Search

Professional behaviors are critical for fieldwork success and entry-level competency. A convergent mixed-methods institutional case study was utilized as a means to enhance professional behavior outcomes. The Philadelphia Region Fieldwork Consortium (PRFC) Level I Fieldwork Student Evaluation (2nd ed.) was implemented as a pretest posttest measure, in the didactic context, to track one cohort of entry-level Master of Occupational Therapy (OT) students’ professional behavior development during their last academic semester. Students (n=46) and academic professors (n=5) completed pre and posttest ratings across one semester. Paired t-tests demonstrated significant differences between student and faculty ratings and within group difference among students at both time points. Constant comparative analysis of concurrent student journal reflections was triangulated with the PRFC (2nd ed.) categories and quantitative outcomes to gain further insight into student perceptions and experience. Results indicate that OT students’ professional behavior development is developmental and that students are receptive to education on professional behavior expectations and practice. Further research is warranted to develop: 1) a framework to best guide academicians to implement professional behavior curricula within an academic context and 2) a tool with strong psychometric properties that can be consistently utilized within an academic context to measure professionalism. This study adds to a growing body of evidence that supports the need for professional behaviors in OT programs to be consistently assessed and addressed within academia.

Occupational therapists play a vital role in the care of individuals with feeding, eating, and swallowing (FES) disorders across the lifespan. Although there are certain standards created by the Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy (ACOTE) for understanding of assessment and management practices specific to FES, there are inconsistencies in how occupational therapy programs in the United States address FES disorders within their curriculum. This cross-sectional exploratory survey study received responses from 54 Master of Occupational Therapy (MSOT) programs and 63 entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) programs. Survey questions included quantitative and qualitative information on general information regarding FES content taught within the program. Survey results indicated only 4.8% of programs had a course dedicated to FES disorders and an average of 6.37 hours were dedicated to FES across the lifespan. Chi-squared tests for independence demonstrated a significant difference between pediatric educational hours over adult occupational therapy educational hours in FES (p<0.001). There was no significant difference however between the number of hours dedicated to FES between MSOT and OTD programs (p=0.146). The results question the adequacy of educational hours dedicated to FES management across the lifespan. In order for occupational therapy practitioners to bring their inherent value in contributing holistically to assessment and management of FES disorders, therapists must have knowledge and confidence in their skills. Ensuring that entry-level occupational therapists are adequately prepared to evaluate and treat individuals with FES disorders is imperative for the profession to remain liable and competent in the field of FES. While occupational therapy education programs are meeting the ACOTE dysphagia standard, the question remains if the number of hours programs are dedicating is enough to ensure entry level competency, as well as enough to compete with speech and language pathologists.

The Same Site Model of fieldwork service delivery provides the opportunity for the occupational therapy student to complete their Level I and Level II fieldwork at the same site. Due to limited research on the Same Site Model, a survey study was conducted to explore fieldwork educatorand student perceptions on using the model. A 10-question survey, with 8 Likert questions and 2 open ended questions was designed by 2 Academic Fieldwork Coordinators. A total of 116 surveys were completed by occupational therapy students (N=45) and fieldwork educators (N=71) on their preferenceof the Same Site Model, along with their perceptions of the student’s preparedness, communication skills and ability to interact with clients during their Level II fieldwork. Out of the 116 returned surveys, only 24 indicated having the opportunity to use the Same Site Model. The findings of this current study revealed a moderate positive correlation(r=0.407) at 0.01 level of significance (p

Background: Ghana currently lacks a systematic method for identifying children with developmental delays, and there do not appear to be any culturally sensitive assessment tools available. The objectives of this mixedmethods research study were to explore normal developmental milestones and parental practices in the Ghanaian population. The study also aimed to identify and describe culturally specific factors that should be accounted for on assessments used in the Ghanaian culture. Methods: Twenty-eight Ghanaian parents were interviewed and asked to participate in a developmental milestone picture-identification task. Quantitative and qualitative data analyses were performed. Results: The interviews revealed several cultural factors that may need to be accounted for on a standardized assessment for Ghanaian children. Some gross motor and self-care skills (e.g., crawling and toilet training) were reported to develop earlier in Ghanaian children compared to children in the United States. Discussion: Developmental assessments normed on a U.S. sample may be inappropriate to use in the Ghanaian culture. Renorming of existing developmental assessments for the Ghanaian population is recommended.