Professional Behaviors and Fieldwork: A Curriculum Based Model in Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Professional behaviors have been identified as imperative for fieldwork success in occupational therapy, and are held to high expectations by fieldwork educators. This study consisted of three phases. Phase one was a retrospective analysis of past Fieldwork Performance Evaluations (FWPE; n=319). Phase two consisted of the development of a curricular model and Level I Fieldwork Seminar with a focus on low-scoring professional behaviors on the FWPEs, which included verbal/ non-verbal communication, written communication, professional responsibility, work behaviors, and time management. Finally, phase three was a review of the course by the Philadelphia Region Fieldwork Consortium and edits to the seminar based on their feedback. Two theories, situated cognition and self-directed learning, were used to guide the curriculum development. ABSTRACTProfessional behaviors have been identified as imperative for fieldwork success in occupational therapy, and are held to high expectations by fieldwork educators. This study consisted of three phases. Phase one was a retrospective analysis of past Fieldwork Performance Evaluations (FWPE; n=319). Phase two consisted of the development of a curricular model and Level I Fieldwork Seminar with a focus on lowscoring professional behaviors on the FWPEs, which included verbal/ non-verbal communication, written communication, professional responsibility, work behaviors, and time management. Finally, phase three was a review of the course by the Philadelphia Region Fieldwork Consortium and edits to the seminar based on their feedback. Two theories, situated cognition and self-directed learning, were used to guide the curriculum development. INTRODUCTIONProfessional behaviors have been identified as imperative for fieldwork success and held to high expectations by fieldwork educators (Campbell & Corpus, 2015;Koenig, Johnson, Morano, & Ducette, 2003;Robinson, Tanchuk, & Sullivan, 2012). Professional behaviors include communication skills, initiative, clinical reasoning, common sense, ability to handle stress, interpersonal skills, and interest in learning (Campbell & Corpus, 2015;Gutman, McCreedy & Heisler, 1998;James & Musselman, 2006;Kasar & Muscari, 2000;Koenig et al., 2003;Scheerer, 2003). Moreover, studies such as that completed by James and Musselman (2006) have found that the most common characteristics of students who have failed fieldwork are poor professional behaviors. However, few studies exist that offer ways in which professional behaviors necessary for successful performance in fieldwork can be addressed during a student's academic preparation. Additionally, it is unclear how these poor professional behaviors can be