Exploring the Impact of OT Student Stress: Professor and Student Perspectives

PURPOSE: OT programs are hailed for their accelerated courses and strong curricula. These programs can be overwhelming to students as they work to excel and thrive in academics. There is concern that curricular intensity and fieldwork expectations can obstruct student life balance. In Chang and More...

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Veröffentlicht in:The American journal of occupational therapy 2020-08, Vol.74 (S1), p.7411510318-7411510318p1
Hauptverfasser: Grab, Jessica, Long, Meghan, Norris, Julianna, Pilchik, Kristin, Fisher, Grace
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:PURPOSE: OT programs are hailed for their accelerated courses and strong curricula. These programs can be overwhelming to students as they work to excel and thrive in academics. There is concern that curricular intensity and fieldwork expectations can obstruct student life balance. In Chang and Moreno's (2017) study, 20% of students felt stress prevented them from engaging in daily occupations, and 79% felt stressed and said they did not participate fully in meaningful occupations. According to Everly, Poff, Laport, Hamant, and Alvey (1994), nearly two thirds of their study's sample viewed OT school as more stressful than nonprofessional school. Pfeifer, Kranz, and Scoggin (2008) noted 52% of OT students reported time management issues and the inability to balance school and family matters. The purpose of our study was to explore how OT students function under the stress of rigorous curricula and how professors recognize student stress. Our research questions were: (a) What stressors are faced by entry-level OT students and how stressed are they? (b) How do professors perceive student stress? (c) What suggestions are there for coping with student stress? DESIGN: IRB approval at the researcher's university was obtained. We used a qualitative and quantitative mixed-methods design with online surveys and open ended interviews of OT students and OT professors. Recruitment emails were sent to 1,317 professors at OT programs across the US, including a link to our SurveyMonkey Professor Survey. Interested individuals were asked to contact the researchers if willing to be interviewed. An email invitation was also sent to 177 directors/chairs of OT programs across the U.S. They were asked to forward the invitation, containing a link to our SurveyMonkey Student Survey, to eligible OT students. The student survey also asked respondents to contact the researchers if willing to be interviewed. Inclusion criteria required respondents to be: (a) OT students enrolled in full time ACOTE-approved entry level master's degree and/or OTD programs in the US., or (b) Professors of OT who were licensed and registered by the NBCOT and were employed as OT professors in entry level master's or doctoral degree programs in ACOTE accredited universities. METHOD: Survey data were collected via the SurveyMonkey professor and student surveys. SurveyMonkey data analysis produced descriptive statistics. Interview data, collected via handwritten researcher notes, were analyzed via item by it
ISSN:0272-9490
1943-7676
DOI:10.5014/ajot.2020.74S1-PO8021