Document Type (Journals)
Original Research
Abstract
This study explored the perceived level of preparedness of occupational therapy (OT) graduate students for entering Level II fieldwork after completing nontraditional, traditional, and mixed Level I fieldwork experiences. This mixed-methods exploratory study included an online 22-question survey that was delivered to Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) and Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) programs throughout the United States. Participants were selected through voluntary convenience response sampling. Students (N=145) self-reported their level of preparedness for Level II fieldwork experiences. The quantitative data collected in this study reflected a statistically significant difference between Level I fieldwork experience-related questions for the three groups, including traditional, nontraditional, and mixed traditional and nontraditional fieldwork experiences. More specifically, students that took traditional fieldwork experiences felt that traditional fieldwork positively contributed to their preparedness for Level II fieldwork compared to those who took nontraditional fieldwork or a mix of traditional and nontraditional fieldwork. The qualitative data, analyzed through thematic analysis, indicated that students felt a combination of nontraditional and traditional fieldwork provided the most significant benefit from Level I fieldwork experiences. Results suggest that most OT students preferred either a combination of nontraditional Level I fieldwork and traditional Level I fieldwork or solely traditional Level I fieldwork for increasing their perceived preparedness prior to starting Level II fieldwork. This study has implications for OTD and MOT fieldwork curriculum development and implications for addressing the needs of OT students to feel better prepared for Level II fieldwork.
Biography
Reagan Bergstresser-Simpson, OTD, OTR/L, ADHD-RSP serves as assistant fieldwork coordinator and part-time professor at Huntington University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Reagan’s research interests include clinical fieldwork experiences, careers and employment with disabilities, social farming, pelvic floor therapy, and adaptive sports.
Emily Sweetman, OTDS is an occupational therapy doctoral student at Huntington University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Emily’s research interests include leadership and management within occupational therapy, the role of occupational therapy in vocational rehabilitation, and clinical fieldwork experiences.
Claudia Maloberti, OTDS is an occupational therapy doctoral student at Huntington University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Claudia’s research interests are in the area of fieldwork education and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the occupational therapy curriculum.
Miranda Hall, OTDS is an occupational therapy doctoral student at Huntington University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Miranda’s research interests include positive developmental experiences of the pediatric population, specifically students with disabilities in a school-based environment, and clinical fieldwork experiences of occupational therapy students.
Francis Hermes, OTDS is an occupational therapy doctoral student at Huntington University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Francis’ research interests include pediatric health, specifically related to helping children develop healthy lifestyles through physical activity programming and nutrition education within the occupational therapy curriculum.
Brody Worl, OTDS is an occupational therapy doctoral student at Huntington University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Brody’s research interests include the areas of orthopedics, hand therapy, adaptive sports, and clinical fieldwork experiences for occupational therapy students.
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no declarations of interest.
Recommended Citation
Bergstresser-Simpson, R., Sweetman, E., Maloberti, C., Hall, M., Hermes, F., & Worl, B. (2023). OT Graduate Students’ Perceived Preparedness for Level II Fieldwork: Traditional, Nontraditional and Mixed Fieldwork I Experiences. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 7 (1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2023.070115
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