Category Archives: Teacher Qualities

Mentoring as an OT Educator

Communication, Learning Objectives, Relationship & Relationship Building, Teacher Qualities, Teaching Tips

This post is updated from a previous post. It is about the concept of mentoring, specifically as it relates to the OT Educator:OT student relationship. When one looks at formal definitions of mentoring you find the following:

    • Mentoring is a reciprocal and collaborative at-will relationship that most often occurs between a senior and junior employee for the purpose of the mentee’s growth, learning, and career development. (https://www.td.org/talent-development-glossary-terms/what-is-mentoring).
    • A mentor is:
      • a wise and trusted counselor or teacher (dictionary.com, accessed 01/25/2024)
      • a person who gives a younger or less experienced person help and advice over a period of time, especially at work or school (dictionary.cambridge.org, accessed 01/25/2024).A Simple Guide to Mentoring. An easy to follow process of ...

There is a growing body of literature about mentorship in occupational therapy, with a recent scoping review published in 2023 in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal at: https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12903

Traditionally, mentee/mentor relationships are self selected. This is not the case in the OT educator/OT student relationship. These relationships  are  randomly  assigned and for a short duration of time. In most mentoring relationships there is not often the element of assessment, but we do have that expectation in the Fieldwork relationship.

Though most OT Educators most commonly identify their role of being more supervisory by design, many times the relationship shifts towards mentorship.

All OT educators could embody elements of mentorship/mentoring … many OTs see areas where students have potential and they encourage and support them to reach their potential. Many students and OTs develop longer term relationships, which after placement, evolves more into a mentee/mentor relationship.

One excellent resource that presents a mentoring skills model is the online course, www.preceptor.ca There are concepts from Phillips-Jones 2003 model that are extremely valid and easy to apply to the educator/student relationship.

mentoromg model

The shared core skills are worth exploring and here are some suggestions for how to foster these in your OT Educator : OT student relationship.

Listening Actively: Both have responsibility to do this. Non-verbal behaviours can support this and the use of paraphrasing is a skill the student should use to ensure they are aware of expectations and deliverables.

Identifying goals and current reality: Students will come with some set personal learning goals they wish to achieve on placement. Many of you will have learning objectives set for your unit or team and you will share those with your student who will modify them to suit the level of placement and your expectations. You will know what is possible in your setting and the students will share with you their “reality” which is where they are in the curriculum, what background and prior knowledge and experience they are coming to you with. They will also possibly disclose any personal learning challenges or life situations they are dealing with at the present time.

Encouraging: Both of you will be encouraging! You will be praising the skills they are learning and applying; you will comment on noticeable improvements and you will help them identify issues for future learning. All very constructive and are building blocks for them. Students will be encouraging to you too! They will provide you with feedback on your teaching style and  the role modelling you provide. Students are also encouraging in a more tacit way . By this I mean that they allow you to self-reflect on the fact you “do know what you are doing” and you in fact do it well as you are able to teach someone else how to do  it!!

 Building Trust: This is one of the characteristics of a good educator that students frequently comment on. If there is  a climate where the OT exhibits trust of the student, the student relaxes more and is able to perform better. Students also need to be aware that trust in this relationship needs to be earned so that patient safety is not compromised.

We hope you take the opportunity to move towards mentorship when you have a student. If you are interested in a more formal Mentoring opportunity, consider being a mentor with CAOT. Please visit: https://caot.ca/site/getinvolved/mentorship 

Want to take an OT student but you are in a new practice area? Read on!

Benefits of Having Students, Learning, Teacher Qualities, Teaching Tips, Uncategorized

This post comes courtesy of Sharon Jang, UBC MOT Student Class of 2022, (edited by Donna Drynan)

Are you new to a practice area after working years in another area? Understandably, you may be hesitant to take a student when you’re handling your own learning curve. If you find yourself uncertain to take on a student, Read on for how you can still provide a valuable learning opportunity!

