How does mentoring occupational therapists improve intervention fidelity in a randomised controlled trial? A realist evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Integrating complex interventions within healthcare settings can be challenging. Mentoring can be embedded within a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to upskill and support those delivering the intervention. This study aimed to understand, from a realist perspective, how mentoring worked to support implementation fidelity for occupational therapists (OTs) delivering a vocational rehabilitation (VR) intervention within the context of an RCT. METHODS: A realist evaluation using secondary data (emails, mentoring record forms, interviews) collected as part of an RCT. Three researchers coded the data following content analysis, focused on refining or refuting an initial programme theory by exploring the interactions between context, mechanisms, and outcomes. The research team met to further refine the programme theories. RESULTS: Data from 584 emails, 184 mentoring record forms, and 25 interviews were analysed following a realist approach. We developed a programme theory consisting of two contexts (trial set-up, ongoing mentoring), nine mechanisms (collective understanding, monitoring, timely support, positive reinforcement, reflective practice, support data completeness, facilitation strategy, shared learning experience, management of research and clinical duties), and three outcomes (improved confidence, improved fidelity, reduced contamination). CONCLUSIONS: Offering mentoring support to OTs delivering a VR intervention as part of an RCT improves intervention fidelity and reduces the risk of contamination. It improves OTs' understanding of the differences between their clinical and research roles and increases their confidence and competence in trial paperwork completion and identification of potential contamination issues.

What are the experiences, preparation, and support needs of early career clinical educators within an Australian tertiary health service?: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing demand for professional practice placement opportunities, supported by health professional educators, to enable future health workforce development. Early career health professionals performing the educator role is one strategy that can help meet this demand. However, there is a need to consider how best to prepare and support early career health professionals to become educators. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perspectives of early career occupational therapy clinical educators including their preparation and support needs. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were completed with ten early career occupational therapists who had supervised their first or second student on a professional practice placement. The participants worked within an Australian tertiary hospital and health service in various clinical settings. Interviews were completed within six weeks of placement completion and lasted approximately one hour. They were recorded and transcribed verbatim and reflexive inductive thematic analysis was undertaken to identify key themes. RESULTS: Ten occupational therapists, who had been working for an average of two years and two months, consented to participate. Initially, participants expressed mixed emotions about taking on the clinical educator role. They then described their adjustment to the role responsibilities, challenges encountered, and the development of the educator-student relationship. Participants found that the experience of supervising a student enhanced their educator, clinical, and professional skills and confidence. The important support elements of tailored educator preparation, placement design, and timely access to relevant resources and experienced staff were identified. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated how early career health professionals can possess desirable educator attributes, such as enthusiasm for taking on the role and cultivating collaborative learning relationships with their students. The experience of being an educator also presents a professional development opportunity for early career health professionals. Insights gained about the specific preparation and support needs of early career clinical educators warrant consideration by organisations and staff involved in the provision of student professional practice placements. Overall, this study's findings signify the importance of engaging and investing in early career health professionals to support student clinical education and to develop our current and future healthcare workforce.

Inter- and Intrarater Reliability of the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form Among Occupational Therapy Interns.

IMPORTANCE: Effective communication skills (CS) are essential for occupational therapists. The Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF) is a standard tool for assessing the CS of medical residents. However, the interrater reliability for the nine CS domain scores ranges from poor to good. The intrarater reliability remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To examine the inter- and intrarater reliability of the GKCSAF's nine domain scores and total score among occupational therapy interns. DESIGN: Repeated assessments with the GKCSAF. SETTING: Medical center psychiatry department. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five interns and 49 clients with mental illness, recruited from August 2020 to December 2021. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The transcripts of 50 evaluation interviews between clients and interns were used. Three independent raters assessed each transcript twice, at least 3 mo apart. RESULTS: The GKCSAF demonstrated poor interrater reliability for the nine domain scores (weighted κ = .08-.30) and the total score (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = .22, 95% confidence interval [CI] [.10, .35]). The GKCSAF showed poor to intermediate intrarater reliability for the nine domain scores (weighted κ = .27-.73) and fair reliability for the total score (ICC = .69, 95% CI [.60, .77]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The GKCSAF demonstrates poor interrater reliability and poor to intermediate intrarater reliability for the nine domain scores. However, it demonstrates fair intrarater reliability in assessing the overall CS performance of occupational therapy interns. Significant variations were observed when different raters assessed the same interns' CS, indicating inconsistencies in ratings. Consequently, it is advisable to conservatively interpret the CS ratings obtained with the GKCSAF. Plain-Language Summary: It is essential for occupational therapists to effectively communicate with clients. The Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF) is a standard tool that is used to assess the communication skills of medical residents. The study authors used the GKCSAF with occupational therapy interns in a medical center psychiatry department to assess how effectively they interviewed clients with mental illness. This study aids occupational therapy personnel in the interpretation of GKCSAF results. The study findings also highlight the importance of developing reliable and standardized measures to assess communications skills in the field of occupational therapy.

