The impact of undergraduate occupational therapy students’ interpersonal skills on their practice education performance: A pilot study

Predictors of Academic and Fieldwork Performance in Occupational Therapy Students: A Systematic Review

Introduction

Occupational therapy (OT) educational programs are aimed at enrolling a diverse student population that is likely to succeed in the academic and fieldwork components of the program. Comprehending the array of factors that influence students' learning and academic and fieldwork success is important for university educators. This study investigated the existing literature on predictors of academic and fieldwork performance in OT students.

Methods

The search process used in this review included screening, eligibility, and study quality. We searched the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for literature published in the past 10 years (1 January 2012 to 30 March 2022). As a comprehensive search, the following keywords were used for abstract, title, and keywords sections: occupational therapy student, predictors, fieldwork, academic, academic success, academic performance, fieldwork success, and fieldwork performance. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument was used to assess the quality of studies.

Results

The systematic review retrieved 14 articles that met inclusion criteria. Most were cross-sectional studies, followed by cohort, retrospective analysis of secondary data, and exploratory studies. Four articles focused on academic success, eight focused on fieldwork success, and two explored both aspects. Promising predictors of academic performance included the admission grade point average and the student's approach to studying. Predictors of fieldwork performance included a graduate record examination score, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationships.

Conclusion

This systematic review explores predictors of academic and fieldwork success in OT students, which provide opportunities to identify early the learning difficulties of students and assist educators to target modifiable predictors so they can provide high-quality education.

Predictors of clinical experience performance in occupational therapy and physiotherapy: A scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Successful completion of clinical education experiences is a graduation requirement for students in occupational therapy and physical therapy programmes. A scoping review was conducted to determine what is known about possible clinical experience performance predictors and to find associated research gaps.

METHODS

The search included one hand-searched journal and seven databases, which were used to identify related relevant studies: CINAHL, Education Database, Education Source, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PubMed, REHABDATA, and Web of Science. A research librarian guided the search process, and the review's reporting is structured by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. Studies were included if they contained predictors of clinical experience success indicated by validated performance evaluation tools that were scored by clinical instructors. A multidisciplinary team reviewed the title, abstract, and full text for inclusion and conducted thematic data synthesis to categorise findings.

FINDINGS

Twenty-six articles met the inclusion criteria. The majority of articles were of correlational design and included single institutions. Seventeen articles included occupational therapy, eight included physical therapy, with only one article including both programmes. Four categories of predictors of clinical experience success were identified: pre-admission variables, academic preparation, learner characteristics, and demographics. Each of the main categories included three to six subcategories. Key findings included the following: (a) The most common cited predictors in clinical experiences are academic preparation and learner characteristics, (b) more experimental design studies are needed to determine the causal relationship between predictors and clinical experience success, and (c) future research is needed on ethnic disparities and clinical experience success.

CONCLUSION

Findings from this review show that possible predictors of clinical experience success include a wide range of factors when correlating success with a standardised tool. Academic preparation and learner characteristics were the most investigated predictors. There were only a small number of studies that found a correlation with pre-admission variables. The findings of this study suggest that students' academic achievement may be a critical element of clinical experience preparation. Future research using experimental designs and across institutions is needed to determine the main predictors for student success.

Analysis of Occupational Therapy Students' Pedagogical Practices for the Forging of Professional Identity and Development of Professional Intelligence: A Scoping Review

Pedagogical practices contribute to enhancing professional intelligence which is an indicator of maturity and development of professional identity. The research guiding question was: What are the pedagogical practices involved in occupational therapy students' professional identity formation? A scoping review using a six-stage methodological framework was used to capture a variety of evidence describing how professional identity has been conceptualised and integrated into the occupational therapy curriculum while noticing a link to professional intelligence. Databases included were: Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest ERIC, Scopus, Web of Science, CSIC, Dialnet, PubMed, Pubmed Central, OTDBASE and Scielo. Qualitative content analysis was used to categorise learning outcomes into five components of professional identity that were associated with the pedagogical practices identified in the studies. n = 58 peer-reviewed journal articles were recorded. The articles were classified as intervention studies (n = 31; 53.4%), reviews (n = 12; 20.7%) and theoretical articles (n = 15; 25.9%). To ensure the feasibility of collecting and reporting results, we narrowed the focus to n = 31 intervention studies that provided information on pedagogical practices and learning outcomes on professional identity forging in students. This scoping review illustrates the variety of contexts in which students learn, the multiple dimensions of identity establishment, and the variety of pedagogical practices. These findings can be used to adapt and design focused formative curricula that support the development of professional identity.

