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Perceptions of Occupational Therapy Student Fieldwork Readiness in the Acute Care Setting
No full textOccupational therapy student readiness for Level II fieldwork is necessary for preparing novice clinicians and is challenging to assess, as it requires applying didactic knowledge in real-world clinical settings. There is currently a gap in the literature regarding student perceptions of their readiness for Level II fieldwork, especially in the acute care setting. The aim of this qualitative study is to better understand Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) students’ perceptions of readiness for Level II fieldwork in an acute care setting. This basic interpretive qualitative research study utilized a purposeful sampling with students completing their Level II fieldwork in various acute care hospitals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually and audio recorded. Transcripts were de-identified, transcribed, coded, re-coded, and themes categorized. Information power was achieved after 11 participants were interviewed for this study. Themes that emerged from the analysis were: (1) didactic knowledge translation, (2) complexity of acute care occupational therapy, and (3) collaboration and therapeutic use of self in fieldwork. There is an opportunity to have more focused acute care education and practical hands-on skills training needed to perform occupational therapy services in this setting. Additionally, collaboration with acute care Level II fieldwork settings will help facilitate the application of this specialized education and skills
Current Practices in Implementing the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Needs Assessment: A National Survey
No full textEntry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs navigate curricular decisions related to designing, implementing, and refining doctoral capstone processes. One of the complex requirements is the doctoral capstone needs assessment (DCNA) which each student completes prior to the implementation of the doctoral capstone project. The researchers aimed to contribute to the specificity of DCNA-related understanding, informing quality decision-making, via a national, cross-sectional survey of current DCNA practices. Purposive sampling resulted in a 24.3% (n=54) response rate of mostly Doctoral Capstone Coordinators (DCCs; 98.1%) representing programs across doctoral capstone experience levels. The timing of DCNA processes trended toward the latter half of their curriculums (~85%). Analysis indicated this timing of the DCNA was one of the most prominent challenges (n=39; 72.2%). The DCNA methods most commonly used were literature review of population needs (n=52; 96.3%), interview of a capstone site informant (n=45; 83.3%), and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis (n=36; 66.7%) with programs qualitatively either leaning toward primarily literature-based or site-specific approaches depending on various contextual factors. Respondents offered a number of DCNA strategies (M=7.96) for their students to use in order to facilitate flexible planning. Most respondents indicated that DCNA findings were reported via a written narrative (n=45; 83.3%) and/or a presentation (n=34; 63.0%). Constructive operational processes followed the themes of community engagement, scaffolding, and a step-wise approach. The current DCNA practices identified within this study are considered an essential step toward establishing best practices and structured tools that will aid DCCs in the development and quality enhancement of DCNA-related curricular components
Alpine Tethys rift-related OIB-type magmatism preserved on Elba Island (Northern Apennines, Italy).
No full textAn Environmental Scan of Preparation for Occupational Therapy Intraprofessional Collaboration in Ontario
Full text linkIntraprofessional collaboration between occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapist assistants (OTAs) is important for safe, effective, and efficient occupational therapy services. However, challenges such as role misunderstandings in Canada exist, which impact OT-OTA intraprofessional collaboration and the quality of care provided. This study aimed to reveal the OT-OTA intraprofessional collaboration preparation taking place in Ontario, Canada, during entry-to-practice education. An explanatory sequential environmental scan was conducted, which involved a survey distributed to OT and OTA educators, followed by six focus groups: two with OT educators, two with OTA educators, and two with OT and OTA recent graduates. Key findings revealed an opportunity and a need to develop ready-made, easy-to-use foundational online resources to support OT-OTA intraprofessional collaboration preparation in the Canadian context. The environmental scan revealed distinct competencies, skills, and attitudes that must be addressed and explicitly taught for effective OT-OTA intraprofessional collaboration. Participants emphasized that while ready-made online resources are needed to address existing knowledge gaps, scaffolded real-world OT-OTA interactions are also required to develop OT-OTA competence in intraprofessional collaboration. Contact theory provides insight into these findings. This study presents the initial phase in a broader initiative that created, disseminated, and evaluated resources designed to support OT-OTA intraprofessional collaboration across Canada
Law Enforcement in Kentucky Schools - Student Interactions and Current Practices
Full text linkThis mixed-methods study investigates the role of school resource officers (SROs) in Kentucky and describes their interactions with students. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how SROs interact with students and the implications of those interactions. The quantitative phase of the research involved a secondary analysis of student behavior violation data and the reported outcomes for students. Data indicated that student interaction with SROs did not lead to a significant student arrest rate. In the qualitative phase of the study, a focus group was conducted with school resource officers to explore their daily interactions with students. Qualitative data analysis focused on identifying themes and patterns in the narratives shared by participants to provide insights into the complexities of the relationships between SROs and students. The collected data indicated that school resource officers spend significant time in school as informal counselors and mentors
The Weight Of Feeding the World: Stress in Kentucky Farmers
