the doctoral capstone, OTD programs, and the profession can collectively benefit. Development of common outcomes, collected across programs, can help to provide data large enough to draw meaningful conclusions regarding the value of the doctoral capstone in occupational therapy education and in strengthening the knowledge of the profession among the public.

Percepções dos terapeutas ocupacionais sobre a necessidade de implementar a promoção da saúde no desenvolvimento comunitário por meio da justiça ocupacional

Abstract Introduction Social determinants of health underlie and contribute to health inequalities. Stigma, poverty, and unequal access to health care are examples of social determinants that affect people’s well-being and participation in society. Although occupational therapists use occupation to promote health and well-being, they rarely consider how to address the reduction of health inequalities in their practice. Objective The study aimed to explore how occupational therapists perceive the need to enact health promotion in community development through occupational justice. Method Following critical participatory action research principles, group discussions were conducted by six professionals from across France. Occupational justice frameworks and public health reports were used to prompt a group dialogue over four months. A content analysis of the discussion was conducted, guided by the theory of practice architectures to understand how the therapists’ practices were shaped by discursive, economic, and socio-political circumstances. Results Four themes reflected the professional needs to undertake community development: ‘the professional skills needed to enact the community’s own know-how and self-expertise’, ‘the importance of seeing the ‘whole’ picture and reaching out to other sectors’, ‘the need for occupational justice to understand the complexity of community development’, and ‘the need to move beyond body functions in education’. Conclusion Community development offers unique opportunities to work in the complex context of everyday living. Reasoning informed by occupational justice concepts enables occupational therapists to consider health outcomes caused by social determinants. Occupational therapy education must train students for complex reasoning on how occupational injustices are rooted in everyday social contexts.

Use of Metacognitive Techniques in Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review

Efficient and effective occupational therapy curricular and course design is essential to develop competent and reflective practitioners. The intentional use of metacognitive strategies could improve the development of higher-order thinking and learning outcomes. The study explored the use of metacognitive strategies to improve learning and higher-order thinking in students within occupational therapy higher education. A targeted search for occupational therapy journals only was the primary method to identify studies. Arskey and O’Malley’s (2005) five-stage framework guided this scoping review. All studies demonstrated some aspects of metacognition, this included thinking about their learning, reflection, self-assessment, or sense-making. Through the PRISMA process, the initial search yielded 260 studies; 27 duplicates were removed for a remaining total of 233 studies. Thirteen articles were included in the final study. The identification of the studies’ purpose, pedagogy, metacognitive strategies, and the level of Bloom’s taxonomy for the strategies was included in the analysis. Written reflection, peer-to-peer debate, self-directed learning, critical thinking, self-assessment, and reflection observation were the metacognitive strategies described in the articles. The metacognitive strategies were not specific to a pedagogy. Rather the strategies varied in use; however, all focused on learning outcomes to develop higher-order thinking skills and life-long learners. The selected studies reported improved learning outcomes and described metacognitive strategies. Transparency and intentionality in occupational therapy higher education related to metacognition may improve learning outcomes leading to practitioners whose self-reflection and critical thinking improve client and system outcomes.

Self-Care: An Occupational Therapy Student Perspective

Health professional students, including occupational therapy students, report increasing rates of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout while completing their academic programs of study. Self-care is one potential solution to this crisis, as engagement in evidence-based self-care practices has been found to improve the health and well-being of various student populations; however, the self-care practices of occupational therapy students have not been well studied. Therefore, this study explored how occupational therapy students understand and practice self-care, and how self-care correlates to perceived stress. Twenty participants engaged in a focus group and completed a 72-hour time diary. Focus group results indicated that participants highly valued their self-care practices, reporting that self-care improves their well-being, is a skill that must be developed, and plays a critical role in occupational therapy practice. Time diaries revealed that the most frequently recorded self-care occupations were sleeping/napping, meal preparation/eating, and watching television and other streaming services. Total time spent in self-care practices ranged from 9-55 hours, and duration of self-care was not found to correlate with perceived stress or demographic variables. Results demonstrate that the type of self-care activities in which students engage may be more beneficial than duration of self-care alone. Students may benefit from further skill development in self-care to improve their current and future well-being. Occupational therapy educators have the opportunity to assist in developing this skill through intentional programming.

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.

Exploring the Perspectives of Community Mentors in Occupational Therapy Education

Involving people with disabilities in the education of occupational therapy students is important for improving knowledge, skills, and attitudes that promote client-centered practice. At Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, community mentors with disabilities are involved in an occupational therapy course designed to enhance student understanding and empathy for the lived experience of disability. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the course required adjustment to adhere to health and safety precautions. We explored the perspectives of community mentors with disabilities who participated in the course during the pandemic to better understand how pandemic-related restrictions affected the mentoring experience, their relationships with students, and educational quality. Findings revealed that all participants considered their mentor role to be beneficial and positive, regardless of the chosen method of interaction (i.e., in-person or via digital technology). However, mentors with prior experience in this role identified differences in the relational aspects of the experience. Some mentors who had established mentoring patterns pre-pandemic quickly shifted into pre-COVID routines, despite the inherent risk, seemingly based on an internalized image of what the role should entail. Other mentors indicated acceptance of the altered patterns, and noted benefits associated with the use of technology. The findings confirm that ensuring mentor autonomy, providing training to mentors, and continuing to promote the benefits of such a course are crucial to support their role in shaping future occupational therapy practice.