If you are not feeling confident taking a student because you are new to a practice area, remember you can still:

  • Teach occupational therapy skills that are transferrable between practice area. Think of activities such as building rapport with clients, performing initial interviews, and interacting with other members of the team.
  • Provide feedback to the student. Feedback is always appreciated and is helpful for student growth (Rodger et al., 2011).
  • Consider it a learning opportunity for the both of you (Jensen & Daniel, 2010). Students can act as a new set of eyes to a challenge, or may have innovative ideas or newly learned techniques for a problem.
  • Development of resources: a student can add to the resources required to facilitate practice,

At the end of the day, reflect on your experiences from when you were a student. What did you value from your placement, other than the hard skills you practiced? Despite being new to a practice area, you still have the core occupational therapy competencies that you can teach a student. If you are in this situation and have taken a student, THANK YOU!

References

Jensen, L. R., & Daniel, C. (2010). A descriptive study on level II fieldwork supervision in hospital settings. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 24(4), 335-347.

Rodger, S., Fitzgerald, C., Davila, W., Millar, F., & Allison, H. (2011). What makes a quality occupational therapy practice placement? Students’ and practice educators’ perspectives. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 58(3), 195-202.

Coach Approach Workshop Opportunity for OT Preceptors

OT Promotion, Placement Preparation, Teacher Qualities, Teaching Tips, Uncategorized

Please take advantage of this wonderful course offered by BC’s own Helene Theriault, Occupational Therapist and owner of functionfirstcoaching.com

Fo anyone who has supervised an OT student in the past or upcoming in 2021, you can receive a 20% discount. Use this code in the registration link to receive your discount UBC20 Here is the registration link

OT Preceptors are Humans too: Fostering Vulnerability in Mentorship

Benefits of Having Students, Communication, Teacher Qualities, Uncategorized

This post comes courtesy of Ariel Hung UBC MOT Class of 2021 (Adapted by Donna Drynan)

As Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Educators, you may feel that you have to have answers to everything, be a perfect role model, and not make mistakes- WRONG!

Students are looking to you to provide insights to practice, guide them along the way, confirm their strengths and gently offer ways for them to do things differently- all in the name of moving them towards entering the profession.

You are human and that is what makes you such an exceptional OT and now Teacher!

Think about when you were a student occupational therapist? Did any of your Educators ask you any of the following questions:

  • what are some signs that you are feeling overwhelmed
  • what are ways that you cope during difficult situations
  • how do you like to receive feedback

The ability for both you, the Educator, and the student to show vulnerablity is a great gift during learning.

Here are some reasons to encourage and demonstrate vulnerability with your student:

  1. It builds connection and rapport
  •  express emotions deeply while still being professional
  • be authentic- this allows your  patients and student to trust you wholeheartedly
  • admit when you make mistakes and most importantly what you learned from them
  • share openly about emotional challenges you experience when working with patients.  We live in a world that is often uncomfortable with vulnerability, but these actions will remind students that you are human too.
  • showing and encouraging vulnerability will help your student feel less alone in their experiences, make you more relatable and approachable, and help you build a collaborative relationship.

2. It paves the way for open communication

  • consider moving beyond  the relationship being strictly performance-based and professional.
  • enhanced rapport will create a safe space for genuine questions, and two-way feedback.

The rapport you build with your student through vulnerability will pave the way for open communication, which will help establish clearer learning expectations and objectives.

3. It fosters hope and empowers your student

  • if you are authentic, and have established a culture of vulnerability students can  be more their authentic selves each day and devote their full attention to learning clinical skills, building rapport with patients, and exploring the work environment.

Fostering vulnerability through small, genuine gestures such as asking your student how they’re feeling, sharing that you had a tough day as examples, will encourage your students to step out of their comfort zone and fully embrace their potential in their journey of becoming occupational therapists.

So don’t be afraid to be real, to be vulnerable, and to sometimes not know the answers. Your students will greatly appreciate that!

Occupational Therapists are Trained to be Preceptors

Benefits of Having Students, Learning, Teacher Qualities, Teaching Tips

This post comes courtesy of Tasia Tsatsanis, UBC MOT Class of 2019. (Adapted by Donna Drynan)

While having a student may seem like a daunting task, it is my humble opinion that of all the professions, occupational therapists are perhaps best suited to tackle this educator role.

