ROLE-EMERGING

FIELDWORK

By: J. Paige Ehart, Diana

Lansinger, Allison Moore,
Epiphany Stephens

OBJECTIVES
Understand role-emerging fieldwork & the benefits offered in this type
of setting
Recognize the value of the skills gained through role-emerging
fieldwork and the application of the skill set professionally
Determine fieldwork educators role in helping translate these soft
skills into a level II experience

WHAT IS ROLE-EMERGING
FIELDWORK?
Role-Emerging Fieldwork: a setting where no
occupational therapy services are available
Role-emerging fieldwork areas include shelters, veterans,
at-risk youth facilities, and mental health centers
(Moffett & Garbarini, 2004; Mulholland & Derdall, 2005)

TRADITIONAL VS ROLEEMERGING FIELDWORK

Traditional:
Individual treatment
Occupational therapist present
Medical model; technical skills
Needs of the clientele

Role-emerging:
Group treatment
No occupational therapist or OT
services
Community-based model;
universal skills
Needs of the population and/or
organization

SOFT SKILLS
Therapeutic Use of Self: refers to therapists conscious efforts to
optimize their interactions with clients (Taylor, Lee, Kielhofner, & Ketkar, 2009).
Cultural Awareness: understanding customs, beliefs, activity
patterns, behavioral standards, and depictions by the society of which
a client is a member (AOTA, 2014, p. S9).
Self-Efficacy: refers to an individual's beliefs in his or her ability to
execute behaviors necessary to produce a specific performance (Bandura,
1982).

OUR STUDY

PROCEDURE
Do OT students who have completed their community based fieldwork utilize
acquired skills when participating in traditional fieldwork or work field?
Post survey with Chatham University MOT Students
Completed a Level I Community-Based Fieldwork Placement
Completed two Level II Traditional Fieldwork Placements
12 total questions
Community-based fieldwork experience
Level II fieldwork experience
One opened ended question

60% response rate

OUR FINDINGS

ADDITIONAL SKILLS
Interpersonal skills

Patience

Clinical reasoning

Confidence

Empathy

Stress management

Clinical knowledge

Collaboration skills

CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Students reported they grew professionally and felt confident
to define occupational therapy to team members (Bossers, Cook,
Polatajko, & Line, 1997).

Advantages of role-emerging fieldwork include:

Expanding career opportunities for student occupational therapists
(Rodger et al., 2009).

Developing confidence, communication skills, and integrating theory

into practice (Fortune, Farnworth, & McKinstry, 2006; Haro, Knight, Cameron, Nixon, Ahluwalia, & Hicks, 2014; Rodger et
al., 2009).

REFERENCES:
American Occupational Therapy Association (2011). Accreditation council for
occupational therapy education. Retrieved from:
http://www.aota.org//media/Corporate/Files/EducationCareers/Accredit/Standards
/2011Standards-and Interpretive-Guide.pdf
Baum CM (2002) Creating partnerships: constructing our future. Australian
Occupational Therapy Journal, 49(2), 58-62.
Gat, S., & Ratzon, N. Z. (2014). Comparison of occupational therapy students'
perceived skills after traditional and nontraditional fieldwork. The American
Journal Of Occupational Therapy: Official Publication Of The American
Occupational Therapy Association, 68(2), e47-e54.
doi:10.5014/ajot.2014.007732
Haro, A. V., Knight, B. P., Cameron, D. L., Nixon, S. A., Ahluwalia, P. A., & Hicks, E.
L. (2014). Becoming an occupational therapist: Perceived influence of
international fieldwork placements on clinical practice. Canadian Journal of
Occupational Therapy. Revue Canadienne D'ergothrapie, 81(3), 173-182.

Overton, A. (2009). A review of non-traditional occupational therapy

practice placement education: A focus on role-emerging and project
placements. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(7).
Rodger, S., Thomas, Y., Holley, S., Springfield, E., Edwards, A.,
Broadbridge, J.et al.(2009). Increasing the occupational therapy
mental health workforce through innovative practice education: A
pilot project.Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 56,409-417.