“Perceptions, expectations and satisfaction levels of occupational therapy students prior to and after practice placement and comparison of practice placement models”

BACKGROUND: Practice placements in occupational therapy are fundamental components in developing a student’s professional identity. Various models of placements are available to expose and expand students’ participation in various community-based services. The purpose of this study was to compare occupational therapy students’ perceptions and expectations prior to placements with their perceptions and satisfaction levels upon completion of placements, and to compare clinical placement models (role-established and role-emerging). METHODS: The study included 155 undergraduate occupational therapy students, who completed questionnaires prior to and upon completion of their placements. The questionnaire included items that were divided into categories of placement setting and supervision, personal skills, professional skills, and community. Paired t-tests and two-way repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used in order to examine the change in scores over time, and a-parametric tests were used in order to compare the two models. RESULTS: For all students a significant decrease in scores was found from pre- to post-placement regarding setting and supervision (t[df] = 3.96[154], p < .001), and a significant increase in scores was found from pre- to post-placement regarding personal and professional skills (t[df] = 7.82[154], p < .001; t[df] = 14.24[154], p < .001, respectively). Comparison between placement models indicated nonsignificant differences regarding personal and professional skills. However, role-established post-scores were significantly higher than role-emerging scores regarding setting and supervision, but significantly lower regarding the contribution of services to the community. CONCLUSIONS: Practice placements promote a student’s personal and professional skills. Students were less satisfied with the setting and supervision in comparison to their pre-placement expectations. Both models may contribute to students’ professional development. Role-established model had an advantage in students’ satisfaction with settings and supervision, while role-emerging models had an advantage in students’ perceptions regarding contribution to the community. Role-emerging model may contribute to developing and expanding areas of practice in the community. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-019-1762-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.