La educación interprofesional en el desarrollo de la identidad profesional en terapia ocupacional: una revisión de alcance

Resumen Objetivo analizar el desarrollo histórico, la naturaleza y el volumen de la literatura científica de la Investigación sobre Educación Interprofesional en terapia ocupacional, así como los tipos de intervenciones que se desarrollan. Método Se utilizó un scoping review con un marco metodológico de cuatro etapas para capturar la evidencia que describe cómo las Investigación sobre Educación Interprofesional y la identidad profesional ha sido conceptualizada e integradas en la terapia ocupacional. Las bases de datos incluidas fueron MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Pubmed Central, ERIC, PsychInfo, Cinahl, Ciberindex, Dialnet, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane y Scielo. Como criterios de inclusión los artículos debían describir conceptos relacionados con la terapia ocupacional y otras disciplinas, identidad profesional y la educación interprofesional en estudiantes y/o profesionales. Del listado final se analizaron las variables: información demográfica, objetivo/propósito del estudio, detalles metodológicos, tipos de intervenciones realizadas y resultados/hallazgos principales. Resultados 18 artículos cumplieron los criterios y 16 se tuvieron en cuenta para la síntesis cualitativa. Predomina la investigación universitaria (92,3%). El 75% de la muestra de las investigaciones se concentra en estudiantes. La investigación mixta representa el 50% del estudio. Las intervenciones más numerosas en Investigación sobre Educación Interprofesional son prácticas en el aula (62,5%) frente a prácticas de campo (37,5%). Conclusión este estudio muestra la fortaleza de las prácticas ligadas a la educación interprofesional y su vínculo para desarrollar la identidad profesional. La formación de colaboración interprofesional en comparación con la educación clínica tradicional, aumenta la identidad profesional a través de la autoeficacia percibida de los estudiantes.

Professionalism, Resilience and Reflective Thinking: How Do These Influence Occupational Therapy Student Fieldwork Outcomes?

The relationship between entry-level, undergraduate occupational therapy students' fieldwork performance and measures of professionalism, reflective thinking and resilience was examined. A group of 135 undergraduates (86% female) completed a self-report questionnaire containing the standardized instruments measuring professionalism, resilience and reflective thinking. The Australian Student Practice Evaluation Form-Revised (SPEF-R) measured fieldwork performance. Linear regression analyses identified Staying Healthy and Relationships with Others as significant predictors of students' fieldwork performance in Professional Behaviors, Self-Management and Information Gathering. The findings highlight the importance of interpersonal skills and engagement in healthy lifestyles in key fieldwork performance areas.

Predictors of undergraduate occupational therapy students' academic performance during the Covid-19 pandemic: A hierarchical regression analysis

BACKGROUND

The rapid switch to online learning in response to the Covid-19 pandemic affected occupational therapy students' education delivery. It is, therefore, important to investigate these impacts.

AIMS/OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the potential predictors of academic performance in undergraduate occupational therapy students after moving to online or blended learning post-Covid-19.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 208 students from three Australian universities completed a demographic questionnaire and the Distance Education Learning Environment Scale (DELES). Hierarchical linear regression analyses were completed to identify significant students' academic performance predictors.

RESULTS

Hierarchical regression explained a cumulative total variance of 24.6% of students' academic performance. The following independent variables were significant predictors: DELES student autonomy (p = 0.033), number of hours per semester week dedicated to indirect online study (p = 0.003), number of hours per semester week dedicated to indirect offline study time (p = 0.034), gender (p = 0.005) and English as a first language (p = 0.045).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings add to the knowledge base on the range of factors that have impacted occupational therapy students' academic performance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

SIGNIFICANCE

The outcomes will assist faculty in developing supportive and pedagogically sound learning modes across online, hybrid and traditional forms of instruction within occupational therapy curricula.

