Occupational Therapy in the Promotion of Health and Well-Being.

A balanced pattern of occupations enhances the health and fulfills the needs of individuals, families, communities, and populations (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2014b; Hocking, 2019; Meyer, 1922). Occupations are personalized "everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families, and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life" (World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 2012, para. 2). The purpose of this statement is to describe occupational therapy's role and contribution in the areas of health promotion and prevention for internal and external audiences. AOTA supports and promotes the involvement of occupational therapy practitioners¹ in the development and delivery of programs and services that promote health, well-being, and social participation of all people.

An exploratory study of competencies for emerging practice in occupational therapy.

Many health professions face challenges and opportunities resulting in expanding contexts for service delivery. For the profession of occupational therapy, one element of this changing landscape is the ongoing development and delivery of services in new or underdeveloped practice settings, often identified as emerging practice. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify the professional competencies needed for emerging practice and strategies for their development. The Delphi method of forecasting and exploration was used with a panel of 23 occupational therapists, currently practicing in emerging roles or settings, to gather specific information about the essential competencies and competency characteristics and to identify strategies for their future development. The Delphi panel identified 104 competencies essential to emerging practice and 55 strategies for the development of these competencies pertinent to occupational therapy educational programs and professional organizations. The study results are relevant to the educational preparation and professional development of health professionals for current and future practice roles and opportunities.

The nature of emerging practice in occupational therapy: a pilot study.

The profession of occupational therapy is responding to changes in the health care system by expanding the contexts and models for service provision, typically referred to as emerging practice. As a pilot study, a survey was completed by 174 occupational therapists to gather information and opinions about emerging practice. Results indicated occupational therapists hold diverse perceptions about emerging practice settings and services as well as the role and significance of emerging practice within the profession. Occupational therapists engaged in emerging practice described numerous rewards and challenges inherent within the process of developing and delivering services. The findings indicate continued professional dialogue and research are needed to support the development and efficacy of occupational therapy services in emerging settings and roles.

Reflections on a transitional transformation.

Describes personal reflections on changing professional paths in academe and the losses and gains in the transition.

Effects of problem-based learning on clinical reasoning in occupational therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Problem-based learning (PBL) has been described as an educational method that enhances clinical reasoning skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an intensive, problem-based course on the development of clinical reasoning skills of undergraduate occupational therapy students. METHOD: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used with a convenience sample of 48 undergraduate seniors. All students participated in an intensive 5-week, 30-hour, PBL course scheduled just prior to Level II fieldwork. The Self-Assessment of Clinical Reflection and Reasoning (SACRR) developed by Royeen, Mu, Barrett, and Luebben (2001) was administered on the first and last days of the course. RESULTS: The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test revealed statistically significant differences in pre- and posttest scores for 11 of 26 items on the SACRR. In addition, the overall total score increased from 96.88 to 102.55 (p < .01). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a short, but intensive PBL course in the senior year of an occupational therapy curriculum can significantly facilitate the development of students' clinical reasoning skills.

Effects of Level II Fieldwork on Clinical Reasoning in Occupational Therapy.

SUMMARY Objective. Fieldwork has been described as an educational method that enhances clinical reasoning skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Level II fieldwork on the development of clinical reasoning skills of undergraduate occupational therapy students. Method. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used with a convenience sample of 48 undergraduate seniors. All students participated in two 12-week, full-time rotations of Level II fieldwork. The Self-Assessment of Clinical Reflection and Reasoning (SACRR) developed by Royeen, Mu, Barrett and Luebben (2000) was administered the week before the students left for fieldwork and the first day after they returned from fieldwork. Results. Paired t-tests revealed statistically significant differences in pretest and posttest scores for 13 of 26 items on the SACRR. In addition, the overall total score increased from 102.55 to 108.41 (p <. 01). Conclusion. The results suggest 24 weeks of full-time fieldwork experience, in the senior year of an undergraduate occupational therapy curriculum, can significantly facilitate the development of students' clinical reasoning skills.