Developing an entrustable professional activity for providing health education and consultation in occupational therapy and examining its validity.

BACKGROUND: Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA)-based assessment is easily and intuitively used in evaluating the learning outcomes of competency-based medical education (CBME). This study aimed to develop an EPA for occupational therapy focused on providing health education and consultation (TP-EPA3) and examine its validity. METHODS: Nineteen occupational therapists who had completed online training on the EQual rubric evaluation participated in this study. An expert committee identified six core EPAs for pediatric occupational therapy. TP-EPA3 was developed following the EPA template and refined through consensus meetings. The EQual rubric, a 14-item, five-point criterion-based anchor system, encompassing discrete units of work (DU), entrustable, essential, and important tasks of the profession (EEIT), and curricular role (CR), was used to evaluate the quality of TP-EPA3. Overall scores below 4.07, or scores for DU, EEIT, and CR domains below 4.17. 4.00, and 4.00, respectively, indicate the need for modifications. RESULTS: The TP-EPA3 demonstrated good validity, surpassing the required cut-off score with an average overall EQual score of 4.21 (SD = 0.41). Specific domain scores for DU, EEIT, and CR were 3.90 (SD = 0.69), 4.46 (SD = 0.44), and 4.42 (SD = 0.45), respectively. Subsequent revisions clarified observation contexts, enhancing specificity and focus. Further validation of the revised TP-EPA3 and a thorough examination of its reliability and validity are needed. CONCLUSION: The successful validation of TP-EPA3 suggests its potential as a valid assessment tool in occupational therapy education, offering a structured approach for developing competency in providing health education and consultation. This process model for EPA development and validation can guide occupational therapists in creating tailored EPAs for diverse specialties and settings.

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Plus (SBIRT-Plus): A Novel Interprofessional Training for Rehabilitation Science Professional Students.

IMPORTANCE: With the increasing amount of substance use-related health conditions in the United States, it is important for rehabilitation science professionals to receive screening and prevention training. OBJECTIVE: To describe and examine the preliminary effectiveness of a novel educational program, Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Plus (SBIRT-Plus), that combines traditional SBIRT training with new modules for cannabis, stimulant, and opioid use. DESIGN: Prospective, cohort design. SETTING: Academic institution. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty-one rehabilitation science graduate students. INTERVENTION: SBIRT-Plus curriculum. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Outcomes included satisfaction with training, perception of interprofessional training, attitudes, knowledge, and stigma, as assessed with the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire, Drug and Drug Problems Perception Questionnaire, Knowledge Screening Scale, and two stigma instruments. RESULTS: Most students (>80%) expressed satisfaction with their training, would recommend the training to a colleague, and believed that the training would influence and change the way they practiced with patients at risk for substance use disorders. Students' attitudes and knowledge increased from pre- to post-training, and stigma perceptions were significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: SBIRT-Plus is an evidence-based interprofessional training that is feasible to implement in graduate-level education programs. Integrating SBIRT-Plus into professional graduate programs may be an optimal and low-cost model for training rehabilitation health care professionals. Plain-Language Summary: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Plus (SBIRT-Plus) is an evidence-based interprofessional training that can be easily adopted in curricula to train professional students about the importance of screening for substance use disorders.

