The Effects of Intraprofessional Education on Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistant Students’ Perceptions of Collaborative Practice Skills

Abstract

As the healthcare industry changed, Occupational Therapy Practitioners (OTP) needed to be prepared to meet these demands by demonstrating the ability to work collaboratively. Intraprofessional learning activities were critical in developing knowledge, skills, and attitudes for intraprofessional collaboration among future occupational therapy practitioners. Effective preparation for intraprofessional collaboration and collaborative practice was vital to developing a stronger, collaborative, inclusive, and cohesive Occupational Therapy team, consequently enhancing occupational therapy service delivery. The research was an intraprofessional collaborative educational experience between Occupational Therapy (OT) students and Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) students. The purpose of the research was to identify and determine if participating in up to two virtual intraprofessional collaborative educational activities changed OT and OTA students’ perceptions of the essential skills for collaborative practice. The research utilized sixty-three newly enrolled and continuing OT and OTA students to participate in up to two virtual intraprofessional collaborative educational sessions, each lasting three hours. The students participated in a Team Building-Social event and a Simulated Patient lab. A post-session debriefing and reflection followed each session. The researchers utilized pre- and post-session surveys to assess student perceptions of the essential skills for collaborative practice. The results indicated that student perceptions changed. The study further demonstrated a correlation between student engagement in intraprofessional collaborative education and student perceptions of essential skills for collaborative practice, such as Teams and Teamwork, Interprofessional Communication, Roles/Responsibilities, and Values/Ethics.

Keywords: Intraprofessional, teamwork, interprofessional collaboration, student engagement.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/16-1-16

Publication date: January 30th 2025