Virtual communities of practice for novice occupational therapists: a vehicle for learning, support and professional identity strengthening?

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare practitioners delivering services in rural and underserved areas need timely access to appropriate knowledge to optimise the care they deliver. Novice generalist occupational therapists in South Africa experience this need as they respond to a high demand for hand therapy. Embedded within a study aimed at identifying their support and development needs, this article describes participants' experience of a virtual community of practice. METHODS: A qualitative case study design was employed. Nine occupational therapists participated in a virtual community of practice that met fortnightly for meetings and interacted on WhatsApp. Data were collected through photo elicitation, facilitated reflection, and case discussions. An online survey questionnaire was used to evaluate participants' experience of this virtual community. Thematic analysis was applied to the anonymous responses submitted by participants (n=7). A number of strategies were employed to ensure the trustworthiness of results including prolonged engagement, member checking, peer examination, reflexive reading and writing, triangulation, and a dense description of participants to enable readers to evaluate the transferability of results. RESULTS: Three themes were generated from analysis. The first theme, versatile support, describes participants' experience of being helped and supported, appreciating the immediacy of support, and being able to share resources. A vehicle for learning captures participants' experience of mutual learning, opportunity to reflect, to acquire knowledge and skills, and develop their clinical reasoning. Finally, the community of practice was grounding: learning opportunities were contextually relevant and participants were able to consolidate their professional values and identity. Participants raised the importance of using online platforms that were accessible, recommended a group size of 5-10 members, and proposed 60-90-minute meetings held weekly or fortnightly. CONCLUSION: A virtual community of practice provided both support and professional development opportunities for therapists delivering hand therapy. Careful planning and implementation to upscale this intervention are recommended for rehabilitation personnel delivering care to underserved communities in South Africa. The logistics of virtual communities need to mitigate for connectivity difficulties, and online platforms should enable real-time support. Participant satisfaction and the evaluation of implementation outcomes should be considered in the design of virtual communities of practice.

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Plus (SBIRT-Plus): A Novel Interprofessional Training for Rehabilitation Science Professional Students.

IMPORTANCE: With the increasing amount of substance use-related health conditions in the United States, it is important for rehabilitation science professionals to receive screening and prevention training. OBJECTIVE: To describe and examine the preliminary effectiveness of a novel educational program, Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Plus (SBIRT-Plus), that combines traditional SBIRT training with new modules for cannabis, stimulant, and opioid use. DESIGN: Prospective, cohort design. SETTING: Academic institution. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty-one rehabilitation science graduate students. INTERVENTION: SBIRT-Plus curriculum. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Outcomes included satisfaction with training, perception of interprofessional training, attitudes, knowledge, and stigma, as assessed with the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire, Drug and Drug Problems Perception Questionnaire, Knowledge Screening Scale, and two stigma instruments. RESULTS: Most students (>80%) expressed satisfaction with their training, would recommend the training to a colleague, and believed that the training would influence and change the way they practiced with patients at risk for substance use disorders. Students' attitudes and knowledge increased from pre- to post-training, and stigma perceptions were significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: SBIRT-Plus is an evidence-based interprofessional training that is feasible to implement in graduate-level education programs. Integrating SBIRT-Plus into professional graduate programs may be an optimal and low-cost model for training rehabilitation health care professionals. Plain-Language Summary: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Plus (SBIRT-Plus) is an evidence-based interprofessional training that can be easily adopted in curricula to train professional students about the importance of screening for substance use disorders.

Developing Client Self-Advocacy in Occupational Therapy: Are We Practicing What We Preach?

