Role Emerging Placements: Skills Development, Postgraduate Employment, and Career Pathways

Abstract

Occupational therapy educators are increasingly using role emerging placements (REPs) as a forum for students to develop skills required to work in emerging areas of practice. This study explores the impact of REPs on skill development, postgraduate employment, and career pathways for occupational therapists. An online survey was sent to occupational therapists across Canada (n = 1,763). Occupational therapists who had completed a REP responded to the online survey (n = 88). Descriptive analysis was used to examine trends in the quantitative data, and content analysis was used to code categories derived from qualitative survey data. Results indicated five skills that developed in REPs and were used throughout an occupational therapist's career. REPs appeared to have no impact on choice of practice field postgraduation, career pathways, or employment status. However, a group who identified their current job titles other than occupational therapy indicated a positive experience regarding their skills, career pathways, and employment status. Study results highlight the need to further understand the experiences of graduates in their REPs and the factors in REPs that may influence the career trajectory of occupational therapists. Comments The authors report they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Development and Implementation of a Viable Level II Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Program in a Juvenile Justice Setting

“…Both traditional and emerging practice fieldwork programs must prepare students to engage in evolving practice environments while helping them to develop the skills needed to appraise evidence, articulate the care they provide for their clients, document evidence-based care processes, and examine data that may be used to measure program goals and out-comes. Although these programs are relatively new, the implementation and development of this Level II fieldwork program promotes the value of OT in emerging practice settings because it allows stakeholders to discover how OT contributes to health care delivery (Syed & Duncan, 2019). For example, OT practitioners in juvenile detention centers can provide support and services to youth who are detained so that they can effectively transition back into the community.…”

Nutrition Capacity Building to Meet National Priorities: Lessons Learned in Developing and Implementing Malawi's First Dietetics Program

“…Because of the lack of dietitians to shadow in Malawian hospitals, role emerging placements were particularly useful, and have gained global traction in allied health care professional training as a viable solution for balancing competing demands of providing quality practical training with limitations in supervisor coverage. 24 , 25 In the latter rotations of the program, students were paired and placed in situations where they were the only dietitians providing services and often reporting back to a nondietitian on-site supervisors (e.g., doctors, nurses, and nutritionists), with the supervising dietitian providing oversight and support. This approach proved useful in establishing input for dietetic services and met a recognized need for dietetic services.…”

“…We used a role emerging placements model, which works ideally in places where there are no structures and roles for dietitians, 27 and were highly successful in empowering students, building confidence in communication, promoting clinical reasoning, and improving their sense of their own role in multidisciplinary teams. 24 , 25 . 27 Under supervision, students were encouraged to directly interact with the medical teams on patient management by contributing to medical rounds and documenting directly in clinical notes after approval by supervisors.…”

An emerging future for work and education: implications for integrative learning in social work

“…An important example of innovation for integrative learning is role emergent placements (REP's), used increasingly for example in occupational therapy as "a forum for students to develop skills required to work in emerging areas of practice" (Syed & Duncan, 2019, p. 3), to gain skills which help graduates to gain employment, and to develop skills which remain relevant and in use across their careers (Syed & Duncan, 2019). These skills are transferable to social work practice as they include: "client-centered and therapeutic relationships, team consultation and collaboration, advocacy, critical thinking, and time management" (2019, p.…”