The effect of pre-clinical fieldwork subject on the confidence and professional skills of undergraduate occupational therapy students

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of a pre-clinical fieldwork subject on the confidence and professional skills of undergraduate occupational therapy students during their first full-time clinical fieldwork placement. Methods: Participants were 31 third year students enrolled in the pre-clinical fieldwork subject (experimental group), and 25 students not enrolled in the subject (control group). Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were employed to address the research question. Student anxiety levels were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and compared at three different intervals - prior to commencing the university semester, prior to commencing full-time practical placement, and following this full-time placement. Individual interviews were conducted with six students (three from the experimental group, three from the control group) to explore their perceptions regarding confidence levels and skill proficiencies during full-time placement. At each data analysis interval, responses for both groups were compared using independent samples t-tests. Responses were compared over time using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The qualitative data were subjected to thematic and content analysis. Results and Conclusions: In general, student anxiety levels did not differ between the experimental and control groups over time. However, qualitative results suggest that students who were enrolled in the pre-clinical subject have greater confidence and competence with occupational therapy skills, and have heightened awareness of the expectations on full-time placement.

Developing and evaluating authentic integration between research and coursework in professional doctorate programs

Integration has always been a prominent issue debated in the burgeoning literature on professional doctorate programs. This focus on integration, however, has largely involved the integration between theoretical and practical understandings of various professions. Exploring the integration between research and coursework components of professional doctorate programs has received less attention. This article explores the character of the integration between coursework and research in several professional doctorate programs at a number of Australian research-intensive universities and universities of technology. Using a content analysis methodology, this research charted the various models for sequencing research and coursework and established whether integration was an explicit or implicit goal of the espoused curriculum. It also sought to explore whether there were differences in the levels of integration in professional doctorate programs across different types of universities or patterns of variation across disciplines.

Early practical experience and the social responsiveness of clinical education: Systematic review

Objectives To find how early experience in clinical and community settings (early experience) affects medical education, and identify strengths and limitations of the available evidence. Design A systematic review rating, by consensus, the strength and importance of outcomes reported in the decade 1992-2001. Data sources Bibliographical databases and journals were searched for publications on the topic, reviewed under the auspices of the recently formed Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) collaboration. Selection of studies All empirical studies (verifiable, observational data) were included, whatever their design, method, or language of publication. Results Early experience was most commonly provided in community settings, aiming to recruit primary care practitioners for underserved populations. It increased the popularity of primary care residencies, albeit among self selected students. It fostered self awareness and empathic attitudes towards ill people, boosted students' confidence, motivated them, gave them satisfaction, and helped them develop a professional identity. By helping develop interpersonal skills, it made entering clerkships a less stressful experience. Early experience helped students learn about professional roles and responsibilities, healthcare systems, and health needs of a population. It made biomedical, behavioural, and social sciences more relevant and easier to learn. It motivated and rewarded teachers and patients and enriched curriculums. In some countries,junior students provided preventive health care directly to underserved populations. Conclusion Early experience helps medical students learn, helps them develop appropriate attitudes towards their studies and future practice, and orientates medical curriculums towards society's needs. Experimental evidence of its benefit is unlikely to be forthcoming and yet more medical schools are likely to provide it. Effort could usefully be concentrated on evaluating the methods and outcomes of early experience provided within non-experimental research designs, and using that evaluation to improve the quality of curriculums.

NAATI accreditation for translators in Australia: Theoretical underpinnings and practical implications

A mismatch exists in expectations about the requirements of translation between NAATI and those attempting the NAATI test, be they translation practitioners, graduates from translation training programs. This article will examine issues concerning NAATI accreditation for Translators at the professional level in terms of the relevant theoretical frameworks of translation, and assess translation practice in the real translation world, in order to contribute to a better understanding of the NAATI Translator test, its theoretical underpinnings and practical implications.

Remembrance of things past: Amnesic syndrome with partial preservation of professional skills

J.L., then a 25-year-old physiotherapist, became densely amnesic following herpes simplex encephalitis. She displayed severe retrograde amnesia, category-specific semantic memory loss, and a profound anterograde amnesia affecting both verbal and visual memory. Her working memory systems were relatively spared as were most of her cognitive problem-solving abilities, but her social functioning was grossly impaired. She was able to demonstrate several previously learned physiotherapy skills, but was unable to modify her application of these procedures in accordance with patient response. She showed no memory of theoretical or propositional knowledge, and could neither plan treatment or reason clinically. Three years later, J.L. had profound impairment of anterograde and retrograde declarative memory, with relative sparing of working memory for problem solving and long-term memory of procedural skills. The theoretical and practical implications of her amnesic syndrome are discussed.