Background: Developing client self-advocacy is in occupational therapy's (OT) scope of practice; however, there is limited understanding of if, or how, occupational therapists learn about self-advocacy interventions as well as implement self-advocacy into clinical practice. Objective: This study sought to identify if and how therapists learn about self-advocacy intervention approaches and identify if and how therapists implement self-advocacy into their work with clients. Method: A survey was distributed via email to academic and professional listservs in the United States, and data were collected using REDCap survey software. Descriptive statistics were analyzed data using REDCap/SPSS. Comparative statistics, Kruskal-Wallis's tests, Chi-square tests for independence, and Pearson's correlation tests analyzed differences across groups of respondents. Results: Practicing and licensed occupational therapists (n = 138) across the United States completed the survey. Findings indicate a majority (59.5%) of occupational therapists not learning strategies for addressing or developing client self-advocacy. Of significance, 21.7% of participants had never been exposed to concepts of client self-advocacy in academic or clinical education. Practitioners who did address self-advocacy did so indirectly through teaching-related skills (76.6%). Conclusion: Many clients of OT will need self-advocacy skills in order to address issues of exclusion and discrimination that prohibit full participation in society. Occupational therapists must prioritize incorporating client self-advocacy into curricula and clinical practice.

Occupational therapy students' experiences and perceptions of journal club participation.

BACKGROUND: Journal clubs can be used as a learning activity for developing students' skills in critical appraisal and are perceived as suitable for increasing students' exposure to research methods. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: To explore how undergraduate occupational therapy students experienced journal club and how they perceived their learning outcomes from participating in this learning activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mixed methods study comprised of a survey followed by two focus groups was conducted. Seventeen occupational therapy students completed the survey, four of whom also participated in a total of two focus groups. RESULTS: The participants perceived journal clubs as suitable and they suggested that emphasis on this learning activity be increased. Across the two focus groups, four integrated themes were identified: 'organisational prerequisites'; 'potential for learning'; 'learning barriers'; and 'journal club as an integrated learning activity'. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Journal clubs were described as having the potential for increasing students' learning regarding research methods, promoting skills in reading and critically reviewing research articles and having relevance for professional practice. Some barriers were identified, and changes are suggested for future educational practice.

Evidence-based practice - implementation level and attitude among physical, occupational, and speech and language therapists in Germany: status quo.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an important component of clinical practice in public health. Its implementation involves interpreting scientific studies and then applying this knowledge to clinical decision-making. In Germany, the therapy professions are often trained in non-academic medical schools, and only a small number of therapists are university graduates. AIMS: This study assessed the current status of EBP among physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists and to determine whether academization influences the implementation of EBP in Germany. METHODS: To assess the EBP implementation level and therapists' attitudes toward EBP, a cross-sectional study was conducted using the German version of the Evidence-Based Practice Inventory (EBPI), which consists of five dimensions: attitude; subjective norm; perceived behavioral control; decision-making; and intention and behavior. The structural validity and internal consistency of the EBPI survey were also tested. RESULTS: Of the 2,412 responses, only 557 were eligible. There were statistically significant differences between academically educated vs. non-academically educated therapists in four of the five EBPI dimensions. Furthermore, four of the five dimensions had sufficient unidimensionality and internal consistency. CONCLUSION: There are differences between academically educated and non-academically educated therapists regarding EBP knowledge, attitudes, and implementation. Academically educated therapists are more likely to use EBP than non-academically educated therapists. There are still barriers to clinical application that need to be addressed. SPANISH ABSTRACT: http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A195.

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

BACKGROUND: Role-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. METHODS: A 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. RESULTS: Three 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. CONCLUSION: This 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.

Applying Concepts of Curriculum Design and Cultural Adaptation: Collaborating on a Dual-Degree Occupational Therapy Program in Mainland China.

Occupational therapy is a profession with origins rooted in Western values. As culture plays an important role in shaping theory and practice, the curriculum design of academic programs that train future rehabilitation professionals should reflect the local context. As part of an international partnership, a dual-degree graduate program in occupational therapy was established between a Chinese and an American university. A team composed of members from both institutions collaborated on culturally adapting an entry-level master's program in occupational therapy for China, based on a U.S. program, which welcomed its first cohort in September 2019. This article details the timeline and process of program design and adaptation from conception, through implementation to evaluation and revision, with the aim of offering a framework for curriculum adaptation of other academic programs in the U.S. and internationally. The adapted curriculum includes the program mission, vision, and philosophy; the curriculum model with program outcomes and threads; the program scope and sequence; materials and resources; and course-specific objectives, learning activities, and assessments. The authors also share lessons learned through this experience of international collaboration as well as next steps for program evaluation and sustainability. The detailed overview of this international collaboration offers suggestions for individuals and institutions seeking to develop global partnerships and adapt curricula across cultural contexts.

