Student and Faculty Perceptions of Clinical Competence During Problem-Based Learning

The occupational therapy (OT) profession is in the process of moving from a master to a doctorate for entry-level education minimum; however, due to lack of evidence and disagreement from the community this mandate has been placed in abeyance (AOTA, 2018). This poster presentation is timely as it compares the two current entry-level degree options master of occupational therapy (MOT) and doctor of occupational therapy (DrOT). The purpose of this study was to compare the two cohorts at one university based on five categories of clinical competence; clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice (EBP), safety awareness, leadership, and professional behaviors. This study was a prospective comparative design. Data was collected during the week of problem-based learning (PBL) in which OT students at this institution participate during the spring semester of their second professional year (P2). During PBL, students are graded by faculty members on their performance as they engage in going through the OT process including interview, evaluation, and intervention. The scores on these rubrics are broken into five categories of clinical competence (leadership, clinical reasoning, professional behaviors, evidence-based practice, and safety awareness) based on ACOTE standards. Students were given a self-perceptions survey created by Yuen, Azuero, Lackey, Brown & Shrestha (2016) to gain insight into how they view their level of professionalism to be used as a way for students to reflect on their abilities. A Mann-Whitney U-Test was used to compare the MOT (n=35) and DrOT (n=20) students’ scores on PBL among the five categories of clinical competence resulting in no statistical significance. A Spearman Rho correlational analysis was completed to determine if the views of professionalism between faculty and students were aligned revealing that neither were statistically significant (MOT (r_s=0.041), DrOT (r_s=0.066)). These results contribute to the knowledge of OT education and its impact on students, institutions, and the profession to allow for evidenced-based decision making. Students and new graduates have been surveyed and report feeling unprepared upon graduation (Hodgetts et al., 2007) and students report they are unsure of the standards required of them for professional behaviors (Robinson, Tanchuck, & Sullivan, 2012). The lack of correlation between faculty assessment and student self-perceptions may give insight into the results from this literature review.

References

American Occupational Therapy Association (2018). AOTA and ACOTE entry level education update. Retrieved from https://www.aota.org/AboutAOTA/Get-Involved/BOD/News/2018/AOTA-ACOTE-Entry-Level-Education-Update.aspx.

Hodgetts, S., Hollis, V., Triska, O., Dennis, S., Madill, H., & Taylor, E. (2007). Occupational therapy students’ and graduates’ satisfaction with professional education and preparedness for practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 74(3), 148-160. https://doi.org/10.1177/000841740707400303.

Robinson, A., Tanchuck, C., & Sullivan, T. (2012). Professionalism and occupational therapy: an exploration of faculty and students’ perspectives. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 79(5), p.275-284. https://doi.org/10.2182/CJOT.2012.79.5.3.

Yuen, H., Azuero, A., Lackey, K., Brown. N., & Shrestha, S. (2016). Construct validity test of evaluation tool for professional behaviors of entry-level occupational therapy students in the United States. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 13(22). https://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2016.13.22.