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Historically, occupational therapists have used a traditional one-to-one approach to supervision on fieldwork. Due to the impact of managed care on health-care delivery systems, a dramatic increase in the number of students needing fieldwork placement, and the advantages of group learning, the collaborative supervision model has evolved as a strong alternative to an apprenticeship supervision approach. This article builds on the available research to address barriers to model use, applying theoretical foundations of collaborative supervision to practical considerations for academic fieldwork coordinators and fieldwork educators as they prepare for participation in group supervision of occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students on level II fieldwork.

An online survey was conducted of 225 occupational therapy (OT) practitioners living in the rural states of North Dakota and Wyoming to explore practice patterns and the influence of the college experience on employment choice. Findings showed that rural practitioners had greater variability of hours spent working (5.5 more hours per week, p=.028), and one more work location on average (p=.006). Therapists in urban settings spent 15% more time in fieldwork education than their rural counterparts (p=.021). Rural practice choice was influenced by participation in Level I and Level II fieldwork (p=.002) but not by loan debt. Study implications for academic programs include focusing on multiple areas of practice in the curriculum design, and exposure of students to rural practitioners and rural practice examples/experiences. Recommendations were made for rural fieldwork educator training and employer support of rural fieldwork education. Further study of the experience of working within a rural practice context as a student and OT practitioner are recommended, including variables impacting rural practitioner work with fieldwork students, and student interest in rural fieldwork placement.

Academic programs commonly face challenges in developing Level I fieldwork where students have ample opportunity to practice and understand occupation. In response to this challenge, our academic program developed a non-traditional Level I fieldwork. The purpose of this study was to understand the student perceptions of this learning experience. Focus group methodology was employed. Fifty-nine students participated in one of six focus groups. Six themes were identified through the data analysis process. These included challenges and rewards of effective communication, learning to think like an OT, a greater understanding and focus on occupations, developing skills in cultural understanding and advocacy, gaining confidence through doing, and the logistical challenges of getting everyone on the same page. These themes supported that students viewed non-traditional Level I fieldwork paired with structured classroom learning activities positively. A pattern across all themes was that students learned because they were able to make mistakes, reflect on them, and change their action. Limitations include that student perceptions are only one aspect of understanding the impact of learning experiences; therefore further study is needed.

In order to assess outcomes of an online Transitional Masters of Occupational Therapy (TMOT) degree program, the Sloan Consortium's Five Pillars Model of Quality was applied to: 1) student assessment of learning and programmatic satisfaction; and 2) faculty satisfaction with the online teaching context. Method: Two surveys were used for post-programmatic data collection; one survey was specifically developed to measure TMOT graduates' learning and satisfaction with programmatic parameters. The Online Faculty Satisfaction Survey (OFSS) was used to measure teaching faculty's perspectives. Results: Graduates' responses indicated a moderate to strong support for learning effectiveness, satisfaction with online learning, institutional commitment, and cost-effectiveness. Faculty noted concerns with the time-intensity of online teaching, yet were satisfied with teaching self-efficacy, student participation, and learning outcomes. Conclusion: While this survey research suggests the online learning environment is a viable method to accomplish outcomes in occupational therapy education, the study findings also illustrate the structural and integrative value of the Sloan Consortium's Five Pillars Model for program assessment across allied health disciplines. The Five Pillars Model's value encompasses both the student perspective and faculty satisfaction, as well as other aspects of the online context for higher education. INTRODUCTIONbachelor-level practicing occupational therapists, the opportunity to earn the entry-level masters of occupational therapy degree at a distance is an attractive option. Practitioners, as adult learners, want to be competitive and competent in occupational therapy in order to remain contemporary and responsive to the needs of their clients. 1 Online learning provides the means by which therapists can continue their employment and concurrently engage in higher education without a geographical move. Students are able to interact with peers who are working in diverse geographic areas and practice specialties as part of the learning process.

Student personal and professional development is an area of increasing importance in professional education programs. The practitioner of the future needs to be able to reflect and self-assess his/her learning in order to take intentional steps toward developing or continuing competency. The purpose of this article is to describe the evolution of one program’s process of incorporating self-reflection and feedback as an integral part of the curriculum. Examples of the guiding questions are included. The value of a self-reflective student evaluation process in the development of reflective practice and its implementation within a professional healthcare curriculum and future practice environments are discussed. The assessment of personal and professional student development requires careful study of behavior, attitudes, and performance. Yet, it is admittedly often a subjective task. As discussed by Kasar, many faculty in professional programs of study realize the challenges to accurately evaluating skill development, especially when the skills include the ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations, or to self-monitor one’s behavior in practice settings. 1 Skills such as these cannot be taught in lecture nor assessed in written examinations. Instead, the student needs to learn selfreflective assessment skills and engage in dialogue with faculty regarding possible ways to improve the learning process.

Date Presented 4/16/2015 A focus group was conducted with experienced occupational therapists to investigate perceptions of the opportunities, obstacles, and supports needed to assume a role in primary care. Findings inform professional association and individual therapist efforts toward role emergence in primary care.