Differences in Approaches to Learning Between Occupational Therapy Students in the USA and Norway.

Students approach learning in different ways, and this study aimed to examine and understand differences in learning approaches between occupational therapy students in Norway and the USA. A total of 321 students, from two universities in the USA and six higher education institutions in Norway, completed the short version of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students. The data were analyzed with linear regression analyses. U.S. students had substantially higher scores on the strategic approach and higher scores on the deep approach, compared to the Norwegian students. Differences may be due to different national regulations and levels of education required for entering the programs, or personal factors such as predisposition for learning.

Evaluative judgement in practice education: How does the ability to judge the quality of work impact placement performance?

INTRODUCTION: Occupational therapy students need to be ready to work autonomously in a range of environments as soon as they complete their degree. Practice education experiences are considered key to students developing the competencies that autonomous work requires. To function autonomously in practice environments, it is argued that practitioners need to be able to judge the quality of their own work and the work of others. This is referred to as evaluative judgement. However, there is limited empirical literature relating to evaluative judgement and even less exploring the concept within occupational therapy. METHODS: This study used qualitative methods, seeking to understand the evaluative judgements of clinical practice made by third- and fourth-year occupational therapy students during practice education. RESULTS: Twenty-one interviews were conducted with third- (n = 10) and fourth-year occupational therapy students (n = 1), university support staff supporting practice education (n = 4), and practice education supervisors (n = 5) at one Australian university. Practice education grades and documentation were also used as data. Data were analysed thematically, and two themes, each with three sub-themes, were identified: students coming to understand expected standards, with the following sub-themes: students attuning to cues, cues that inform supervisors about students' meeting the standards, and barriers and frustrations to understanding standards; and practising and developing evaluative judgement, with the following sub-themes: making comparisons, acting on feedback, and reflective practice. CONCLUSIONS: Practice education experiences provide many context-specific opportunities for students to develop their evaluative judgement. Students may be supported to come to know what quality work looks like by offering scaffolded opportunities to develop evaluative judgement in university and practice education settings.

Understanding Accreditation Requirement Trends of Teaching Occupation in Occupational Therapy Curricula.

Accreditation standards covering occupation have evolved across recent versions of the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education's (ACOTE®'s) academic B content standards. Because occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant academic programs are required to provide evidence of compliance with each B content standard, the level of students' learning of occupation warrants attention. The revised Bloom's taxonomy offers a useful framework for examining hierarchical learning action verbs that underpin the degree of complexity of students' learning of occupation within the ACOTE standards. In this column, we provide an analysis of action verbs across ACOTE standards from 2006 to the most recent, 2018 version. The findings reveal a reduction in accreditation requirement trends covering occupation in both lower and higher order cognitive skill levels as described in the revised Bloom's taxonomy. We advocate for increased curricular content centered on the foundations of occupation so that students and future practitioners can increasingly apply, analyze, evaluate, and creatively use occupation in the classroom and in practice.

Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Fieldwork Educators' Experiences.

Background. Fieldwork is an essential part of experiential learning in occupational therapy education. Fieldwork educators identify limits on reasonable accommodation and difficulty implementing disability-related accommodations. Student occupational therapists with disabilities report discrimination from within the profession, including inflexible fieldwork environments. Purpose. To understand the experiences of occupational therapy fieldwork educators in Canada in accommodating students with disabilities and to develop action-oriented practice recommendations. Method. In this interpretive description study, we interviewed 11 fieldwork educators about their experiences accommodating students with disabilities. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Findings. Educators emphasized a meta-theme of "Learning" when asked about disability-related accommodations. Three subthemes about student learning emerged: 1. Educators focused on "Student Learning in Preparation for Professional Practice" rather than their fieldwork setting only; 2. Educators were "Using Occupational Therapy Skills for Student Learning" in fieldwork; and 3. Educators recognized that their professional and personal "Context Influences Student Learning." Conclusion. Fieldwork educators can work with students to align their accommodations with required learning outcomes for professional practice and use their occupational therapy skills to assist with implementation. Fieldwork educators require time and other supports to work effectively with all students.