Virtual communities of practice for novice occupational therapists: a vehicle for learning, support and professional identity strengthening?

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare practitioners delivering services in rural and underserved areas need timely access to appropriate knowledge to optimise the care they deliver. Novice generalist occupational therapists in South Africa experience this need as they respond to a high demand for hand therapy. Embedded within a study aimed at identifying their support and development needs, this article describes participants' experience of a virtual community of practice. METHODS: A qualitative case study design was employed. Nine occupational therapists participated in a virtual community of practice that met fortnightly for meetings and interacted on WhatsApp. Data were collected through photo elicitation, facilitated reflection, and case discussions. An online survey questionnaire was used to evaluate participants' experience of this virtual community. Thematic analysis was applied to the anonymous responses submitted by participants (n=7). A number of strategies were employed to ensure the trustworthiness of results including prolonged engagement, member checking, peer examination, reflexive reading and writing, triangulation, and a dense description of participants to enable readers to evaluate the transferability of results. RESULTS: Three themes were generated from analysis. The first theme, versatile support, describes participants' experience of being helped and supported, appreciating the immediacy of support, and being able to share resources. A vehicle for learning captures participants' experience of mutual learning, opportunity to reflect, to acquire knowledge and skills, and develop their clinical reasoning. Finally, the community of practice was grounding: learning opportunities were contextually relevant and participants were able to consolidate their professional values and identity. Participants raised the importance of using online platforms that were accessible, recommended a group size of 5-10 members, and proposed 60-90-minute meetings held weekly or fortnightly. CONCLUSION: A virtual community of practice provided both support and professional development opportunities for therapists delivering hand therapy. Careful planning and implementation to upscale this intervention are recommended for rehabilitation personnel delivering care to underserved communities in South Africa. The logistics of virtual communities need to mitigate for connectivity difficulties, and online platforms should enable real-time support. Participant satisfaction and the evaluation of implementation outcomes should be considered in the design of virtual communities of practice.

Occupational therapy students' experiences and perceptions of journal club participation.

BACKGROUND: Journal clubs can be used as a learning activity for developing students' skills in critical appraisal and are perceived as suitable for increasing students' exposure to research methods. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: To explore how undergraduate occupational therapy students experienced journal club and how they perceived their learning outcomes from participating in this learning activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mixed methods study comprised of a survey followed by two focus groups was conducted. Seventeen occupational therapy students completed the survey, four of whom also participated in a total of two focus groups. RESULTS: The participants perceived journal clubs as suitable and they suggested that emphasis on this learning activity be increased. Across the two focus groups, four integrated themes were identified: 'organisational prerequisites'; 'potential for learning'; 'learning barriers'; and 'journal club as an integrated learning activity'. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Journal clubs were described as having the potential for increasing students' learning regarding research methods, promoting skills in reading and critically reviewing research articles and having relevance for professional practice. Some barriers were identified, and changes are suggested for future educational practice.

Evidence-based practice - implementation level and attitude among physical, occupational, and speech and language therapists in Germany: status quo.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an important component of clinical practice in public health. Its implementation involves interpreting scientific studies and then applying this knowledge to clinical decision-making. In Germany, the therapy professions are often trained in non-academic medical schools, and only a small number of therapists are university graduates. AIMS: This study assessed the current status of EBP among physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists and to determine whether academization influences the implementation of EBP in Germany. METHODS: To assess the EBP implementation level and therapists' attitudes toward EBP, a cross-sectional study was conducted using the German version of the Evidence-Based Practice Inventory (EBPI), which consists of five dimensions: attitude; subjective norm; perceived behavioral control; decision-making; and intention and behavior. The structural validity and internal consistency of the EBPI survey were also tested. RESULTS: Of the 2,412 responses, only 557 were eligible. There were statistically significant differences between academically educated vs. non-academically educated therapists in four of the five EBPI dimensions. Furthermore, four of the five dimensions had sufficient unidimensionality and internal consistency. CONCLUSION: There are differences between academically educated and non-academically educated therapists regarding EBP knowledge, attitudes, and implementation. Academically educated therapists are more likely to use EBP than non-academically educated therapists. There are still barriers to clinical application that need to be addressed. SPANISH ABSTRACT: http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A195.

