Is it ok for universities to send first year OT students for placement where there are no OTs practicing already?
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Unknown member
Mar 15, 2023
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Hi there, it is not encouraged until last placements due to the building of your skills in the first 3 or 4 placements. Then you become independent to work in a role emerging. I was a mentor for role emerging students that had to have done at least 3 placements first. Good luck with your studies
Hi @Sonnie83. I would say a definite 'no' to this! A first placement might be as much as 1/3 of your total placement hours - a huge chunk of pre-qualified learning. As also commented here, you need an OT to model your early practice and build that clinical knowledge from. You can't learn to be an OT without another OT there to show you the ropes! My final placement was a role-emerging one - but I'd built the foundational knowledge and experience by then to have the confidence to do such a placement. (Plus it was my choice to do this and I had a fellow student with me; peer-support certainly helped). A responsible university should not be sending first years on such a placement. Good luck with your journey!
Thanks alot Jamie, it's very unfortunate to have to go in such, am afraid there is nothing to learn as you say it needs a student with a bit of experience. How does a 'new' student learn by themselves? Yes final year students are at advantage for such placements,actually very eye opening for outside world ahead of them career wise.
Hi there, it is not encouraged until last placements due to the building of your skills in the first 3 or 4 placements. Then you become independent to work in a role emerging. I was a mentor for role emerging students that had to have done at least 3 placements first. Good luck with your studies
Hi @Sonnie83. I would say a definite 'no' to this! A first placement might be as much as 1/3 of your total placement hours - a huge chunk of pre-qualified learning. As also commented here, you need an OT to model your early practice and build that clinical knowledge from. You can't learn to be an OT without another OT there to show you the ropes! My final placement was a role-emerging one - but I'd built the foundational knowledge and experience by then to have the confidence to do such a placement. (Plus it was my choice to do this and I had a fellow student with me; peer-support certainly helped). A responsible university should not be sending first years on such a placement. Good luck with your journey!