A Descriptive Study on Level II Fieldwork Supervision in Hospital Settings

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to examine the factors influencing fieldwork educators’ ability and willingness to supervise Level II occupational therapy students in hospital-based settings. Qualitative focus groups were used to explore the perceptions of occupational therapists in four urban hospitals in Nebraska. The study presents the issues facing fieldwork supervisors and their suggestions on how to improve the fieldwork process. Both personal and professional factors influenced occupational therapists’ willingness to accept students, while facility constraints were the primary reason occupational therapists would not accept Level II students. Fieldwork educators believe that their facilities need structured fieldwork programs and that students need more formalized fieldwork preparation at their academic institutions. Themes highlight the need for continued collaborative endeavors between academic fieldwork coordinators and fieldwork educators.

KEYWORDS. :

• Education
• fieldwork
• supervision

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We wish to thank the occupational therapists who graciously served as participants in this study for their insightful and informative comments. Our gratitude is also extended to Karen Stein for her timely transcription and Molly Wernli for assistance with the research software used in this study. Finally, each author completed this study as part of their doctoral work at their respective universities. The authors wish to thank Creighton University's Dr. Keli Mu, PhD, and College of Saint Mary's Lois Linden, EdD, RN, for their invaluable guidance during the research process and manuscript preparation.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.