Elizabeth Springfield

Increasing the occupational therapy mental health workforce through innovative practice education: A pilot project

AIM This paper describes the evaluation of a pilot trial of two innovative placement models in the area of mental health, namely role emerging and collaborative supervision. The Queensland Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Collaborative conducted this trial in response to workforce shortages in mental health. METHOD Six occupational therapy students and eight practice educators were surveyed pre- and post-placements regarding implementation of these innovative models. RESULTS Students participating in these placements reported that they were highly likely to work in mental health upon graduation, and practice educators were positive about undertaking innovative placements in future. An overview of the placement sites, trials, outcomes and limitations of this pilot trial is provided. CONCLUSION Though limited by its small sample size, this pilot trial has demonstrated the potential of innovative placement models to provide valuable student learning experiences in mental health. The profession needs to develop expertise in the use of innovative placement models if students are to be adequately prepared to work with the mental health issues of the Australian community now and in the future.

Evaluation of a simulation clinic for improving occupational therapy students’ perceptions of interaction with parents and infants:

Introduction Occupational therapy education programmes need to graduate students who can confidently and safely deliver child and youth services. This study explores whether a simulation clinic could increase student perceived knowledge and confidence and decrease student anxiety to better prepare them for professional child and youth practice. Method This study used a pre–post quasi-experimental design. Second-year undergraduate and first-year graduate entry masters level occupational therapy students participated in the simulation clinic as a component of an occupational therapy child and youth course. Students completed pre- and post-simulation questionnaires to measure perceived knowledge, confidence, and anxiety related to infant and parent interactions. Findings A sample of 100 students reported significant improvements for perceived knowledge (all p < 0.001) and confidence (all p < 0.001) across all four skills targeted for development in this simulation: Communication, Information Gathering, Information Sharing, and Clinical Intervention Skills. Students reported a significant decrease in anxiety for parental (p < 0.001) and infant (p < 0.001) interaction, and felt the experience to have been highly valuable and realistic. Conclusion Findings indicate that simulation is a valuable tool for preparing occupational therapy students to work with infant and parent interaction. Further research investigating the effect of simulation on student competence is recommended.