Occupational therapy is currently experiencing a professional refocusing on occupation and its intrinsic relationship with health and wellbeing (Molineux 2004). However, in order to keep this momentum going and to enhance the confidence of therapists in their practice, it is vital that research is undertaken that enables the development of an understanding of how occupation is experienced and ascribed meaning by individuals. This opinion piece suggests that interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a useful methodology for therapists to develop such an understanding. It introduces the reader to IPA, including a brief overview of its theoretical underpinnings, highlights factors to consider when planning an IPA study, and discusses how it may provide a useful approach for occupational therapy researchers.

Changes in health and social care present exciting opportunities for occupational therapists in the United Kingdom to expand their practice into innovative settings. To prepare graduates for these opportunities, placement experiences must reflect current trends in practice. Role-emerging placements are increasingly being used within occupational therapy to help students develop the skills, knowledge and attributes needed to become the therapists of tomorrow. This paper provides an overview of the literature on the use of role-emerging placements within the profession by considering the current context of placements, the rationale for the development of role-emerging placements and their potential strengths and limitations. The paper aims to increase awareness in the UK of role-emerging placements and their potential value within health and social care education.

Introduction: Role-emerging placements are increasingly being used to help prepare occupational therapy graduates for practice in a changing health and social care climate. However, while the literature on such placements is increasing, few longitudinal studies have explored their impact on graduates' professional practice and identity. Method: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to gain an understanding of the ways in which five occupational therapy graduates felt their role-emerging placement influenced their professional identity and practice once qualified. In-depth interviews were carried out with the graduates once they had been working as occupational therapists for a minimum of 6 months. Results: In the absence of other occupational therapists, students on placements created professional identities of their own making and generated visions of the type of therapist they wanted to become. Once qualified, however, there were mixed experiences concerning the extent to which this identity could be sustained in practice. Particular difficulty was encountered by those working in National Health Service settings, where graduates questioned whether their practice was congruent with the professional understandings and ways of being they had developed on placement. Conclusion: Role-emerging placements acted as a catalyst for participants' personal and professional development. Further research on the long-term influence of role-emerging placements is required.

Introduction: Role-emerging placements are increasingly used to help occupational therapy students develop the skills, knowledge, and attributes needed to become the therapists of tomorrow. Whilst literature on role-emerging placements is growing, studies have tended to be general placement evaluations, with only a limited number exploring students' experiences in detail. Method: This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to gain a deeper understanding of how five MSc pre-registration occupational therapy students experienced and ascribed meaning to their role-emerging placements. Findings: The role-emerging placements acted as a strong catalyst for the students' ontological development (that is, their understanding of self and development of ways of being and enacting occupational therapy practice). Through engaging in challenging and autonomous learning experiences, students developed deeper insights into who they were becoming as professionals, leading to a professional identity of their own making. Conclusion: Having to continually reflect on and verbalize the core essence and contribution of occupational therapy, students developed clarity of understanding about the uniqueness of the profession. This is important in light of the historical difficulty occupational therapists have had in articulating their unique role and professional identity.

Introduction: Research suggests that older people on acute physical hospital wards are at increased risk of physical and mental health decline due to inactivity during their stay. Whilst studies have highlighted potential causes of such inactivity, there exists a paucity of occupational therapy research that explores engagement in meaningful occupational from patients' perspectives in hospital settings.