Date Presented 4/21/2018
This quantitative study found that occupational therapists in community‐based practice used self‐directed learning as a primary strategy for developing competencies. Findings support the value of lifelong learning and the need for additional educational and professional development resources.
Primary Author and Speaker: Sunny Winstead
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to discover which professional development strategies community‐based occupational therapists find most effective for developing the competencies needed in community‐based occupational therapy practice. The results of this study can strengthen the profession’s understanding of how community‐based occupational therapy competencies develop, thereby contributing to the design of occupational therapy curricula, educational and clinical learning activities, and professional development tools that effectively support current and future community‐based occupational therapy practice.
METHOD: This quantitative, descriptive study used a national survey methodology. Participants were occupational therapists recruited from the American Occupational Therapy Association Home and Community Health Special Interest Section (SIS), Work and Industry SIS, and Mental Health SIS who completed the survey and had experience (≥15 hr/wk) in community–based occupational therapy practice within the past 3 yr.
Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire designed and administered with QuestionPro (Survey Analytics, San Francisco, CA). Respondents were asked to choose the most effective professional development strategy for each of six competency areas identified in the literature: (1) knowledge, (2) performance skills, (3) critical reasoning, (4) ethical reasoning, (5) interpersonal abilities, and (6) traits, qualities, and characteristics. Response options were based on professional development strategies identified in the literature, including formal occupational therapy education, self‐directed learning, feedback and mentoring, workplace trainings, and continuing education. There was also an option for respondents to write in a strategy of their own choosing.
All survey data were managed and analyzed using QuestionPro. Because of the exploratory nature of the study, descriptive statistics were the primary form of data analysis. Measures of frequency distribution were used to summarize respondents’ responses and represented as bar graphs.
RESULTS: Data from 81 completed surveys were included in the analysis. Respondents represented 36 states, and more than 80% reported ≥6 yr of experience in community‐based occupational therapy practice. The most frequently reported area of community‐based practice was home health, followed by ergonomics, hospice, and wellness/health promotion. Across the six competency areas, most respondents reported self‐directed learning to be the most effective strategy for developing community‐based occupational therapy competencies. Professional development strategies such as formal occupational therapy education, continuing education, workplace trainings, and mentorship were chosen less frequently than self‐directed learning.
CONCLUSION: This study found that experienced occupational therapists in community‐based practice used self‐directed learning as a primary strategy for developing a range of competencies. This finding supports the importance of lifelong and independent learning, particularly for occupational therapy practitioners in advanced or specialized areas of practice. This finding may also suggest that formal occupational therapy education and existing professional development options are not fully meeting the needs of community‐based occupational therapy practitioners. If so, there may be more that occupational therapy programs, employers, and continuing education providers can do to ensure that resources are available to support the preparation and ongoing professional development of community‐based occupational therapy practitioners.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Although further research is needed, this study suggests the need for additional educational and professional development resources to support community‐based occupational therapy practice. It also highlights the importance of teaching lifelong and self‐directed learning strategies to occupational therapy practitioners at all levels.
References
American Occupational Therapy Association (2010). Standards for continuing competence. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(Suppl.), S103–S105. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2010.64S103
King, G. (2009). A framework of personal and environmental learning‐based strategies to foster therapist experience. Learning in Health and Social Care, 8, 185–199. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1473–6861.2008.00210.x
Scaffa, M. E. (2014). Community–based practice: Occupation in context. In M. E. Scaffa & S. M. Reitz (Eds.), Occupational therapy in community‐based practice settings (2nd ed., pp. 1–18). Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.
