Date Presented 03/27/20
Student teaching clinics (STCs) are a means of providing hands-on learning opportunities to students. With increased utilization of STCs in OT, it is essential to examine student learning outcomes. In this study, the NBCOT Aspire OTR Self-Assessment was used to monitor perceived changes in student readiness for entry-level practice. Students demonstrated statistically significant changes in their perceived readiness for entry-level practice following participation in an STC.
Primary Author and Speaker: Sheryl Zylstra
Additional Authors and Speakers: George Tomlin, Jennifer Pitonyak
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine perceived changes in occupational therapy student reporting of their knowledge, skills, and entry level readiness following participation in a university-based occupational therapy teaching clinic.
RATIONALE/BACKGROUND: Student teaching clinics (STCs) are a means of providing hands-on learning opportunities to students in the health professions. STCs are becoming increasingly popular in occupational therapy programs as they have been shown to provide guided practice with faculty supervision, increase inter-professional experiences, provide real world learning opportunities to augment classroom experiences, and develop professional reasoning (Holmqvist, Courtney, Meili, & Dick, 2012; Rogers, Heck, Kohnert, Paode, & Harrell, 2017; Schutte et al., 2015). With increased utilization of STCs it is essential to examine student participant outcomes in order to determine whether learning objectives are being met. The NBCOT Aspire™ OTR Self-Assessment was used to monitor student perception of changes in readiness for entry level practice. The Aspire™ OTR Self-Assessment is a free, online tool designed to help students identify their knowledge, skills, and experience in relation to the validated domains and tasks of OT practice (NBCOT website, 2019).
DESIGN: This pre-test/post-test study included a retrospective review of data gathered during student clinic coursework, specifically the 4th semester of student learning.
Participants or data sources: Participants were all 34 students in a second-year cohort of master’s level occupational therapy students at the University of Puget Sound.
METHODS TO OBTAIN DATA: The Aspire™ Self-Assessment tool was assigned to help students assess and then reflect on their clinical skill development prior to, and following their student clinic experience. Self-Assessment results were submitted to the course instructor anonymously.
ANALYTICAL METHODS/ANALYSIS: Numbers were assigned to Aspire™ domains, such that: 0 = No knowledge or skills, 1 = General knowledge through observation and academic learning, 2 = General clinical skills under supervision, and 3 = Entry-level competence. An independent t-test was completed on pre- to post-clinic Aspire™ scores: student perceptions of their knowledge, skills and entry level readiness.
RESULTS: Student self-reports of clinical competence and readiness demonstrated statistically significant gains following participation in a teaching clinic experience (t[62] = -6.542, p < .001). As a group, students reported perceptions of improved clinical readiness after the STC, with scores improving by .879 units, nearly one full level of change. The largest gains were made in the items measuring collaboration, selecting assistive aids and devices, and managing occupational therapy services in legal and ethical ways, while the smallest item gains were made on the item fabricating orthotic devices. Results indicate that at the end of an STC experience students as a group perceived they had “General clinical skills under supervision,” compared to “General knowledge through observation and academic learning” before the start of the STC. Students as a group did not report having entry level competence in any skill, which was expected as they had not yet begun fieldwork level II.
CONCLUSION: Students reported growth in clinical knowledge and skills following a 16-week experience in the onsite occupational therapy student teaching clinic. Students were concurrently enrolled in didactic coursework, and it may be that these courses, or their interaction with the clinic experience, resulted in the changes seen.
References
Holmqvist, M., Courtney, C., Meili, R., & Dick A. (2012). Student-run clinics: Opportunities for interprofessional education and increasing social accountability. Journal of Research in Interprofessional Practice and Education, 2.3.
Rogers, O., Heck, A., Kohnert, L., Paode, P., & Harell, L. (2017). Occupational therapy’s role in an interprofessional student-run clinic: Challenges and opportunities identified. Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 5(3). doi:10.15453/2168-6408.1387
Schutte, T., Tichelaar, J., Dekker, R. S., van Agtmael, M. A., de Vries,T. P. G. M., & Richir, M. C. (2015). Learning in student-run clinics: A systematic review. Medical Education, 49(3), 249-263. doi:10.1111/medu.12625
NBCOT Website Retrieved from: https://www.nbcot.org/Students/Study-Tools/Self-Assessments. November 7, 2019.
