Co-designing improvements
The team carried out a co-design workshop with students and lecturers to develop the new version of the webapp , including two new topic areas . These were created to increase the use of digitally-focused competencies and multidisciplinary working . New content was also added to help users to find their way around the webapp and be creative about how it was used in practice .
Deploying the intervention
The recruited cohort were final year students at Sheffield Hallam University , who had experienced significant disruption during their course , due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were focusing on graduating and applying for jobs .
For those that were able to take the opportunity to join the project , it has provided additional opportunities as they transition into qualified practitioners .
Turpin ( 2021 ) highlighted the risk of new practitioners feeling overwhelmed in the early phase of employment and the need for supportive and practical interventions . This has also been reinforced by the scale of programmes currently being undertaken by Health Education England ( HEE 2022 ).
Wider engagement
During the recruitment period there was increasing interest from a range of students from across all years and courses , and from other occupational therapy training courses . This demonstrated a wider need than just final year students for tools such as this one , and an interest in joining a research project .
Recruitment of students and qualified occupational therapists into research is challenging when there are shortages of placements , practice educators and general research capacity across a health and care system running ‘ hot .’
However , the interest generated by the project provided opportunities for wider conversations and a positive view of research involvement .
Next steps
Looking forward , as placement provision continues to be an ongoing challenge , and as practice placement educators are under competing pressures ( HEE 2020 ), the partners are planning further discovery workshops with educators and others working alongside preceptees , to clarify where in their day-to-day work the tool may be most use .
The focus will be on digital competency / skills and methods of competency and confidence development for both the educator and student / preceptors in a work environment . The aim of this work will be to create new materials in the webapp that may help practice development in ‘ real world ’ clinical settings .
Sheffield Hallam University continues to innovate placement experiences to ensure that all students can meet best practice guidance and experience a wide range of clinical contexts ( CSP and RCOT 2022 ).
The university is keen to explore how use of the COG-OT webapp within this placement provision can support students to develop digital literacy skills prior to qualification . It presents a digital means to equip them to fully engage with opportunities to use technology safely and effectively with patients and families / carers .
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and Royal College of Occupational Therapists ( 2022 ) Principles of practice-based learning . CSP Publications . Available at https :// bit . ly / 3niHKGX [ accessed 2 May 2023 ].
Health Education England ( 2018 ) RePAIR Project ( Reducing Pre-registration Attrition and Improving Retention ). Available at https :// bit . ly / 3VqH7Yc [ accessed 24 November 2022 ].
Health Education England ( 2020 ) Helping to ensure an essential supply of AHPs . Practice Placements : challenges and solutions . Available at https :// bit . ly / 3LJYLTO [ accessed 22 November 2022 ].
Health Education England ( 2022 ) Harnessing digital technologies for workforce development , education and training : an overview . Available at : https :// bit . ly / 40YcSsO
Turpin M , Fitzgerald C , Copley J , Laracy S , Lewis B ( 2021 ) Experiences of and support for the transition to practice of newly-graduated occupational therapists undertaking a hospital graduate program . Aust Occup Ther J . 2021 ; 68 : 12 – 20 . DOI : https :// bit . ly / 3nlOELv .
Words KATHERINE GARVEY , OT Lecturer , BSc Placement Coordinator , College of Health and Wellbeing and Life Sciences , Sheffield Hallam University , k . garvey @ shu . ac . uk , and ALICIA RIDOUT , Independent OT and Director , Involve Me Digital Health Ltd ,
Alicia @ involvemedigitalhealth . co . uk
May 2023 OTnews 51