Student Perceptions of OT Course in Animal-Assisted Therapy for Health Professionals

PURPOSE: Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a growing area of interest among OT practitioners, as evidenced by the increasing number of presentations on the topic at conferences and publications. Most occupational therapy core curricula do not include AAT (Winkle & Ni, 2019). Although AOTA lists AAT resources under the Rehabilitation & Disability Practice section, there are currently no ACOTE accreditation standards or competencies for AAT in OT. The only mention of animals in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (3rd Ed.) is ‘Care of Pets', which is listed as an occupation under instrumental activities of daily living (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014). The purpose of this study was to explore graduate OT student perceptions of an AAT for Healthcare Professionals course offered for the first time as an OT elective. The aim of the study was to capture student perceptions of applying AAT interventions to enhance occupational performance in areas of focus beyond Pet Care, such as self-care and other activities of daily living.

DESIGN: This qualitative study used a focus group to capture student perspectives on the course. The focus group was facilitated by the course instructor and an OT research assistant. A semi-structured focus group explored student perceptions of course content, pedagogy, course experiential activities and assignments.Students who took the AAT course were invited to volunteer to participate without credit or compensation. All activities related to the focus group took place after student's final grades were submitted.

METHOD: The study protocol was approved by the University IRB prior to collection of data. The group took place in a classroom and two students participated by Zoom while the research assistant took field notes. The field notes were reviewed and sorted into thematic categories. Feedback on pedagogy, experiential learning opportunities and assignments were synthesized and student recommendations for course improvement were summarized.

RESULTS: Each of the 19 students who took the course also participated in the 1.5-hour post-course focus group. The course was well-received by students and there was agreement that the course was well-balanced with didactic lecture, experiential activities, and guest lectures. Focus group themes included learning new ways to incorporate AAT into OT practice, acknowledgement of the potential of animals as co-therapists, and the importance, as health professionals, in understanding laws, standards, regulations, and certifications regarding AAT and other roles animals have in the lives of people with and without disabilities. Students agreed that taking the course led them to recognize that AAT is a legitimate intervention that falls within the OT Scope of Practice. Students agreed that the course could be improved by providing opportunities to apply AAT interventions through problem-based and case-based learning methods.

CONCLUSION: Focus group findings confirm OT student interest in learning how to safely and purposefully incorporate AAT into OT practice. Given the prominent role of OTs in the lives of people with disabilities, OT curricula should provide information that defines and clarifies standards for AAT, service and guide animals, emotional support animals, and companion animals. AAT is a legitimate intervention approach that falls within the OT Scope of Practice and should be integrated into OT curricula with a balance of didactic, experiential, and case-based learning methods.

References

Winkle, M., & Ni, K. (2019, January 22). Animal-Assisted Intervention 101. American Occupational Therapy Association. https://www.aota.org/Publications-News/otp/Archive/2019/animal-assisted.aspx

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2014). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (3rd ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68 (Suppl. 1), S1–S48. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2014.682006