Occupational therapy students' perceptions of their experience in a role-emerging Level II fieldwork within higher education student services.

BACKGROUND: Role-emerging settings - those where occupational therapy (OT) services have not traditionally been provided - are common sites for practice placements of entry-level occupational therapy students. A growing body of literature has attempted to determine the value and drawbacks of such practice placements on the professional preparedness of OT students with mixed findings. Benefits have been identified, including increased cultural understanding, advocacy, creativity, initiative, and problem-solving skills. However, OT students have been reported to perceive such placement as limiting their professional growth and preparedness to practice compared to traditional placements. METHODS: A phenomenological study was conducted seeking the perceptions of OT students (n = 14) about their clinical placement at a role-emerging site. Recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted by trained interviewers within two weeks of the end of clinical placement. The recordings were transcribed verbatim and then coded using an iterative multi-coder inductive approach. Inter-coder agreement, reflectivity, and audit trail were maintained. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) integrating independence and support, (2) becoming occupational therapists, and (3) filling a gap. These themes reflect students' positive perceptions of their role-emerging clinical placement. They felt that this placement allowed them to develop self-confidence and professional identity as occupational therapists and learn new skills while simultaneously filling a gap in services for clients. Most importantly, they felt that this placement prepared them for their future OT practice. CONCLUSION: This finding and their resounding support of the experience suggest that OT students can perceive role-emerging placement as a solid foundation for clinical practice. Factors, included in this placement, that may have contributed to their experience include the level of support provided, time available for learning including space to make mistakes, and freedom from productivity and payor requirements.

Developing Client Self-Advocacy in Occupational Therapy: Are We Practicing What We Preach?

Background: Developing client self-advocacy is in occupational therapy's (OT) scope of practice; however, there is limited understanding of if, or how, occupational therapists learn about self-advocacy interventions as well as implement self-advocacy into clinical practice. Objective: This study sought to identify if and how therapists learn about self-advocacy intervention approaches and identify if and how therapists implement self-advocacy into their work with clients. Method: A survey was distributed via email to academic and professional listservs in the United States, and data were collected using REDCap survey software. Descriptive statistics were analyzed data using REDCap/SPSS. Comparative statistics, Kruskal-Wallis's tests, Chi-square tests for independence, and Pearson's correlation tests analyzed differences across groups of respondents. Results: Practicing and licensed occupational therapists (n = 138) across the United States completed the survey. Findings indicate a majority (59.5%) of occupational therapists not learning strategies for addressing or developing client self-advocacy. Of significance, 21.7% of participants had never been exposed to concepts of client self-advocacy in academic or clinical education. Practitioners who did address self-advocacy did so indirectly through teaching-related skills (76.6%). Conclusion: Many clients of OT will need self-advocacy skills in order to address issues of exclusion and discrimination that prohibit full participation in society. Occupational therapists must prioritize incorporating client self-advocacy into curricula and clinical practice.

Applying Concepts of Curriculum Design and Cultural Adaptation: Collaborating on a Dual-Degree Occupational Therapy Program in Mainland China.

Occupational therapy is a profession with origins rooted in Western values. As culture plays an important role in shaping theory and practice, the curriculum design of academic programs that train future rehabilitation professionals should reflect the local context. As part of an international partnership, a dual-degree graduate program in occupational therapy was established between a Chinese and an American university. A team composed of members from both institutions collaborated on culturally adapting an entry-level master's program in occupational therapy for China, based on a U.S. program, which welcomed its first cohort in September 2019. This article details the timeline and process of program design and adaptation from conception, through implementation to evaluation and revision, with the aim of offering a framework for curriculum adaptation of other academic programs in the U.S. and internationally. The adapted curriculum includes the program mission, vision, and philosophy; the curriculum model with program outcomes and threads; the program scope and sequence; materials and resources; and course-specific objectives, learning activities, and assessments. The authors also share lessons learned through this experience of international collaboration as well as next steps for program evaluation and sustainability. The detailed overview of this international collaboration offers suggestions for individuals and institutions seeking to develop global partnerships and adapt curricula across cultural contexts.