Evaluation of soft skills among Italian Healthcare Rehabilitators: A cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

Healthcare rehabilitator skills can be grouped into hard and soft skills. Hard skills are specific and teachable, which can be defined and measured, while soft skills are less tangible and more difficult to quantify. The aim of this study is to investigate the level of knowledge of soft skills among Italian healthcare rehabilitators, and how they were acquired.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Two hundred healthcare rehabilitators, who worked in Southern Italy were enrolled from September 1st to October 31st 2017, and interviewed with Computer-Assisted-Web-Interview (CAWI) software, to assess their level of soft skills.

RESULTS

Healthcare rehabilitators showed significant satisfaction with university education (59.5%), particularly for theoretical training (64%), while significant dissatisfaction was found for technical-practical training (63.5%), training in patients' family management (66.5%) and stages participation to improve soft skills (59%). Dissatisfied rehabilitators were found for university education of soft skills (59%), particularly for interpersonal relationships with patients family (66.5%) and technical-practical train in(63.5%). Women considered the training courses about soft skills acquisition more useful than men (43.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare rehabilitator training is lacking in the teaching of both technical-practical and soft skills. It is striking that in a healthcare profession like that of the rehabilitator, where practical and empathic skills are fundamental in the relationship with the patients, such skills are not treated in analogously with theoretical training.

Occupational therapy practice education: A perspective from international students in the UK

Background: Numbers of international students enrolling on occupational therapy (OT) courses in Western institutions have increased. Previous examination of these students' experience of practice education is limited.Objective: To explore the opportunities and challenges experienced by international students in OT practice education.Methods: This study adopted a phenomenological approach, recruiting six individuals from three UK universities. Data from semi-structured interviews was given thematic analysis for result interpretation.Results: Participants identified learning OT in the workplace, working in a multidisciplinary team and personal and professional development as practice education opportunities. Language difficulties, differences in communication styles, multiple cultural differences and unfamiliarity with the National Health Service (NHS) were the main challenges. Good practice educators and supportive team members were the main contributors to positive placement experiences.Conclusions: Participants gained knowledge and skills from practice education that existing healthcare literature suggests they are expected to attain. Several challenges were highlighted regarding participation in practice education. The findings reveal a need to enhance practice educators' skills in supervising international students. Universities are recommended to invest time and resources in supporting the learning needs of these students.Significance: The first study to present international students views on OT pre-registration practice placements in the UK.

Exploring the relationship between resilience and practice education placement success in occupational therapy students

INTRODUCTION

Practice education is a fundamental component of health professional students' education and many personal, social and professional factors impact on students' performance. This study investigated the relationship between measures of resilience and practice education performance in occupational therapy students.

METHODS

A quantitative cross-sectional study was used to collect the data. In all, 149 occupational therapy students completed a self-report questionnaire comprised of demographic questions and two standardised scales: Resilience at University (RAU) and Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA). Students' practice education performance was measured by the Student Practice Evaluation Form-Revised (SPEF-R). Multi-linear regression analyses with bootstrapping were completed to identify resilience factors that were predictive of occupational therapy students' practice performance.

RESULTS

Overall, occupational therapy students reported high levels of resilience based on the RAU and RSA subscale scores. "Managing Stress," "Find Your Calling" and "Living Authentically" were strong predictors of a range of key fieldwork performance SPEF-R factors, including "Professional Behaviours," "Self-management Skills," "Co-worker Communication" and "Communication Skills."

CONCLUSION

The resilience factors identified as being significant predictors of practice education performance outcomes in occupational therapy students represent notable findings. They suggest that students' capabilities in managing their stress levels, finding meaning in their chosen profession, and engaging self-care daily activities outside of the work environment that are meaningful, authentic and fit with one's personal values and beliefs can act as buffers against the challenges experienced by students who are completing practice education placements. The findings will assist academic and practice educators in identifying and targeting vulnerable students and strengthening resilience strategies through proactive pre-practice placement initiatives. Qualitative studies are recommended to further explore the relationship between resilience and practice education performance in occupational therapy students.