Students report back on their 

Introductory Fieldwork Placements

After fun and busy Introductory Fieldwork placement October 31-November 4, our first year students were back in class this week and gave brief reports on their experiences to their peers.  Placements ranged across Alberta and Saskatchewan and just about every area of practice (hospital,home care, community, schools, WCB).  The students were thrilled and we loved hearing how excited they were to experience Occupational Therapy in action.  These experiences really gave the students a sense of how clinical reasoning, ethical considerations, client centered practice and interprofessional collaboration look in practice.  Here are a few of the comments that students had:

• My preceptor was like a 'detective'.  I was amazed at how she problem solved and found the right answer for this client.  
• It was really neat to see how the team worked together and the respect the OT was given in terms of discharge recommendations. 
• It was so cool how my preceptor worked with this client - she empathized, collaborated, educated all in the matter of one visit.
• I never thought I would be interested in this area of practice but it was really interesting and I have a totally different perception now.  
• It was true what we were told about practicing in a small town.  I did know several of the clients we talked about.  It made me much more aware of confidentiality. 
•  There were so many ethical considerations.  My preceptor had to negotiate conflict between client and family, different teams, etc.
• It was so cool!  I had no idea OT was involved in that area.
• It was amazing how my preceptor 'heard everything' the client said and acknowledged it. I was so busy looking at the chart, I don't know how she can do it all at once!
• It was a real 'confidence booster' to get to try a few things with clients and figure out I can do this!

Sam and Julia with their preceptor Jonathan Rivero of Qi Creative

Thank you to all of you who supported the students as they put their toes in the "OT waters" for the first time.  It was a great week for everyone and will help them so much as they move forward with their program!