Perceptions of OT Student Readiness in the Acute Care Setting

PURPOSE: Occupational Therapy Practitioners have a valuable role in the acute care setting; however, students are not being specifically prepared to perform in this practice area. There is a gap in the literature regarding student perceptions of readiness for level II fieldwork, especially in the acute care setting.

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study aimed to understand Doctor of Occupational Therapy students’ perception of readiness for level II fieldwork in an acute care setting.

DESIGN: This basic interpretive qualitative research study interviewed 11 students recruited and utilized purposive sampling from various acute care hospitals.

METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually with audio recording. Transcripts were de-identified, transcribed, coded, re-coded, and then had themes categorized.

RESULTS: Participants noted that although didactic and hands-on education were helpful, they often felt underprepared for the depth of medical knowledge required for this setting. It was noted that there were gaps in the basic knowledge of acute care and medical knowledge such as diagnoses, precautions, and medical equipment. Participants felt unprepared for the chart review process and this was a skill learned and applied during fieldwork. They discussed how they utilized their therapeutic use of self and the therapeutic modes throughout their level II fieldwork in acute care. Finally, participants reportedly felt well supported and valued their acute care experience and how the relationship with their fieldwork educator further facilitated their learning.

CONCLUSION: Occupational Therapy Practitioners have a valuable role in the acute care setting; however, students are not prepared to optimally perform in this practice area. A more focused education and collaboration with acute care level II fieldwork settings to facilitate the education and skills needed to perform occupational therapy services is necessary.

References

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. (2018). Accreditation council for occupational therapy education (ACOTE) standards and interpretive guide (effective July 31, 2020). https://acoteonline.org/accreditation-explained/standards/

Brown, T., Yu, M., Hewitt, A., & Etherington, J. (2020). Professionalism as a predictor of fieldwork performance in undergraduate occupational therapy students: An exploratory study. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 34(2), 131–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380577.2020.1737896

Dove, E., Hennessy, K., Kirou-Mauro, A., Aitkens, L., Duncan, A., Agur, A., & Ho, E. S. (2022). Gross and applied anatomy pedagogical approaches in occupational therapy education: Protocol for a scoping review. Bmj Open, 12(6). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-058665

Edelstein, J., Walker, R., Middleton, A., Reistetter, T., Gary, K. W., & Reynolds, S. (2022). Higher frequency of acute occupational therapy services is associated with reduced hospital readmissions. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(1). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2022.048678