Think back to the CMCE practice model outlined in Enabling Occupation II (I know I know, theory). This model describes enablement as the core competency of OT (Townsend & Polatajko, 2013). In terms of our clients, we use our OT skills to enable their participation in the important occupations of their daily lives.

In terms of your students? You are still enabling participation in occupations, but more specifically in the occupation of providing occupational therapy. As preceptors you can draw upon the skills you have developed throughout your career to educate students in the process of providing client care and coach them through this process.

One prime example is for you  to consider the task demands, such as the complexity of the situation and student  familiarity with the intervention/assessment, and then grade and or  adapt their involvement as needed. You can easily grade student involvement by having them watch you,  then have them do part of the task,  then let them do it all! If clients present with complexities,  initially you can work more closely with students on intervention planning, question them, have them discuss their plans with you, have them  practice skills on you first before they go to the  client sessions.

https://tinyurl.com/y5gequoe

As an OT you are prepared to engage students in practice, to coordinate resources and information they need to succeed, to adapt your teaching methods as needed, to collaborate with students on what they need as learners, and so much more.

So if you find yourself feeling anxious about being a preceptor, remember that you already have the skills to enable your student to provide quality occupational therapy.

So what do you think? Do you agree? What examples do you have of using enablement skills with OT students? Leave a comment down below and share your thoughts!

Reference:

Townsend, E. A., & Polatajko, H. J. (2013). Enabling: Occupational therapy’s core competency. In E. A. Townsend & H. J. Polatajko (Eds.), Enabling occupation II: Advancing an occupational therapy vision for health, well-being, and justice through occupation (2nd ed, pp. 87-133). Ottawa, ON: CAOT Publications ACE.

Supervisor, Mentor, Coach or Role Model? What am I?

Teacher Qualities, Uncategorized

For a long time now I have been trying to move away from the term supervisor when talking about the OT and OT student relationship during placements. I feel the word may create an unnecessary power hierarchy.  As an OT Fieldwork Educator (my preferred term), you carry many roles, but the prime ones are to teach and inspire. Teaching and inspiring can take many forms particularly when you are in a relationship where one does hold some  leverage- the teacher  (ok, I admit it) over the learner (OT student).

Read on where I describe the labels of supervisor, coach, mentor and role model and hopefully you see yourself in some of them or you will aspire to try on a new “label” when you are an  OT Fieldwork Educator.

Supervisor: This person is often assigned. From the medical field of teaching, the supervisor has the student “watch one”, then the student “does one” then the student “teaches one” . There is the notion that when you are a supervisor you are always evaluating. Yes, when students are on placements, you are completing the CBFE evaluation form, however we know that the placement cannot  only be about evaluation. We need you to teach (hopefully more that just once as per the medical example above).

Coach: Coaches are also often  assigned. A coach teaches a skill then “guides from the side” when it is the students turn to participate.  Performance is highlighted in this relationship with the goal being to improve performance.

Mentor: A mentor is often self-selected among  both parties. They are also often not assessing. A mentor sees areas where students have potential and encourages, and provides opportunities and support to allow students to reach potential. It can be a longer term relationship. Often times coaches and even supervisors can  become mentors.

Role Model: Congratulations! When you are an OT Fieldwork Educator, you are always a role model. You  are modeling not only skills but the behaviours required of a regulated professional.

Students report that a coach approach is preferred in the formal relationship. They appreciate that you are trying to make them better. You may not necessarily have to “like” your coach but you always respect them and that respect goes both ways.  The coach is seen as someone who is working along side for the same good outcomes.

Those that label themselves as a supervisor may be perceived as having less flexibility and that you are going to tell them what to do. They also set the expectations rather than it be a reciprocal process.

A mentor provides some personal connection. Often in our placements there is not time to establish the mentoring relationship but it can be established after. Students feel they get to know a mentor as a person and that they are non-judgemental, honest, direct and treat them as a peer. Being a mentor requires patience and time to be available to grow the relationship. Students truly look to mentors as how they want to behave as clinicians- they want to be like you!

