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Research Article
Issue Date: October 1985
Published Online: October 01, 1985
Updated: April 30, 2020
Fieldwork Experience, Part I: Impact on Practice Preference
Barbara A. Christie; Peggy Corcoran Joyce; Patricia L. Moeller
Author Affiliations
  • Barbara A. Christie, OTR, is Chief, Occupational Therapy, and Educational Coordinator, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Peggy Corcoran Joyce, OTR, was Unit Head Occupational Therapist, Rehabilitation Unit; both at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60616
  • Barbara A. Christie, OTR, is Chief, Occupational Therapy, and Educational Coordinator, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Peggy Corcoran Joyce, OTR, was Unit Head Occupational Therapist, Rehabilitation Unit; both at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60616
  • Patricia L. Moeller, MOT, OTR, at the time of this study was Assistant Professor and Community Coordinator, University of Illinois’ Curriculum in Occupational Therapy, Chicago, IL. She now is Life Skills Supervisor, St. Joseph Hospital, Chicago, IL 60657
Article Information
Education of OTs and OTAs / Features
Research Article   |   October 01, 1985
Fieldwork Experience, Part I: Impact on Practice Preference
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, October 1985, Vol. 39, 671-674. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.39.10.671
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, October 1985, Vol. 39, 671-674. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.39.10.671
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Abstract

Occupational therapy students and student supervisors in 65 fieldwork centers nationwide responded to a survey designed a) to appraise the relative value of the fieldwork experience in the occupational therapist’s professional development and b) to identify the elements perceived as being essential to a good fieldwork experience. Three stages of professional development were examined: the preprofessional, the academic, and the fieldwork experience. Results suggest that the fieldwork experience stage has the greatest impact on the development of a therapist’s preference for a specific area of clinical practice. This article discusses the primary influences in the three stages that contribute to this preference formation.