On-Campus Occupational Therapy Clinic Enhances Student Professional Development and Understanding

Abstract

Changing healthcare systems impact clinical sites that provide fieldwork for occupational therapy programs and require students to be prepared for the pace and demands of the clinical settings. Occupational therapy programs strive to enhance hands-on experiences in didactic curriculum to better prepare students for Level II fieldwork. An on-campus clinic course was implemented over two semesters with students engaging in the occupational therapy process with adult and pediatric clients from the community under the supervision of faculty. Student surveys and focus group data were analyzed over five years.Survey responses to open-ended question were triangulated with data from focus group results and themes were validated with quantitative survey data. The research explored the design of the on-campus clinic courses, the themes of the data analysis, and implications for learning opportunities with clients in an on-campus experience. The findings support the feasibility of implementing an on-campus clinic with positive student outcomes and enhanced faculty-student relationships that are sustainable over several years.

Practice Education in Occupational Therapy: Current Trends and Practices

“…Another example of practice supervision is referred to as Near-Peer Assisted Supervision where a senior student or recent graduate supervises a more junior student in some aspects of their placement (Larkin and Hitch 2019). Some universities have set up onsite campus-based clinics where students provide services to clients and families under the supervision of academic staff (Erickson 2018). A more recent model is labeled the University-Supported Placement where students are placed in a setting (e.g., primary school, aged care facility) where no occupational therapists are currently employed, but instead the university contracts a clinician to supervise students at the site on a part time basis.…”