Virtual interprofessional (VIP) education, a family medicine-occupational therapy-physiotherapy collaborative experience: the perspectives of patients, learners and providers on the opportunities and challenges.

This study examined the experiences of patients, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physiotherapy (PT) and Medicine learners, Providers, and Faculty, in implementing a Virtual Interprofessional (VIP) education initiative in two academic Family Medicine (FM) collaborative clinics. A qualitative descriptive study drew on a strength-based approach as part of the evaluation of the interfaculty VIP initiative. Participants involved in VIP care were conveniently sampled. Interviews were conducted with four patients, and focus groups were held with a total of 16 providers, preceptors and learners in OT, PT and FM. Data were analyzed using content analysis and managed using NVivo12. Four main categories emerged: 1) Challenges in implementing VIP care in FM; 2) Operational challenges, 3) Facilitators of VIP care in FM; and 4) Experiential learning outcomes and benefits of VIP care. This innovation supported knowledge and insights on interprofessional competencies acquired during practice, provided inclusive and comprehensive access to care for patients, and identified opportunities to enhance medical, OT and PT education in VIP care in FM. A collaborative approach with faculty from different disciplines (FM, School of Health Professions: OT and PT) can provide ongoing opportunities for VIP care for patients, and foster IP learning and acquisition of competencies for FM, OT and PT learners and providers.

Occupation-Based Assessments in Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practice.

In pediatric occupational therapy, there is insufficient evidence examining assessment tool selection by occupational therapists and how assessment tools contribute to occupation-based practice. To examine the perceptions of occupation-based assessment tool selection by pediatric occupational therapists, a phenomenological research study was conducted with six pediatric occupational therapy practitioners. Three themes emerged from participants' perspectives: the centrality of occupation, selecting the just right tool, and practice implications. Participants recognized the need to integrate occupation-based assessments into practice but reported decreased opportunities secondary to training, available supplies, lack of awareness of foundational constructs, and organizational expectations. The use of occupation-based assessments positively enhances pediatric occupational therapists' clinical practice by upholding the core occupational beliefs of the profession throughout all phases of service delivery.

Instructional Insights: Building Well Aligned Courses Using Performance-Based Backward Design.

This paper describes an example of collaborative course development, in which occupational therapy faculty members designed a two-course sequence for teaching content related to occupational therapy with children and youth. They used a backward course design approach and performance-based learning objectives to create alignment between Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) standards, course assignments and instructional content. The authors present examples from their course design, along with evidence-based resources to guide educators working on developing new courses or revising existing courses. Outcomes achieved from four years of teaching and refining the developed courses are also described.

Predictors of Academic and Fieldwork Performance in Occupational Therapy Students: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Occupational therapy (OT) educational programs are aimed at enrolling a diverse student population that is likely to succeed in the academic and fieldwork components of the program. Comprehending the array of factors that influence students' learning and academic and fieldwork success is important for university educators. This study investigated the existing literature on predictors of academic and fieldwork performance in OT students. Methods: The search process used in this review included screening, eligibility, and study quality. We searched the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for literature published in the past 10 years (1 January 2012 to 30 March 2022). As a comprehensive search, the following keywords were used for abstract, title, and keywords sections: occupational therapy student, predictors, fieldwork, academic, academic success, academic performance, fieldwork success, and fieldwork performance. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument was used to assess the quality of studies. Results: The systematic review retrieved 14 articles that met inclusion criteria. Most were cross-sectional studies, followed by cohort, retrospective analysis of secondary data, and exploratory studies. Four articles focused on academic success, eight focused on fieldwork success, and two explored both aspects. Promising predictors of academic performance included the admission grade point average and the student's approach to studying. Predictors of fieldwork performance included a graduate record examination score, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationships. Conclusion: This systematic review explores predictors of academic and fieldwork success in OT students, which provide opportunities to identify early the learning difficulties of students and assist educators to target modifiable predictors so they can provide high-quality education.

