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Preparing students for their first fieldwork placement using on‐campus practicums
Author(s) -
Cook Catherine,
Cusick Anne
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
australian occupational therapy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.595
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1440-1630
pISSN - 0045-0766
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1630.1998.tb00788.x
Subject(s) - practicum , supervisor , medical education , psychology , resource (disambiguation) , mathematics education , medicine , computer science , management , computer network , economics
The present study describes and evaluates a programme that aimed to help students make best use of the scarce professional resource of fieldwork placements, in particular the first placement. The placement used a model of self‐directed learning as a foundation principle. An on‐campus clinical practicum programme was developed following a needs analysis to facilitate attainment of clinical competencies that were a prerequisite to placement commencement. Student self ratings of comfort in doing specific tasks before and after the practicum programme were obtained. Student and supervisor ratings of performance in specific tasks after placement were also made. In addition, supervisors were asked to rate the level of self‐directedness of students. Results demonstrate the positive impact of the programme in preparing students for their first placement. Supervisors identified high levels of performance on specified tasks and a view that the students were more self directed than other novice students they had supervised. Recommendations are made for the continuation and further development of the practicum programme.