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Few studies are available regarding occupational therapist students' experiences relating to their professional identity during their education. The aim was to gain knowledge about the process that occupational therapist students undergo in the shaping of their professional identity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants divided into two phases: a phenomenological phase, followed up by a hermeneutical phase. The data was analysed with the use of thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: study environment, responsibility, and choice of internships. As a part of the first theme study environments, the relations among the students were important for the shaping of a professional identity. The occupational therapy students undergo an increasing sense of responsibility throughout the education programme. Particularly, the clinical practice was found to have a positive impact on the shaping of professional identity. The findings in the study can contribute to clarifying students' perspectives on the shaping of their professional identity. Based on these findings the occupational therapist education programmes could integrate these elements as a part of their curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symptoms of stress are widespread in the working population and associated with long-term sickness absence and poor work functioning. Occupational therapy (OT)-based interventions are effective in improving return-to-work (RTW)-rates in stress-afflicted long-term sickness benefit beneficiaries (SBBs). No Danish standard on OT-RTW for stress-afflicted SSBs exists. To describe and evaluate the feasibility of a seven-week OT-RTW intervention for stress-afflicted SBBs. Daily Life Coping (DLC) utilizes peer-learning and salutogenetic perspectives to address occupational imbalances experienced by long-term SBBs. Stress-afflicted SBBs (n = 54) in the municipality of Hilleroed were enrolled. Self-efficacy and well-being were measured before and after intervention using the general self-efficacy (GSE) scale and WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5). RTW-rates were measured at one-year follow-up. Participant feedback was collected using standardized evaluation forms. Following the intervention, WHO-5 improved by 13.7 ± 16.5 points and GSE improved by 4.3 ± 4.8 points. Participant feedback was positive. At one-year follow-up, employment status data were available for 51 SSBs of these 58.8% achieved employment. High post-test GSE and WHO-5 scores were associated with employment at follow-up. DLC led to significant improvements in self-efficacy and well-being. Preliminary results indicate benefits on RTW-rates. This study provides evidence of the feasibility of DLC in a municipal setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]