A Descriptive Review of Occupational Therapy Education.

This AOTA Guidance Document describes the present state of occupational therapy education within the United States educational system.

A Call to Shift to Competency-Based Education.

This column explores the concept of competency-based education (CBE). A shift to CBE is a key trend for the future of health care education. Health care professions that have adopted, or started to adopt, a CBE framework include physical therapy, speech-language pathology, social work, medicine, nursing, pharmacology, and dentistry. Internationally, many occupational therapy programs are in the process of shifting to, or have shifted to, a CBE model. This column discusses how although select occupational therapy programs in the United States may individually be considering shifting to, or have shifted to, a CBE framework, there is no national movement to explore adopting the model for occupational therapy or a consensus on defined outcomes for the profession.

The Revised American Occupational Therapy Association Fieldwork Performance Evaluations: Evaluation of Internal Structure, Response Processes, and Precision-Part 2.

IMPORTANCE: There is an evidence-based need to assess the validity and reliability/precision of the revised American Occupational Therapy Association's Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) items for the occupational therapy student (OTS) and the occupational therapy assistant student (OTAS). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate evidence of validity in relation to response processes, internal structure, and precision of the FWPEs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study design. SETTING: OTS and OTAS fieldwork practice settings, United States. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred sixty-seven fieldwork educators participated in total, providing 228 OTS evaluations and 39 OTAS evaluations. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: A Rasch model was used to evaluate aspects of validity and precision. RESULTS: The rating scales provided evidence of the tools' overall validity. Thirty-two of 37 items on the FWPE for the OTS, and 27 of 31 items on the FWPE for the OTAS demonstrated acceptable fit, but the evidence of unidimensionality in the subscales and in the total scales was not fully supported. The total/reduced FWPE scales were able to separate students into at least four distinct groups of fieldwork performance. The relationships between the current and revised FWPEs indicate that the new scales measure different but related constructs of student fieldwork performance, compared with the current version. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings support that the revised FWPEs for the OTS and OTAS demonstrate preliminary evidence of internal structure, response processes, and precision, supporting evidence-based practice in fieldwork evaluations. What This Article Adds: This article highlights evidence demonstrating the validity and precision of the revised American Occupational Therapy Association's Fieldwork Performance Evaluation items and supports academic and fieldwork settings for occupational therapy students and occupational therapy assistant students.

[Mapping in 3D with MapIt: an added value for a professionalization path from the student perspective]. / Cartographier en 3D avec MapIt : une plus-value pour un parcours de professionnalisation selon la perspective étudiante.

During the pandemic, the MapIt app was integrated into an occupational therapy program to support remote learning of built environment adaptation. MapIt maps rooms in a home, then generates a 3D model for viewing and taking virtual measurements. The students express that the use of MapIt during their training leads to embodying the roles expected of an occupational therapist. To inspire other good pedagogical ideas, this article presents how MapIt can support learning in authentic situations, a key element of a professionalization path, approaching the realities experienced by patients, clients, or caregivers.

Addressing Current Issues in Vision Rehabilitation as a Specialty Practice of Occupational Therapy.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the low number of occupational therapy practitioners in the United States that possessed specialty or advanced certification in low vision. The discussion explores possible reasons for this finding, including insufficient educational accreditation standards to prepare occupational therapy students to work with people with visual conditions, lack of clarity on the definition of low vision leading to misalignment with the profession's scope of practice, inconsistent requirements for advanced certification, scarcity of post-professional preparation programs, and other issues. We propose several solutions to prepare occupational therapy practitioners to meet the challenges and needs of people of all ages with visual impairments.