Think about your roles and your style. Hope the above information is helpful to assist you in growing your roles as an OT Fieldwork Educator.

Don’t Worry, You Don’t Need to Know it All

Teacher Qualities

This post comes courtesy of Jessie Bears, UBC MOT student, class of 2018 (edited by Donna Drynan)

Taking on the role of an occupational therapy fieldwork educator can be intimidating. The pressure to feel as if you know everything in your practice area can be overwhelming. Despite this common concern, you don’t need to know it all! In fact,  not knowing the answer to a student’s question, or how to deal with a certain scenario, can provide an opportunity to mentor and learn alongside your student.

The phrase “I don’t know – let’s find an answer to that” can enhance student learning in several ways:

  • It demonstrates to the student that it is ok not to know the answer to everything;
  • It creates honest conversation and helps strengthen the student-preceptor relationship;
  • It creates the opportunity to collaborate to find a solution;
  • It allows you to teach the student how to access information using the various resources that are available;
  • It creates a safe environment, which allows the student to feel comfortable to ask questions and to feel confident in finding solutions under their preceptor’s guidance; and
  • Most importantly, it allows you to demonstrate how to approach unfamiliar situations in practice and to model competent behaviours to help prepare students to become independent, capable, and confident practitioners.

As a preceptor, it is important to lead by example. Show the student what it means to be a “scholarly practitioner”, according to our Profile of Practice, and how to continue developing competence through ongoing learning. It is these pivotal moments during a student’s fieldwork experience that offer a realistic view of how occupational therapists engage in continual learning and self-reflection in order to identify, learn, and solve problems that arise during practice. Learning this process from an experienced practitioner helps prepare occupational therapy students to become critical thinkers, information seekers, and lifelong learners.

References

Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. (2012). Profile of Practice of Occupational Therapists in Canada. (3rd. Ed.). Ottawa, ON: CAOT Publications ACE

What Do We Consider To Be “Exceptional” Supervision Qualities?

Teacher Qualities

This post comes courtesy of Carolyn Mazan, UBC MOT student, class of 2018 (edited by Donna Drynan)

Supervision styles vary by individual, and fieldwork preceptors are not immune to this.

This begs the question, what makes an individual an exceptional preceptor, role model, and clinician for an occupational therapy student?

  1. Every student has different learning needs and it can be difficult for a practicing clinician to constantly change teaching methods to suit students; however, an adaptive preceptor attempts to meet a student at their strongest learning style, or at least partway.
  2. Ask critical thinking questions…. AND provide adequate time for a student to respond.  Sometimes independent thinking requires a bit of floundering first.  No cookie cutter OT students here!
  3. Push your student outside of their comfort zone.  How are we supposed to learn new skills if we get too comfortable and want to keep doing initial and functional assessments because that’s what we already know.
  4. Allow your student to develop their own style, whether it’s how they approach patients, write notes, etc.  As long as all the information is there and achieved in an ethical manner, does it matter if I write my notes the EXACT same way as you?
  5. Provide critical feedback! Sure, compliments are great to receive and occasionally needed to enhance confidence, but how can I, as a student, learn if I’m not told how to improve? Students look to their preceptor on how to become great practicing therapists and a preceptor’s feedback is vital to this quest.

If you’re currently a preceptor taking on students, and you’re not sure if you demonstrate these skills follow these tips and tricks.

  • Talk to your student, take the time to find out their learning style.
  • Is your student taking too long to answer questions? Find out why. Are they nervous about speaking up, do they need time to fully think through the solution before responding?
  • Hey! Your student observed you doing an assessment and the same assessment is required for another patient.  Let them attempt it with your support, but don’t take over the assessment.  Hold your questions or comments until your student looks to you for guidance.
  • Encourage your student to develop their own style.  Have them practice writing chart notes and conducting interviews.  Again, as long as they obtain all the information and it is charted thoroughly, it doesn’t need to be the same as yours.  This is especially true during later placements where your student has already had multiple preceptors with different styles.
  • Critical feedback! Yes, it can be uncomfortable but it’s a necessary evil to assist your student in learning.

