Document Type (Journals)
Educational Innovations
Abstract
A university-based, role-emerging fieldwork placement for occupational therapy students has been developed to provide work disability prevention services for university managers and workers. Over five years, 24 students have provided holistic interventions across 18 departments. The purpose of this project was to formally evaluate the perceptions of the program and the impact of services on managers and workers and to examine the experience of participating students. A utilization-focused evaluation approach was used as the guiding framework for this project. Methods included a retrospective review of reports and educational materials, a manager and worker survey, and a review of results from an existing student survey. The retrospective review of reports and educational materials demonstrated that students utilized a comprehensive and holistic lens that considered the interaction between the person, environment, and occupation. Workers and managers reported they were satisfied and found that services were beneficial. The majority reported changing their work setup or work habits after receiving student services to prevent workplace disability. Students reported overwhelmingly positive responses about the placement, with 96% (n=23) of students agreeing that they had an excellent experience and 100% (n=24) of students agreeing they were able to use their acquired knowledge. This paper describes the formal evaluation process and the outcomes of the project. Findings support the benefits of a partnership with human resources and occupational therapy in developing a role-emerging placement that benefits students, workers, and the organization and promotes the value of occupational therapy in workplace disability prevention and health promotion.
Biography
Amanda U. Davis, OTD, OTR/L is an occupational therapist and assistant professor at Pfeiffer University. She is a prior student supervisor of the work disability prevention, role-emerging fieldwork placement at McGill University.
Rebekah Lewis, MPH, PhD(c) is the Program Evaluation Lead for Health Professions in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University. In this role, she provides program evaluation expertise to the Health Professions Schools, collaborating with stakeholders to develop and implement actionable evaluation plans.
Sara Saunders PhD, OT(c), erg is an occupational therapist and the Director of the Occupational Therapy Program at McGill University. Her knowledge of work disability prevention informs her teaching and clinical work. She has been a supervisor of the work disability prevention, role-emerging fieldwork placement for the past six years.
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no declarations of interest.
Recommended Citation
Davis, A. U., Lewis, R., & Saunders, S. (2022). Evaluation of an Innovative Student-Led Work Disability Prevention Program. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 6 (1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2022.060118
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