Exploring first-year occupational therapy students' perspectives of an On-Country experience: A study from an Australian undergraduate program.
Kieva Richards, Kirk Reed, Ange Parrish
PMID 40301007WHAT IT FOUND
First-year occupational therapy students described an On-Country experience as a way to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and health.
Some still spoke of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as past or separate, and students were unsure how to apply it.
Key findings
01Students described the On-Country experience as a way to increase knowledge and awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and health.
02Some reflections carried a subtle sense of othering, and wording placed Indigenous people in the past rather than in ongoing collaboration.
03Most students connected the experience to future occupational therapy practice, but some were uncertain how to apply it.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The findings come from anonymous online posts by first-year students, so the researchers could not link posts from the same student or know how many students contributed each response. Response numbers were 99 for the first question, 55 for the second and 15 for the third. The paper says responses waned as the teaching period continued. The study was set in one Australian university unit and one Wadawurrung-led On-Country experience, and the authors state the findings are not broadly generalisable. Students were new to occupational therapy practice education, and the paper says the mechanism for applying the learning was not clear. A single On-Country experience was described as insufficient to address internalised racism or systemic issues in the institution and health-care environment. Member checking was not used because posts were anonymous.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that an On-Country experience makes occupational therapy students culturally safe practitioners or improves care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. It reports student reflections from one university cohort, with 99 responses for the first question, 55 for the second and 15 for the third, and uncertainty about application.