The link below will take you to an additional article on tips and tricks for being a great supervisor 🙂

https://toughnickel.com/business/How-to-be-a-Good-Supervisor

What are some characteristics do you recall from your fantastic supervisors?  Feel free to share below!

 

Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Educator Qualities and Characteristics

Teacher Qualities

In both my fieldwork prep classes with the students and my educator preparation workshops we do a section on what you value as qualities in a teacher. I encourage you to reflect on what YOU value in a teacher and try to embrace those characteristics when you become the students’ teacher. Here are some qualities that are often listed by both the students and OT’s.
Responsive – The teacher knows their audience. Remember, you have had the exact same experience in your training as what the student is going through now.  Students are looking for compassion, helpfulness, sincerity, friendliness, and sensitive to student needs
Organized – the educator presents content in ways that students can understand, answers questions, and is able to help the student set clear objectives and assist them in meeting them.
Relevant – You are providing the relevancy that students are craving when then sit in the classroom.Being able to provide practical hands on experiences is what is the intent of the placements.
Knowledgeable yet not “Expert Only”– students like it when the OT is a content expert,  knows how to teach with methods that provide the just right challenge to the student. This can involve questioning, demonstrating and being curious about the students previous experiences and what they bring to the current placement setting.
Trustworthy – students like to know that you are modelling the professional behaviours and standards of care they have learned about. They also like to know that you “have their back”. They like that you are  honest, genuine, and abide by ethical standards
Caring – the teacher cares about students, understands them, and has their best interests at heart. Remember, you are training them to let them in to the OT “club”. We want the brightest and best in our profession.
Immediate – You put your best foot forward and “walk the talk” so to speak so that means you use communication methods that are encouraging and you speak to the students as you would want to be spoken to. You listen, you use appropriate non- verbal and try to deliver feedback in a way that works for the learner.
Humorous – humour does not have to be used all the time but some doses of it help to break the ice, ease the tension and show the student that you are human.
Disclosure/Boundaries – try to disclose an appropriate amount of personal information when it’s relevant to the topic and encourage the same from the student. You both have lots to give and learn about and from each other.

How you interact and teach makes a huge difference in the fieldwork  experiences students have in our program which sometimes can have a significant impact on their future practice as an OT and their lives beyond. Do you still remember a significant moment from a Fieldwork experience? I do….

Reference: Goldman, Z. W., Cranmer, G. A., Solitto, M., Labelle, S., and Lancaster, A. L. (2017). What do college students want? A prioritization of instructional behaviors and characteristics. Communication Education, 66 (3), 280-298.

The “human” side of being a preceptor

Placement Preparation, Relationship & Relationship Building, Teacher Qualities

This post brought to you by Fiona Stevenson, MOTII student, class of 2016. edited by Donna Drynan.

I’d rather be honest than impressive. This quote speaks to me in regards to the OT/ OT student relationship and this is why…

One of the most valuable things my very first preceptor said to me was, “I don’t know”. That simple and raw honesty was so important for me to hear. It made me not only value their modesty and confidence in admitting it to me, but it definitely made me think highly of them both personally and professionally. Students come with questions… a lot of questions! We are encouraged to ask “why” and are often taught not to accept things ‘just because’. We are an enthusiastic bunch that has a true drive for developing our understanding, skills and knowledge.  The value of my preceptor saying that they didn’t know the answer to my question was significant to me. It made me feel safe and secure in my own curiosity and made me comfortable asking questions. It increased my confidence too.  Not only did they give me an honest answer, but then we took the time to find the answer together. I hate to think that this experience related to teaching students is simplistic, but I think it goes to show that it is the little things that go the longest way in fostering a relationship with your student.

Admitting that you too are “human” and can be honest and upfront about your own practice or communication style or knowledge base is so important. It allows your student to see that you might make a mistake once in a while and do not have all the answers at your fingertips. It does not diminish your stature or make us question your competence. It gives us faith that we too will one day be as good as you. We greatly admire the work you do and the skills, knowledge and experience you have. You have the career that we aspire to! But we also know you are human, and aren’t perfect. Being honest does not make us think any less of you. Better to be honest than impressive!