Enhancing fieldwork readiness in occupational therapy students with generative AI

Abstract

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into health professions education is revolutionizing traditional teaching methodologies and enhancing learning experiences. This study explores the use of generative AI to aid occupational therapy (OT) students in intervention planning. OT students often lack the background knowledge to generate a wide variety of interventions, spending excessive time on idea generation rather than clinical reasoning, practice skills, and patient care. AI can enhance creative ideation but students must still adhere to evidence-based practice, patient safety, and privacy standards. Students used ChatGPT v. 3.5 in a lecture and assignment to integrate generative AI into intervention planning. Students analyzed a case study, generated ideas with ChatGPT, selected interventions that aligned with the client’s needs, and provided a rationale. They conducted evidence-based searches and wrote an analysis on how the research influenced their decisions. The results demonstrate generative AI’s potential as a valuable tool for OT students, enhancing their comfort with AI and understanding of ethical and safety considerations. Qualitative feedback highlighted AI’s role in boosting efficiency and creativity in intervention planning, with most students expressing strong intent to use ChatGPT in clinical practice due to its ability to reduce cognitive load and generate innovative ideas. These findings suggest that integrating generative AI into the OT curriculum could enhance intervention planning and improve clinical readiness.