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Occupational therapy practitioners' perceptions of the impact of continuing education activities on continuing
1Department of Occupational Therapy, Florida International University, University Park Campus, Miami, Florida 33199, USA.
Objective:
The purpose of this exploratory study was to evaluate Florida-licensed occupational therapy practitioners' perceptions of the impact of various continuing education activities on their continuing competency.
Method:
A self-report mail survey was used to evaluate occupational therapy practitioners' perceptions of various continuing education activities in three domains: (a) learning, (b) application, and (c) results. The respondents' perceptions of the impact of specific continuing education activities were compared.
Results:
As rated by the respondents, formal programs 1 or more days in length had a significantly greater impact than most informal continuing education activities. On-the-job training (in the domain of application) and being mentored had a significantly greater impact than formal educational programs less than 3 hr in length.
Conclusion:
Informal continuing education activities, in some cases, are perceived to have as effective an impact on continuing competency of occupational therapy practitioners as formal continuing education activities.