Evidence for your Practice: The Student Perspective on Role-Emerging Fieldwork Placements in Occupational Therapy

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Article: Lau, M., & Ravenek, M. (2019). The Student Perspective on Role-Emerging Fieldwork​ Placements in Occupational Therapy: A Review of the Literature. The Open Journal of Occupational​Therapy, 7​(3), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.154​4

Study Aim: This literature review aimed to identify the opportunities, challenges, and future directions of​role-emerging occupational therapy fieldwork placements based on the student perspective.

Key Findings: 30 articles that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed using scoping review methods to​explore and summarize student perspectives on the opportunities, challenges, and future directions of role-emerging fieldwork placements. The majority of the students included in the studies were from Canada and the United Kingdom while the remaining students were from the United States, Australia, the Republic of Ireland, and Hong Kong. 

Themes from the student perspective:

Opportunities for:

• Professional and personal development, independence and autonomy, client-centeredness, and a new occupational therapy perspective
• Positive growth perceived by students when making professional judgements and decisions without the immediate validation of an on-site supervisor or established occupational therapy guidelines
• Positive impact of completing role-emerging fieldwork placements in pairs or groups
• Increased confidence in professional skills and more inclination to        work in role-emerging settings after graduation

Challenges:

• Defining a professional role, a lack of structure and support, and a high level of responsibility
• Students experienced conflict with on-site, non-occupational therapy staff in terms of managing their expectations or defining their own role
• Students experienced self-doubt in ability to carry out decisions
• Less direct client interaction due to the time-consuming process of establishing an occupational therapy role
• Students experienced a lack of structure due to limited resources and the absence of an on-site supervisor          

Future directions:

• Students recommend future research to consider the benefits and limitations of peer learning models, as they felt that working in pairs or groups eased the overall demands of the placement and allowed students to challenge each other in a productive way
• Some students strongly suggested that future students should have prior fieldwork experience and be confident in their basic skills before considering a role-emerging placement 

Bottom Line for OT:  Role-emerging fieldwork placements allow students to demonstrate the role of​occupational therapy to the wider community. It is important to understand the experiences of students in these placements in order best support them as they work to build new roles for occupational therapy. Future research is encouraged to explore peer models and to help ensure students are confident and well supported in taking these opportunities. 

Post by Amber Sands, fieldwork student with CAOT-BC

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