Innovation and Competency Development in Occupational Therapy Fieldwork During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Monique Gill, Anne Hunt, Andrea Duncan
PMID 37537873WHAT IT FOUND
Occupational therapy learners in non-traditional pandemic placements developed strong clinical reasoning and virtual communication skills.
However, they did not explicitly address culture, equity, and justice competencies, suggesting these areas need targeted attention in innovative fieldwork.
Key findings
01Learners in administration, intrapreneurship, and virtual care placements developed core competencies in occupational therapy expertise, excellence in practice, and communication/collaboration.
02Virtual care placements specifically developed skills in virtual communication, work-life balance, and confidentiality in digital spaces.
03The culture, equity, and justice competency domain was not explicitly addressed in two of the three placement cases.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study relied on self-report, so actual competency development was not objectively measured. Reporting bias was possible because the principal investigators were known to many participants, though interviews were conducted by an unfamiliar research assistant to mitigate this. The national competency framework was new during the study period, so participants may not have used its specific language or recognized all domains, particularly culture, equity, and justice. The sample was limited to one university's catchment area in Canada, which may not reflect other educational contexts.
Declared interests
The study was funded by an Education Development Fund Grant from the University of Toronto. No commercial conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that innovative placements automatically cover all competency domains. The study found that culture, equity, and justice competencies were not explicitly addressed in most cases, so educators must actively integrate these topics rather than relying on the placement context to teach them.