‘You actually see what occupational therapists do in real life’: Outcomes and critical features of first-year practice education placements

Abstract

Introduction First-year practice education placements have numerous benefits for occupational therapy students but are resource intensive. In considering alternatives, it is critical to consider students’ voices to ensure that planned experiences enable students to achieve the outcomes they value and need. This study examined undergraduate occupational therapy students’ views about important outcomes and characteristics of first-year placements. Methods Focus groups were conducted with 18 occupational therapy students and analysed using constant comparative analysis. Findings Two overarching outcomes were valued: confirmation of occupational therapy as a career choice and experience to draw on for future learning and practice. These outcomes were achievable through four proximal outcomes: understanding occupational therapy; understanding clients; finding out about myself and developing skills. The extent to which the valued outcomes were attained was determined by eight critical experiences: observing an occupational therapist in action; seeing real clients with real issues; seeing positive impact; seeing the bigger picture; accessing the occupational therapist’s reasoning; hands-on doing; getting feedback on skills and thinking analytically/reflectively. Conclusion In designing first-year placements, practice educators and academics need to ensure that students are provided with experiences that incorporate reality, participation and making connections to a bigger picture of occupational therapy service provision.

‘I left feeling different about myself’: What students learn on their first practice placement

“…More tacit learning about the profession, such as understanding the role of the Occupational Therapist in a particular setting (Mulholland and Derdall, 2007;Britton and Rehmel, 2019;Honey and Penman, 2020) and learning in the domain of cultural competency (Dyck and Forwell, 1997;Nielsen et al, 2017;Sonn and Vermeulen, 2018) have also previously been reported. Learning about service users could also be argued as identified within existing learning outcomes, although participants identified more nuanced learning than can reasonably be captured in this way.…”

“…More tacit learning about the profession, such as understanding the role of the occupational therapist in a particular setting (Britton and Rehmel, 2019; Honey and Penman, 2020; Mulholland and Derdall, 2007) and learning in the domain of cultural competency (Dyck and Forwell, 1997; Nielsen et al, 2017; Sonn and Vermeulen, 2018) have also previously been reported.…”

“…The fact that the learning identified by students themselves includes that which is covered in the intended learning outcomes serves to validate the importance of the first placement experience. It not only can confirm the choice of profession, as identified by Honey and Penman (2020), but also can lay the foundations for progression towards the required graduate entry-level skills (RCOT, 2016). This is significant in any discussions about the relevance of early placements and the associated expectations placed on students.…”

“…Grenier (2015) found that students identified themselves as facilitators or barriers to their own learning, reflecting their journey of self-discovery. Honey and Penman (2020) also identified the importance of this type of learning, while Healey (2017) explored the emotional management that is necessitated during placement. This personal journey is perhaps not something that can be planned for or scheduled.…”

“…Healey (2017) described emotional labour and management, suggesting that students experience emotional challenges and learning throughout their placement. Honey and Penman (2020) identified two overarching outcomes from interviews with Australian occupational therapy students across year groups when recalling their first placements. These were described as "confirmation of occupational therapy as a career choice" and "experience to draw on for future learning and practice" (p5) as ways of meeting the prescribed learning outcomes.…”