Background Practice placements in occupational therapy are fundamental components in developing a student’s professional identity. Various models of placements are available to expose and expand students’ participation in various community-based services. The purpose of this study was to compare occupational therapy students’ perceptions and expectations prior to placements with their perceptions and satisfaction levels upon completion of placements, and to compare clinical placement models (role-established and role-emerging). Methods The study included 155 undergraduate occupational therapy students, who completed questionnaires prior to and upon completion of their placements. The questionnaire included items that were divided into categories of placement setting and supervision, personal skills, professional skills, and community. Paired t-tests and two-way repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used in order to examine the change in scores over time, and a-parametric tests were used in order to compare the two models. Results For all students a significant decrease in scores was found from pre- to post-placement regarding setting and supervision (t[df] = 3.96[154], p < .001), and a significant increase in scores was found from pre- to post-placement regarding personal and professional skills (t[df] = 7.82[154], p < .001; t[df] = 14.24[154], p < .001, respectively). Comparison between placement models indicated nonsignificant differences regarding personal and professional skills. However, role-established post-scores were significantly higher than role-emerging scores regarding setting and supervision, but significantly lower regarding the contribution of services to the community. Conclusions Practice placements promote a student’s personal and professional skills. Students were less satisfied with the setting and supervision in comparison to their pre-placement expectations. Both models may contribute to students’ professional development. Role-established model had an advantage in students’ satisfaction with settings and supervision, while role-emerging models had an advantage in students’ perceptions regarding contribution to the community. Role-emerging model may contribute to developing and expanding areas of practice in the community. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-019-1762-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Using a community-based model as an integral part of occupational therapy students' practice experiences can enable the development of new emerging practices within the community. The aims of this study were to examine the experiences of students and supervisors in community-based role-emerging practice placements, and to compare the two types of placements (full-time and part-time). Methods Data was collected from 41 undergraduate occupational therapy students and seven supervisors using pre-post questionnaires, as well as qualitative data through focus groups and a short online questionnaire. Conventional content analysis was used for qualitative data, Wilcoxon tests were used to examine the change in scores, and Mann-Whitney tests compared the two types of placements. Results A significant decrease was evident in students' scores from pre- to post-placement regarding setting and supervision (z = -3.557, p < .001), with a non-significant decrease regarding community. Significant increases in scores were seen regarding students' personal and professional skills (z = -2.805, -3.152, p < .01). Close-to-significant differences in personal skills scores were found between role-emerging types. Overall, students and supervisors expressed positive impressions, while students addressed challenges relating to setting and supervision. Conclusions Community-based role-emerging practice placements may contribute to the professional and personal development of occupational therapy students. The results supported the positive aspects of role-emerging practice placements; they also identified the challenges of such placements with regard to students' expectations from the settings and supervision. Exposing students to role-emerging models, and seeking better compatibility with their expectations from community partnerships and supervisors, may contribute to their professional development, which can in turn develop and expand areas of practice in the community. Additionally, role-emerging practice placements can serve as a valuable contribution to professionals and stakeholders within communities, who do not as yet benefit from occupational therapy services.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Various models of practice placement are available. This study examined students' perceptions and compared models (role established versus role emerging). One hundred fifty-five OT students completed questionnaires pre- and post-placement. A significant increase was found in personal and professional skills. Significantly higher community scores were found in role emerging. Both models contribute to students' professional development, and role emerging may contribute to developing areas of practice in the community. Primary Author and Speaker: Anat Golos Contributing Authors: Esti Tekuzener