Abstract
Research within the self-perceived state of workplace competence provides areas of necessary growth in the journey of novice OT competency. Continual self-assessment is essential for attaining OT competency and impacts the profession’s role as effective leaders in the complex healthcare system. Analysis of fluctuating competence of current novice OTs provides necessary development tools in the novice OT’s transition to competent practitioner.
Primary Author and Speaker: Kaitlin Rotella
Additional Authors and Speakers: Betsey Smith
The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of competence in novice occupational therapists (OT). Factors that influence the varying levels of self-perceived competence were analyzed in relation to their impacts on workplace competency. Despite the high pass rate of certification exams and high employment rate within 6 months of graduation, there are inconsistent self-reported levels of workplace competency of novice OT practitioners (AOTA, 2018; McCombie & Antanavage, 2017). As the profession continues to evolve, particularly in respect to the dual points of entry at the master’s level and entry level OTD, it is essential to investigate the experience of transition to practitioner.
A qualitative, phenomenological approach was implemented with ten currently practicing occupational therapists with less than five years of work experience who earned a bachelor, masters or doctoral degrees from U.S. OT programs. Recruitment of participants occurred using a convenience and stratified random sampling by networking from workplaces, previous schooling, and social media.
The written consent, pre-interview questionnaire, and interview questions were sent via email. The semi-structured interview designed by the investigators includes a set of open-ended questions, with the understanding of flexibility to explore topical conversation points if providing value to the original intent of the study. All interviews were recorded through two applications for audio and one application for video. Grounded theory procedures were used for the constant-comparative method of analysis through the use of open, axial, and selective coding.
Three major themes developed while exploring competency in OT with novice occupational therapists. It was identified that competency is not well defined in OT for novice practitioners. However, values of competency developed through a hierarchical pattern to show how novice OTs perceive the attainment of increased competence. The second theme recognized is novice OTs seek mentorship, ask questions, research, attend continuing education, and use previous experience as ways to increase their competency. The final theme identified includes metacognition and the interplay between confidence and competence and their resulting impacts on feelings of successful clinical engagement.
Developing clearer expectations for novice occupational therapists allows competence to be more clearly navigated. By comparing competencies with preparatory steps to professional work, the success of the techniques can be analyzed. Current and future novice practitioners are provided with techniques to increase workplace competence and employers will be better equipped to design more effective new employee orientation and mentoring programs. When a therapist has good metacognition skills, they have an accurate assessment of their competence with accurately correlating confidence, identified as characteristics of a competent OT. It is the duty of the OT to internalize the forward thinking of the Vision 2025 to provide progress within the professional community. By researching the perceived state of workplace competence, connections can be made to identify areas of necessary growth in the professional journey to competency. It is imperative for occupational therapists to see continual self-assessment as a pathway towards competency as an essential role impacting the ability to be effective leaders in the complex healthcare system. By identifying the levels of competence of current occupational therapists, connections can be drawn from the research to allow change and development in the current OT education platform.
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2018). Academic Programs Annual Data Report: Academic Year 2017-2018 [Data file]. Retrieved from https://www.aota.org/∼/media/Corporate/Files/EducationCareers/Educators/2017-2018-Annual-Data-Report.pdf
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