Dietetics students’ perceptions and experiences of interprofessional education

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is a process through which students are provided with learning opportunities with other professions aiming to improve client care. The need to include effective IPE in preregistration programmes for health professionals is increasingly being recognised. The overall aim of the present study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of final‐year dietetics students of IPE delivered through interactive online learning groups. Methods: A questionnaire was developed to evaluate the students’ satisfaction with the IPE modules, including importance to their clinical placements, and their understanding of the roles of other professions. Six dietetics students took part in a focus group that addressed the impact of participating in the IPE modules. The focus group discussion was recorded, transcribed and subjected to content analysis. Results: Twenty students completed the questionnaire (77% of the cohort). Satisfaction with the IPE modules increased as the programme progressed, with 65%, 90% and 95% of the respondents, respectively, being satisfied with the content, assessment and access of the final module. Participating in the programme enhanced the students’ opinions on the value of the roles of other professionals (80%) and enhanced their awareness of interprofessional issues (75%). Four key areas of interest emerged from the focus group analysis: key impressions; understanding the role of the dietitian and other professionals; the advantages and disadvantages of online delivery; and interprofessional working in the work environment. Conclusions: The most important outcome of participating in IPE was that students’ knowledge of other professions was enhanced, which had a positive impact on placements. An effective information technology infrastructure and appropriate scenarios are key requirements for the online delivery of IPE.     

Occupational therapy practitioners’ perspectives regarding international cross‐cultural work

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of occupational therapy practitioners who have engaged in cross‐cultural work experiences. The research question was how do occupational therapy practitioners make meaning of their lived cross‐cultural experiences. Methods: This study utilised a qualitative, phenomenological design. Eleven open‐ended, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with occupational therapy practitioners educated in the United States and who engaged in international practice. The interviews were then coded and analysed using a constant comparative analysis approach. Results: Three central themes emerged from the completed interviews and data analysis, including connectedness, cultural awareness and complexity. Connectedness is the process of forming relationships with others while engaging in cross‐cultural experiences. Cultural awareness is the recognition and understanding of a different culture, comparing these insights with one’s own culture and then responding to those differences. Complexity is the idea that cross‐cultural experiences are dynamic, multi‐faceted and intricate. Conclusions: This study helps provide an understanding of cross‐cultural work experiences from the practitioners’ perspective. The demands of such work require practitioners to go beyond developing basic skills related to cultural sensitivity and cultural awareness. Instead, practitioners need to embrace and integrate the ability to incorporate layers of cultural awareness, complexity and connectedness into practice. Further research is needed to understand how this is actually developed and utilised within practice.     

Informing fieldwork design: Key elements to quality in fieldwork education for undergraduate occupational therapy students

Aim:  In this current climate of escalating student fees, students as paying consumers expect a quality fieldwork experience. However, the ability of universities to deliver quality fieldwork programs is compromised by the increasing pressure experienced by fieldwork educators to meet productivity targets in the face of diminishing resources. This paper details how one university, Monash University, sought input from stakeholders to design a fieldwork program.
Methods:  This qualitative study utilised focus groups to inform the researchers of stakeholders' perceptions of what constitutes quality fieldwork education. A total of five focus groups were held, involving 47 occupational therapists practising in Victoria.
Results:  The major findings include the need to provide ongoing professional development for fieldwork educators, the need to develop tangible strategies in recognition of their contribution towards fieldwork education, and the imperative for closer collaboration between universities and fieldwork educators.
Conclusions:  Based on literature and in response to the focus group discussions, Monash University has implemented a number of measures to ensure the successful implementation of quality fieldwork education. These include providing ongoing professional development for fieldwork educators to enhance their role, addressing fieldwork educators' concerns about project placements and supporting students with fieldwork relocation. Most importantly, this study demonstrates the need for educational institutions to take the lead in dialogue with the profession to enhance a collaborative response to constant changes in health-care directions. The importance of ongoing research to inform quality fieldwork education is critical to moving the profession forward.     