No full textAgriculture work (farming, fishing, and forestry) is one of the most stressful jobs, with one of the highest suicide rates among all major job occupation groups. The stress that farmers face is often out of their control, stemming mainly from weather and financial concerns. This topic has been researched extensively in many countries around the world, however, research and literature are lacking in the United States, and specifically in the state of Kentucky. This study aimed to investigate the stress that Kentucky farmers face, how they cope with that stress, if it impacts their mental health, and how social support mitigates the impact of stress. The present study utilizes a survey and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The main hypothesis was that farmers will face the most stress from financial and weather-related stressors, that this stress will negatively impact their mental health, leading to depression and anxiety, and that those who ranked higher on the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support will report less anxiety and depression caused by stress. The findings of this survey indicated that reports of stress impacting mental health were low and that scores on the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support had no correlation to reports of anxiety and depression. However, it was found that financial and weather-related stressors were the most commonly faced stressors
Advancing Inclusivity: The Case for Change in Law Enforcement Training Regarding Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism
No full textAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) are two neurodevelopmental disorders that, while different, can overlap for some individuals. ASD can present itself in difficulties in areas such as communication, processing of senses, and restricted and/or repetitive behavior. ID can present itself in ways such as difficulties with social skills, reasoning, problem-solving, and processing information. This honors thesis began from the thought that both ASD and ID may make any encounter with law enforcement officers more challenging as compared to law enforcement interactions with neurotypical individuals. In fact, research referenced in this thesis project shows that police officers frequently misinterpret the behaviors that members of this community may exhibit. Such misinterpretations can lead to unsafe interactions and, in the most severe of cases, even fatalities. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate that officials in the current criminal justice system should examine and evaluate policies and practices concerning interactions with those in the ASD and ID community. Extant literature suggests that current police practices in some jurisdictions are not adequately preparing law enforcement officers to recognize and respond to individuals with ASD and ID appropriately, potentially placing this community in harm’s way. Through an examination of various case, academic literature, and interviews with experts in the discipline, this honors thesis paper demonstrates the need for widespread, mandated police training that is ASD and ID-specific. To protect and to serve members of society, this paper asserts that law enforcement must seek to advance inclusivity within their practices and training
Processing in Purgatory: The Hero’s Journey and Narrative Game Design
No full textDue to how young the game industry is, clear guidelines for how narrative game design should be structured have not yet been formed. This paper delves into the idea of the Hero’s Journey, a classic premise within storytelling and how it does and does not work when applied to the video game format. To help research this idea, I created a narrative heavy video game called Processing in Purgatory as a part of my thesis and used it as an example while exploring each step of the Hero’s Journey. What becomes clear is that video games have two separate hero’s journeys due to needing to create a journey for the player and the player character, who are connected yet are two separate entities. This balance of journeys often leads to the player’s interests being put first and, therefore, the more story heavy elements that keep the player away from gameplay longer to be redacted from the game. Many steps of the Hero’s Journey also don’t fit in because of this, mainly steps having to do with doubt or rejection like the Refusal of Return. While games do follow the broad strokes of the Hero’s Journey, they create their own unique form of narrative that must be considered when creating a game rather than trying to fit it into a preconceived version of storytelling
The Gendered Room and the Lock on the Door: Women Writers and the Patriarchy in Virginia Woolf\u27s A Room of One\u27s Own
No full textFrom Measuring Professional Behaviors to Developing Professional Identity: Use of the PIE Tool in Occupational Therapy Education
No full textDefining and measuring professionalism in academic occupational therapy (OT) programs is a highly interpretative and formidable task, as evidenced in the literature and revised language in the 2023 ACOTE® Standards. Within the context of a university assessment workshop, a team of OT educators and students used an occupation- and strengths-based lens to consider “professional identity.” The team subsequently developed an innovative criterion-referenced, growth-tracking professionalism tool (“The Professional Identity Evaluation [PIE] Tool”) for use in didactic OT education and advisement. The team initiated a multi-year trial of the PIE Tool in periodic advisement and gathered students\u27 perspectives of (1) the use of the new tool compared to a previous departmental professional behavior checklist, (2) the tool’s relevance, usefulness, and practicality, and (3) the tool’s ability to increase awareness of personal strengths as an aspect of professionalism. Thematic analysis revealed an overall positive view of the PIE Tool as a measure of multi-dimensional professional identity formation. Students (N = 42) appreciated how the tool linked their personal strengths with OT-specific professionalism expectations, increased their awareness of strengths as one “facet” of current and future professional identity, stimulated strengths-based introspection, and was optimized through advising excellence. Importantly, students provided examples of professional identity formation linked to the occupational dimensions of not only doing, but being, becoming, and belonging. Used in academic advisement to address program professionalism standards, the PIE Tool can potentially shift the paradigm from unidimensional tracking of observable professional behaviors toward reflective, strengths-based professional identity development in OT students