Differences in Approaches to Learning Between Occupational Therapy Students in the USA and Norway.

Students approach learning in different ways, and this study aimed to examine and understand differences in learning approaches between occupational therapy students in Norway and the USA. A total of 321 students, from two universities in the USA and six higher education institutions in Norway, completed the short version of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students. The data were analyzed with linear regression analyses. U.S. students had substantially higher scores on the strategic approach and higher scores on the deep approach, compared to the Norwegian students. Differences may be due to different national regulations and levels of education required for entering the programs, or personal factors such as predisposition for learning.

Evaluative judgement in practice education: How does the ability to judge the quality of work impact placement performance?

INTRODUCTION: Occupational therapy students need to be ready to work autonomously in a range of environments as soon as they complete their degree. Practice education experiences are considered key to students developing the competencies that autonomous work requires. To function autonomously in practice environments, it is argued that practitioners need to be able to judge the quality of their own work and the work of others. This is referred to as evaluative judgement. However, there is limited empirical literature relating to evaluative judgement and even less exploring the concept within occupational therapy. METHODS: This study used qualitative methods, seeking to understand the evaluative judgements of clinical practice made by third- and fourth-year occupational therapy students during practice education. RESULTS: Twenty-one interviews were conducted with third- (n = 10) and fourth-year occupational therapy students (n = 1), university support staff supporting practice education (n = 4), and practice education supervisors (n = 5) at one Australian university. Practice education grades and documentation were also used as data. Data were analysed thematically, and two themes, each with three sub-themes, were identified: students coming to understand expected standards, with the following sub-themes: students attuning to cues, cues that inform supervisors about students' meeting the standards, and barriers and frustrations to understanding standards; and practising and developing evaluative judgement, with the following sub-themes: making comparisons, acting on feedback, and reflective practice. CONCLUSIONS: Practice education experiences provide many context-specific opportunities for students to develop their evaluative judgement. Students may be supported to come to know what quality work looks like by offering scaffolded opportunities to develop evaluative judgement in university and practice education settings.

Understanding Accreditation Requirement Trends of Teaching Occupation in Occupational Therapy Curricula.

Accreditation standards covering occupation have evolved across recent versions of the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education's (ACOTE®'s) academic B content standards. Because occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant academic programs are required to provide evidence of compliance with each B content standard, the level of students' learning of occupation warrants attention. The revised Bloom's taxonomy offers a useful framework for examining hierarchical learning action verbs that underpin the degree of complexity of students' learning of occupation within the ACOTE standards. In this column, we provide an analysis of action verbs across ACOTE standards from 2006 to the most recent, 2018 version. The findings reveal a reduction in accreditation requirement trends covering occupation in both lower and higher order cognitive skill levels as described in the revised Bloom's taxonomy. We advocate for increased curricular content centered on the foundations of occupation so that students and future practitioners can increasingly apply, analyze, evaluate, and creatively use occupation in the classroom and in practice.

Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Fieldwork Educators' Experiences.

Background. Fieldwork is an essential part of experiential learning in occupational therapy education. Fieldwork educators identify limits on reasonable accommodation and difficulty implementing disability-related accommodations. Student occupational therapists with disabilities report discrimination from within the profession, including inflexible fieldwork environments. Purpose. To understand the experiences of occupational therapy fieldwork educators in Canada in accommodating students with disabilities and to develop action-oriented practice recommendations. Method. In this interpretive description study, we interviewed 11 fieldwork educators about their experiences accommodating students with disabilities. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Findings. Educators emphasized a meta-theme of "Learning" when asked about disability-related accommodations. Three subthemes about student learning emerged: 1. Educators focused on "Student Learning in Preparation for Professional Practice" rather than their fieldwork setting only; 2. Educators were "Using Occupational Therapy Skills for Student Learning" in fieldwork; and 3. Educators recognized that their professional and personal "Context Influences Student Learning." Conclusion. Fieldwork educators can work with students to align their accommodations with required learning outcomes for professional practice and use their occupational therapy skills to assist with implementation. Fieldwork educators require time and other supports to work effectively with all students.