Occupational therapy students' perspectives regarding international cross-cultural experiences

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of occupational therapy students who have engaged in international, cross‐cultural learning and service experiences. Methods: This study utilized a qualitative, phenomenological design. Nine semi‐structured interviews were conducted with students who engaged in international learning opportunities. The interviews were coded and analyzed using a constant comparative analysis approach. Results: Three central themes emerged from the data anlysis. Connectedness is the process of forming relationships with others while engaging in cross‐cultural experiences. Students formed relationships with faculty, other students, and people within the community. Cultural awareness is the recognition and understanding of a different culture and responding to those differences. Students attempted to understand the new culture in comparison to their own lived experiences. Complexity portrays cross‐cultural opportunities as dynamic, multi‐faceted and intricate. This was demonstrated as the students raised additional questions about the conflict between their own culture and the new culture they entered. Students also identified limited orientation, support and structure with such experiences and the conflicting roles between volunteer, student, and team member. Conclusions: The ability to connect with others when building relationships in diverse cultural contexts held meaning for the students; however, the students also expressed conflict in trying to make sense of the new culture as it often challenged personal beliefs and constructs. The complexity and challenges of engaging in these opportunities needs to be recognized and further explored to assess how curricula and faculty best supports culturally responsive care.     

Facilitating professional identify in occupational therapy students

The purpose of this study was to explore how a graduate course in occupational therapy theory can help prepare students to develop a professional identity. Thirty students participated in the study. The course included content on the history of occupational therapy, models of practice and the social, philosophical, political and economic factors that impact on occupational therapy. The students were divided into groups of four or five where they discussed issues assigned by the instructor. An electronic blackboard was used to share the discussion with the class. Surveys of the students' opinions were used to collect data on what the students viewed as the strengths and weaknesses of the course. The students felt that the class discussions were the strongest part of the course. They felt that the course improved their critical thinking and problem solving significantly. It was concluded from the results that the course facilitated their professional identity through the connection made between theory and practice. There is a recognized need to explore the issue of developing a professional identity in occupational therapy students through courses integrating philosophical topics and clinical practice. Specifically, it is recommended that further research be carried out in educational settings with larger samples, using comparison groups and other methodologies to evaluate the issue of facilitating professional identity in occupational therapy students.     

Evaluation of the effect of using online database to enhance students’ learning of occupational therapy theories in occupational therapy education

BackgroundLearning about occupational therapy theories is crucial to occupational therapy education, and an online database is developed to facilitate students’ learning of occupational therapy theories in this study.AimThis study was conducted to evaluate the effect of this database on users’ experiences.MethodsA mixed-method approach, including surveys and focus groups, was used. First- and third-year students who had studied occupational therapy theory at a university participated in this study.ResultsOne-hundred-and-twenty students completed the surveys, and 11 students participated in the focus groups. The students demonstrated a significant increase in the number of theories they named and their perceived understanding of theories after the semester. They rated the content, utility and satisfaction with the database in facilitating their understanding/learning of theories as moderate-good. Based on qualitative data, it appeared that the database provided specific information about occupational therapy theories and facilitated students’ learning and level of interest in learning about them. However, the first-year students who accessed the database showed a significantly decreased level of interest in learning about theories, but such the decrease was not found in the third-year students.ConclusionThe study findings suggest that the use of an online database may enhance students'' learning about occupational therapy theories in educational settings.     

Occupational therapy entry‐level education in Australia: Which path(s) to take?

Background/aim: There has been an increase in the number of occupational therapy educational programmes offered in Australia over recent years. Although universities offer bachelor, masters and graduate‐entry masters programmes, there is a push to consider phasing out occupational therapy bachelor degrees. The aim of this study was to identify advantages and disadvantages associated with current and future credentials needed for entry into the profession. Methods: This article reviews current literature and other issues concerning entry‐level occupational therapy education Results: The underlying issues are complex and require great consideration as a profession. Conclusion: As a profession we need to take charge of our destiny before governments, universities and other stakeholders/professions determine the basic level of entry for our profession.     

Configuration of occupational therapy,professionalism and experiential learning — An integrated introductory course

The professional obligations of an occupational therapy faculty include the need to provide students with means to develop a sound professional identity and facilitate a positive and coherent professional socialisation process. This article proposes that, through calculated construction of an introductory occupational therapy course, one can relate to these issues. It suggests basing the course content on Mosey's concept of ‘the configuration of occupational therapy’, in answer to possible problems in professional identity, and at the same time working to develop the basic professional socialisation dimensions — knowledge, skills and art of therapy. It uses experiential learning theory, both as an instrument for the examination of students learning styles and for choosing teaching methods.     

