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A practice placement design facilitating occupational therapy students’ learning

A practice placement design facilitating occupational therapy students’ learning Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe an addition to the practice placement design for occupational therapy students in Oslo, and to report on the learning experiences related to this modified practice placement design among the participants. Design/methodology/approach – Occupational therapy students and practice educators were interviewed in focus groups after having participated in an exploration of the utility of the Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills during mental health placement. Thematic analysis was applied to the data material. Findings – Four themes emerged relating to the students’ learning experiences during practice placement. They were theory‐practice integration; the role of supervision; self‐awareness of communication; and socialization to the therapist role. Practical implications – The practice placement design addition presented in this paper was well received by students and practice educators. It contributed to students’ focussed experience and to their active participation within a community of practice. The program appears to be one way of organizing placement with a potential for making a substantial contribution to occupational therapy students’ learning. Originality/value – The study adds to the existing literature in providing an example of a successful addition to the practice placement design, and in the detailed account of the learning experiences among the participants. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Emerald Publishing

A practice placement design facilitating occupational therapy students’ learning

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1755-6228
DOI
10.1108/JMHTEP-08-2012-0028
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe an addition to the practice placement design for occupational therapy students in Oslo, and to report on the learning experiences related to this modified practice placement design among the participants. Design/methodology/approach – Occupational therapy students and practice educators were interviewed in focus groups after having participated in an exploration of the utility of the Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills during mental health placement. Thematic analysis was applied to the data material. Findings – Four themes emerged relating to the students’ learning experiences during practice placement. They were theory‐practice integration; the role of supervision; self‐awareness of communication; and socialization to the therapist role. Practical implications – The practice placement design addition presented in this paper was well received by students and practice educators. It contributed to students’ focussed experience and to their active participation within a community of practice. The program appears to be one way of organizing placement with a potential for making a substantial contribution to occupational therapy students’ learning. Originality/value – The study adds to the existing literature in providing an example of a successful addition to the practice placement design, and in the detailed account of the learning experiences among the participants.

Journal

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and PracticeEmerald Publishing

Published: Nov 29, 2013

Keywords: Students; Occupational therapy; Academia‐practice gap; Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills; Practice placement; Theory‐practice integration

References