Community-Working Occupational Therapists Serving as Fieldwork Supervisors: Characteristics and Associated Factors
As enrollment numbers grow in occupational therapy academic programs in Norway, the need for more fieldwork placements and supervisors increases. More knowledge about factors of importance for occupational therapists’ decisions to take on the role of fieldwork supervisor may promote easier access...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Western Michigan University
2019-07-01
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Series: | Open Journal of Occupational Therapy |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1627&context=ojot |
Summary: | As enrollment numbers grow in occupational therapy academic programs in Norway, the need for more fieldwork
placements and supervisors increases. More knowledge about factors of importance for occupational therapists’
decisions to take on the role of fieldwork supervisor may promote easier access to supervisors who are ready for the task,
and it may assist in addressing the barriers for those who are not. We recruited a sample of 561 community-working
occupational therapists for an electronic survey conducted in 2017. Quantitative survey responses were obtained and
used in the current study. The differences between supervisors and non-supervisors were examined with independent ttests and Chi Square tests. To assess factors associated with serving as a supervisor, a multivariate logistic regression
analysis was conducted. One hundred fifty-six participants (27.8%) had served as a fieldwork supervisor during the
preceding year. The adjusted analysis showed that having a job physically located together with other occupational
therapists was significantly associated with increased odds for serving as supervisor (OR:1.79, 95% CI:1.17-2.74, p <
0.01). A minority of the participants had supervised occupational therapy students during the preceding year, suggesting
that community-based services are an under-used arena for occupational therapy students’ fieldwork. In a long-term
perspective, providing social and organizational support for occupational therapists who might take on student
supervision may increase their willingness and opportunity to do so. |
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ISSN: | 2168-6408 2168-6408 |