Focus group study of student physiotherapists’ perceptions of reflection

Context The reflective practice module in the physiotherapy programme at the University of Limerick, Ireland represents the first incidence of the inclusion of such a module within physiotherapy curricula in Ireland. However, research examining the contribution of reflection as a means of learning is limited, particularly from the student perspective. Objectives This study sought to explore students’ perceptions of reflection and its potential contribution to their development before and after the module. Methods A qualitative research methodology using focus groups was employed to evaluate physiotherapy undergraduate students’ perceptions of the module. Three focus groups were held in total. Two were held with Year 3 students, before and after their reflective practice module, respectively, to examine any changes in their perceptions of reflection. A third was held with Year 4 students to determine their perceptions after both the module and subsequent clinical placements. Sessions were audiotaped, transcribed and subjected to in‐depth thematic analysis to resolve the significant themes that emerged from the data. Results Students reported a more advanced level of reflective ability post‐module completion. They perceived personal and professional benefits to practising reflection and recognised these skills as strategies with which they could continue to facilitate their professional development. For students, time constraints in the clinical setting represented a barrier to reflection. Conclusions Students support inclusion of the module in their training, acknowledging its role in improving their confidence and clinical reasoning, and facilitating continuing professional development. Further studies are required to generalise these findings to a wider population.     

Occupational therapy as an academic discipline in Finland

The aim of this short report is to outline the relation between Finnish educational policy and the dualistic educational structure of Finland, to describe the consequences of this system for education in occupational therapy at university level, and to speculate on the likely development and challenges facing academic occupational therapy education in the future. The authors have been involved in the development process. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd.     

Evaluation of the mentor-mentee relationship in an occupational therapy mentorship programme

Mentor group relationships in an occupational therapy university curriculum were investigated. In phase I, mentors (n = 23) and mentees (n = 124) were surveyed over a four year period. In phase II, 14 mentees from the same time period were surveyed after graduation. It was found that mentors and mentees surveyed agreed that their mentor group leader displayed more mentoring (i.e. ongoing partnership for guidance and support) than coaching (i.e. short-term relationship for providing feedback on areas requiring change) characteristics, and most agreed that, post-graduation, their mentor group leader had been a mentor to them. Mentees viewed their mentors predominantly as a role model or counsellor and emphasized knowledge, experience, guidance, and support as desirable attributes of a mentor. Contact with mentors for resources, support, or job-related purposes continued after graduation for more than half of mentees. Some mentees reported that peer mentoring had also occurred. Limitations of the study include the small sample size in Phase II and some aspects of survey design. Future areas of research identified include studying the development of the relationship over time (i.e. pre-, mid-way, and post-programme), comparing relationships between mentors and mentees who have similar versus dissimilar expectations for the programme, further examining peer mentoring or group relationships, and continuing post-graduation surveys with a larger sample size for increased reliability.     

Occupational therapy students' perceptions of their cultural awareness and competency

Occupational therapy students' perceptions of cultural awareness and their self-rated level of cultural competence were investigated. Seventy-two participants at four stages of education (on entry, on completion of university-based studies, on completion of fieldwork and one year following graduation) completed the Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Questionnaire. The findings indicate that occupational therapy students graduated with an understanding of cultural diversity and the realization that cultural awareness and sensitivity are essential to culturally competent practice. The findings suggest that there is not enough exposure to cultural issues in both university-based education and in fieldwork. This study was limited to one state university and to most students aged < or =24 years and predominantly female. It did not explore the factors that influence the development of cultural competence and the methods to develop it. Future studies should monitor actual culture-related exposures to determine how learning experiences are organized and the ways culture influences the learning process and clinical competence.     

Dietetic students’ performance of activities in an objective structured clinical examination

Background: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) have been used to assess the key clinical skills of many health professions; however, this form of assessment is not reported to have been used extensively for dietetic students. The present study explored which key dietetic skills could be assessed by an OSCE and which activity students performed best. Methods: An OSCE of six activities, two involving simulated patients, was developed to assess key dietetic clinical skills. Thirty‐five level two dietetic students undertook the OSCE, which was marked using structured marking tools. A self‐administered questionnaire was also used to obtain data concerning student’s opinion on the OSCE process and the time allowed for each activity. Results: Six activities were incorporated into the OSCE, involving communication, discriminatory and interpretation and food knowledge skills. The OSCE activity students performed least well involved knowledge of portion sizes and the carbohydrate content of specific foods. The activities that students performed best were the two activities in which mainly communication skills were assessed in simulated dietetic consultations using actors as standardised patients. Conclusions: A dietetic OSCE was generally positively accepted by the students and offers a very effect form of assessment of key dietetic skills. Students performed better at activities requiring communication skills than those requiring greater discriminatory and interpretation and food knowledge skills. Students’ food knowledge skills require reinforcing to ensure that they acquire the knowledge and skills that are unique to dietitians.