Perceptions of Occupational Therapists Regarding Postprofessional Education

Abstract

Results suggested that a relatively low number of occupational therapists consider pursuing postprofessional education. Thus, if graduate education is essential for the advancement of the profession, emphasis must be on clarifying the need for and value of postprofessional education.

Enhancing graduate supervision in occupational therapy education through alternative delivery

“…These findings concur with those of Dickerson and Wittman (1999). Participants were positive about the required residency period in terms of access to resources, libraries and blocks of dedicated time with their supervisor.…”

“…Graduate education provides opportunities for: engaging in personal and professional development; increasing skills and knowledge; career advancement; becoming university faculty; and engaging in clinical research (Dickerson and Wittman, 1999). Pursuing graduate education is essential to developing a scientific approach to practice since it can provide answers to clinical questions as well as contributing theoretical knowledge.…”

“…When Dickerson and Wittman (1999) surveyed occupational therapists participating in graduate education in the USA, several factors were rated as important: cost, a clinical emphasis, the availability of faculty mentors, access to occupational therapy electives, an emphasis on advanced assessment, and alternative delivery programmes. Factors important to potential students included having faculty with doctorates and active research careers, using seminars and having a thesis requirement (Dickerson and Wittman, 1999).…”

“…Factors important to potential students included having faculty with doctorates and active research careers, using seminars and having a thesis requirement (Dickerson and Wittman, 1999). Although there is a growing body of literature about educational innovations in occupational therapy, such as distance education (Burwash and Cotkin, 1999), interactive videoconferencing (Crist, 1999), Internet use (King, 1999) and email (Zimmerman, 1999), there is a dearth of literature about the supervision of graduates in research-intensive programmes and the use of emerging technologies.…”

Student Development in an Online Post-Professional Master's Program

“…A cooperative learning framework is advocated as the most effective structure for online learning (Lally & Barrett, 1999). Dickerson and Wittman (1999) found that occupational therapists interested in graduate education wanted coursework that would improve their clinical skills and knowledge. Only one study in the occupational therapy literature has addressed online pedagogy (Simons et al, 2000), and no studies have investigated whether online education can meet the post-professional learning needs of occupational therapists.…”