Preparing Occupational Therapy Students for Acute Care: The Impact of an Interprofessional Simulation Experience

Poster Description: The acute care setting is among the most challenging fieldwork experiences for occupational therapy students, with a high rate of failure (Nicola-Richmond et al., 2017). Success in level II acute care fieldwork requires a strong background of medical knowledge, clinical skills, professional behaviors, and the ability to manage challenges of the hospital environment (Kemp & Crabtree, 2018). In addition, students must be prepared to collaborate with an interprofessional team to coordinate and provide patient care. Many occupational therapy students may lack adequate preparation for the demands of the acute care setting, resulting in fewer entry-level therapists prepared to work in this common practice setting. The aim of this project was to develop an innovative acute care elective course for entry-level occupational therapy programs that utilizes group problem solving, an acute care interprofessional simulation and resilience skills training to support the development of clinical skills, professional behaviors and resilience needed for students to succeed in level II acute care fieldwork.

A mixed-method course evaluation was conducted with a convenience sample of 33 second year Doctor of Occupational Therapy students enrolled in a fieldwork preparation class. Students participated in one acute care skills lab session and an acute care simulation experience incorporating interprofessional collaboration. Quantitative data was collected through non-standardized pre/post-survey of students’ confidence in performing 12 acute care occupational therapy tasks, including collaborating and communicating with interprofessional team members. Qualitative data was collected through a written reflection on the impact of resilience skill building activities on personal resilience and future occupational therapy practice. This poster will share outcomes and impact of utilizing an interprofessional simulation to prepare occupational therapy students for the acute care setting.

References

Kemp, E. L., & Crabtree, J. L. (2018). Differentiating fieldwork settings: Matching student characteristics to demands. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 32(3), 216–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380577.2018.1491084
Nicola-Richmond, K., Butterworth, B., & Hitch, D. (2017). What factors contribute to failure of fieldwork placement? Perspectives of supervisors and university fieldwork educators. World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin, 73(2), 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/14473828.2016.1149981