Occupational Therapy Level II Fieldwork Impact on Clinicians: A Preliminary Time Study

Area of Science:

• Occupational Therapy
• Clinical Education
• Workforce Studies

Background:

• Supervising students is a crucial part of occupational therapy education.
• Understanding the time commitment for clinicians is essential for effective fieldwork education.
• Previous studies have not fully quantified the additional time clinicians spend at work when supervising students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the time occupational therapists spend at work with and without students.
• To identify predictors of the time clinicians spend supervising students.
• To inform potential fieldwork educators about the time investment required.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was employed.
• 22 occupational therapists completed time logs for 3 months without a student and 3 months with a student.
• Statistical analysis was used to compare time spent and identify predictors.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant difference in overall time spent at work was found when supervising students compared to not.
• Clinicians spent an average of 25 additional minutes at work per day while supervising a student.
• Clinician years of experience and time spent working without a student predicted the time spent supervising.

Conclusions:

• Supervising occupational therapy students requires additional time from clinicians.
• The average additional 25 minutes per day should be considered by potential fieldwork educators.
• This time commitment should be evaluated alongside the established benefits of student supervision.