the experiences of occupational therapy clinicians as educators: the community college context

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the clinical fieldwork educator role in the community college from the perspective of the clinician. While there are numerous fieldwork studies from the perspectives of the students and the academic institutions, there is a paucity of literature regarding the meaning that fieldwork educators make of their role (Thomas et al., 2007). The participants in the study were four occupational therapists and two occupational therapy assistants who volunteer to supervise occupational therapy assistant students in the clinical setting prior to graduation from their academic program. All of the clinical educators lived within the Midwest United States. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews, participant self-assessment and reflection, and student evaluation of the fieldwork experience. The data gathered were analyzed for themes in order to construct meaning that might inform practice, policy, and further research in fieldwork education.