Perception of COVID-19 Impact on Canadian Occupational Therapy Curricula: Academic and Fieldwork.
Diane MacKenzie, Rose Martini, Mary Roduta Roberts and 2 others
PMID 36775892WHAT IT FOUND
Canadian OT faculty reported pandemic shifts to online learning hurt interpersonal skills and informal engagement, but boosted telepractice readiness.
Hands-on skills like splinting were largely unaffected. These are faculty perceptions of curriculum changes, not measured patient outcomes.
Key findings
01Faculty perceived the greatest negative impact on student competency from the shift to online delivery in labs and written exams, while interpersonal skills were specifically flagged as compromised due to reduced face-to-face interaction.
02Despite concerns about online learning, respondents reported no perceived negative impact on practical skills like splinting or wheelchair mobility, attributing this to maintained in-person formats for these specific competencies.
03The pandemic accelerated the adoption of telepractice and simulation placements, with faculty viewing these changes as potentially beneficial for preparing students for future hybrid or virtual service delivery models.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Results are based on faculty and administrator perceptions, not objective measures of student competency or patient outcomes. The study is descriptive and cross-sectional, so it cannot establish a causal link between specific curriculum changes and graduate performance. Data was collected during an ongoing pandemic, meaning findings are preliminary and may not reflect long-term educational impacts. The sample represents program-level perspectives, potentially missing individual student or preceptor experiences outside of these roles.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy University Programs (ACOTUP) for a research assistant and translation. No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these graduates lack clinical competence. The study reports faculty perceptions of curriculum changes, not measured deficits in practice. Many programs maintained in-person training for critical hands-on skills, and national exam pass rates remained stable.