How occupational therapy practitioners use virtual communities on the Facebook social media platform for professional...

As the use of social media to mediate learning in the occupational therapy profession gains increasing recognition, calls for tangible guidance with concrete and platform-specific examples have also become prominent.

This study aims to describe and analyse the various learning activities qualified occupational therapy practitioners engage with in professional communities known as 'groups' on the Facebook social media platform.

Forty-nine (n = 49) practitioners eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council in the United Kingdom completed online questionnaires to produce one-hundred and ten (n = 110) critical incident reports. Data were thematically analysed.

Six learning activities were inductively identified: (1) Acquisition of New Ideas; (2) Reinforcement of Existing Knowledge; (3) Adjustments to Existing Knowledge; (4) Learning about Resources; (5) Learning related to Career Advancement; (6) Learning related to Hidden Curriculum.

This study showcases the varied ways occupational therapy practitioners learn through Facebook Groups, evidencing the utility of this professional learning environment.

Findings enable occupational therapy practitioners to better evaluate which activities to engage in on Facebook Groups for learning and development of higher-quality professional practice. Further research examining the utility of Facebook Groups for professional learning in contrast to other social media platforms is recommended.