Virtual interprofessional (VIP) education, a family medicine-occupational therapy-physiotherapy collaborative experience: the perspectives of patients, learners and providers on the opportunities and challenges.

This study examined the experiences of patients, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physiotherapy (PT) and Medicine learners, Providers, and Faculty, in implementing a Virtual Interprofessional (VIP) education initiative in two academic Family Medicine (FM) collaborative clinics. A qualitative descriptive study drew on a strength-based approach as part of the evaluation of the interfaculty VIP initiative. Participants involved in VIP care were conveniently sampled. Interviews were conducted with four patients, and focus groups were held with a total of 16 providers, preceptors and learners in OT, PT and FM. Data were analyzed using content analysis and managed using NVivo12. Four main categories emerged: 1) Challenges in implementing VIP care in FM; 2) Operational challenges, 3) Facilitators of VIP care in FM; and 4) Experiential learning outcomes and benefits of VIP care. This innovation supported knowledge and insights on interprofessional competencies acquired during practice, provided inclusive and comprehensive access to care for patients, and identified opportunities to enhance medical, OT and PT education in VIP care in FM. A collaborative approach with faculty from different disciplines (FM, School of Health Professions: OT and PT) can provide ongoing opportunities for VIP care for patients, and foster IP learning and acquisition of competencies for FM, OT and PT learners and providers.

Occupation-Based Assessments in Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practice.

In pediatric occupational therapy, there is insufficient evidence examining assessment tool selection by occupational therapists and how assessment tools contribute to occupation-based practice. To examine the perceptions of occupation-based assessment tool selection by pediatric occupational therapists, a phenomenological research study was conducted with six pediatric occupational therapy practitioners. Three themes emerged from participants' perspectives: the centrality of occupation, selecting the just right tool, and practice implications. Participants recognized the need to integrate occupation-based assessments into practice but reported decreased opportunities secondary to training, available supplies, lack of awareness of foundational constructs, and organizational expectations. The use of occupation-based assessments positively enhances pediatric occupational therapists' clinical practice by upholding the core occupational beliefs of the profession throughout all phases of service delivery.

Instructional Insights: Building Well Aligned Courses Using Performance-Based Backward Design.

This paper describes an example of collaborative course development, in which occupational therapy faculty members designed a two-course sequence for teaching content related to occupational therapy with children and youth. They used a backward course design approach and performance-based learning objectives to create alignment between Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) standards, course assignments and instructional content. The authors present examples from their course design, along with evidence-based resources to guide educators working on developing new courses or revising existing courses. Outcomes achieved from four years of teaching and refining the developed courses are also described.

Predictors of Academic and Fieldwork Performance in Occupational Therapy Students: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Occupational therapy (OT) educational programs are aimed at enrolling a diverse student population that is likely to succeed in the academic and fieldwork components of the program. Comprehending the array of factors that influence students' learning and academic and fieldwork success is important for university educators. This study investigated the existing literature on predictors of academic and fieldwork performance in OT students. Methods: The search process used in this review included screening, eligibility, and study quality. We searched the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for literature published in the past 10 years (1 January 2012 to 30 March 2022). As a comprehensive search, the following keywords were used for abstract, title, and keywords sections: occupational therapy student, predictors, fieldwork, academic, academic success, academic performance, fieldwork success, and fieldwork performance. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument was used to assess the quality of studies. Results: The systematic review retrieved 14 articles that met inclusion criteria. Most were cross-sectional studies, followed by cohort, retrospective analysis of secondary data, and exploratory studies. Four articles focused on academic success, eight focused on fieldwork success, and two explored both aspects. Promising predictors of academic performance included the admission grade point average and the student's approach to studying. Predictors of fieldwork performance included a graduate record examination score, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationships. Conclusion: This systematic review explores predictors of academic and fieldwork success in OT students, which provide opportunities to identify early the learning difficulties of students and assist educators to target modifiable predictors so they can provide high-quality education.

A Descriptive Review of Occupational Therapy Education.

This AOTA Guidance Document describes the present state of occupational therapy education within the United States educational system.