Effectiveness of the Community–Academia Student Tutoring (CAST) program in enhancing students’ practice placement readiness

Abstract

Introduction Occupational therapy programs include practice education, which is a vital aspect of professional practice preparation. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Community–Academia Student Tutoring program for enhancing occupational therapy students’ perceived readiness for their practice placement, thus reducing their feelings of anxiety. Method The study included 84 first-year undergraduate occupational therapy students aged 21–35 years, of whom 43 participated in the Community–Academia Student Tutoring group program and the rest comprised the control group. Participants completed the Student Self-Competency and Readiness for Fieldwork questionnaire prior to their first practice placement. Findings Anxiety was related to the Student Self-Competency and Readiness for Fieldwork’s components and total score. The Community–Academia Student Tutoring group scored significantly higher ( p < .05) than the controls in the Evaluation and Communication with Patients components of the questionnaire, after controlling for anxiety level. Implications It appears that it is possible to enhance students’ readiness for their practice placement through a structured and intensive community-based mentoring program that is guided by faculty and includes activities of briefing and debriefing, such as the Community–Academia Student Tutoring program.