Document Type (Journals)
Original Research
Abstract
The person, environment, and therapist (PET) Principle is an innovative teaching strategy designed to improve recall of foundational information, facilitate critical thinking, and improve self-efficacy of student and novice therapists. Specifically, the PET Principle is a microlearning strategy that helps students and novice therapists break down segments of a treatment session using an acronym to promote a "just-in-time” thinking process. Therefore, they learn to consider all aspects of the person, environment, and therapist before, during, and after therapy sessions. To evaluate the effectiveness of the PET Principle and self-efficacy after learning the PET Principle, an 11-item survey containing nine forced-choice and two free-response questions was disseminated to students and recent graduates of the program. The research team used simultaneous coding of qualitative responses to identify common themes. Of the 49 completed surveys, the majority of respondents felt the PET Principle strategy was quite effective (43%) or extremely effective (26%) in helping them navigate treatment sessions, and felt somewhat confident (47%) or quite confident (36%) regarding their ability to access their knowledge and manage complicated treatment sessions. The majority also reported using the PET Principle every session or day (78%). Most free-response statements indicated respondents used the PET Principle to ensure safety awareness (49%) or effectiveness and efficiency of treatment (41%); 13% reported using the PET Principle for critical thinking and accessing knowledge. Educators should consider using the PET Principle as a teaching strategy to improve information recall and self-efficacy of students and facilitate critical thinking while navigating simulated and real-life situations.
Biography
Adam Story, PT, DPT, OTR/L, OTD, MTC is both a Doctor of Occupational Therapy and a Doctor of Physical Therapy Certified in Manual Therapy. He is a full time Assistant Professor for the Occupational Therapy Department at A.T. Still University, teaching Administration and Management, Basic Patient Care Skills, and multiple Professional Development Courses.
Melinda Delbridge, MS, OTR/L, CBIS has over 13 years of occupational therapy clinical experience in the areas of adult rehabilitation with an emphasis on neurorehabilitation. She is a full-time instructor at A.T. Still University in Mesa, AZ and is involved in teaching adult practice courses and introductory patient care skills.
Brandi Fulwider, PhD, OTR/L is an Assistant Professor at A.T. Still University. She has a PhD in occupational therapy and over 15 years of practice experience in the acute care and inpatient rehabilitation settings across multiple states. Her research interests relate to the occupation of sleep and interprofessional education experiences.
Sue Dahl-Popolizio, DBH, OTR/L is a 30-year Occupational Therapist and educator with a Doctorate in Behavioral Health. Currently Associate Professor/Director of Research at A. T. Still University Occupational Therapy Program, with clinical experience across settings, her research focuses on occupational therapy on interprofessional primary care teams, telehealth, population health management, and gamification.
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no declarations of interest.
Recommended Citation
Story, A. M., Delbridge, M., Fulwider, B., & Dahl-Popolizio, S. (2024). The PET Principle: An Innovative Teaching Strategy to Provide Real-Time Critical Thinking Skills and Improve Self-Efficacy. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 8 (4). Retrieved from https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol8/iss4/6
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