Considerolions for Fieldwork Education within a Private Practice

Abstract

Private practice is a growing field for occupational therapists, and fieldwork placements in this area can provide occupational therapy students with a unique and timely learning experience. As non-traditional placements are being considered more frequently, practitioners in private practice have a greater mandate to respond and to provide opportunities for student field-work experience. This article is designed to highlight some of the unique considerations, for both therapist and student, related to fieldwork experience in a private practice setting. It is based on the personal experience of the authors, a review of the literature, and discussions with other private practitioners.

Private Practice: Benefits, Barriers and Strategies of Providing Fieldwork Placements

“…As Potts et al, (1998) outlined in their article, transportation in the private sector is a common issue related to student placements in this sector. Participants in this study reported that the time required to travel to clients' homes takes away from the amount of available learning time for students.…”

“…Potts et al, (1998) outlined four main areas of consideration, for both therapist and student, related to fieldwork experiences in a private practice setting: (1) application for fieldwork site approval; (2) legal considerations; (3) organizational considerations such as location, hours of work, caseload fluctuations and student expenses and; (4) learning objectives/clinical opportunities. Services were funded on a fee-for-service basis, or by third-party payers.…”

“…Several studies have shown that the majority of clinical educators enjoyed having students and viewed the fieldwork experience as having a positive impact on their practice (Derdall & Urbanowski, 1995;Potts et al, 1998;Tompson & Proctor, 1990). It is likely that many of these advantages also apply to placements in private practice settings.…”

“…It has been reported that students offer new ideas and a level of enthusiasm to clinical practice (Derdall & Urbanowski), as well as promoting the clinician's own feelings of confidence and expertise, improving the overall quality of their work (Derdall & Urbanowski; Tompson & Proctor). Potts et al (1998) postulate that awareness of the issues and potential challenges of private practice placements will help to facilitate practitioners in providing placements to students. The presence of students can also offer additional stimulation for clients and promote reflection, reorganization and a re-kindling of the desire to learn for clinicians (Tompson & Proctor, 1990).…”

Development of the student placement evaluation form: A tool for assessing student fieldwork performance

“…Students are being increasingly directed towards new or role-emerging areas of practice, where the occupational therapy role is still being established (Fleming, Christenson, Franz & Letourneau, 1996;Bossers et al, 1997). Private practice and other developing practice settings are also being explored (Potts, Babcock & McKee, 1998), as are part-time placements and fieldwork models where students might share their time between two centres (Huddlestone, 1999b). Some educational institutions have established occupational therapy clinics of their own, to provide fieldwork experiences for students (Ravetz & Granell, 1996).…”