Experiences of international students from Asian backgrounds studying occupational therapy in Australia.

BACKGROUND/AIM: International students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds experience personal and academic challenges when studying health sciences in Australia. Given recent discussions about cultural specificity in occupational therapy and its status as an emerging profession in most Asian countries, this study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of international students from Asian backgrounds studying occupational therapy in Australia. METHOD: A phenomenological approach was used to understand the experiences of participants. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight international occupational therapy students from Asian countries studying in Australia. Data were analysed using hermeneutic methods. RESULTS: Participants described three interlinked and ongoing experiences: (1) Discovering and engaging with occupational therapy; (2) Fitting into my new role; and (3) Anticipating my role at home. Whilst theoretical aspects of occupational therapy were seen as compatible with participants' home cultures, application was seen as problematic due to the differences in structure and institutional culture of the healthcare systems. Although students made adaptations to fit in as occupational therapy students in Australia, they continued to see themselves as different, and their adaptation also influenced how they saw themselves in relation to their home culture. CONCLUSION: Findings can contribute to creating culturally sensitive education for occupational therapy students from Asian countries. To best serve these students, educators should consider ways to facilitate transitions both out of and back into students' home cultures.

Role of research in occupational therapy clinical practice: applying action learning and action research in pursuit of evidence-based practice.

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, as in many other countries, the development of research capacity in students and their early professional career is regarded as of major importance. Within the context of clinical education for occupational therapy students at the University of the Free State, a lecturer and her students embarked on a collaborative journey while fulfilling the requirements of their undergraduate curriculum. The outcome is a model promoting evidence-based practice (EBP) during service development on a dementia care ward. METHODS: The practical use of action learning, action research (ALAR) approach in the clinical context, was used to encourage student engagement in successive small-scale research projects while simulating EBP. The projects ranged from the development of therapeutic multi-sensory environments to compiling activity profiles for identified residents. At the same time, students had the opportunity to experience the value of a scientific approach to practice development, which stimulated their awareness of the importance of research. RESULTS: Reflection by the researcher contributed towards more effective ways for compiling project assignments and a formalised approach for assessing projects. Students described personal and professional gains because of participation in projects against the life-changing experience of rendering a service to elderly persons suffering from dementia. The formalised approach guiding thoughts and actions finally assisted in developing a practical process model that could support EBP. CONCLUSIONS: The ALAR model contributed towards a scholarship of practice where the students, clinical educator and residents of a dementia unit all experienced the value of research.

Using the model of human occupation to conceptualize an occupational therapy program for blind persons in South Africa.

The diversity within South African society encourages innovative occupational therapy practice. This paper illustrates how the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) was used as a guiding framework for an innovative program for unemployed blind adults. The program allowed these clients to participate in income-generating projects and illustrates how factors related to South Africa's cultural, economic, and social conditions influence the use of MOHO in occupational therapy practice.