A Nationwide Descriptive Study: Part II Understanding the Ways Academic Fieldwork Coordinators Describe the Responsibilities and Challenges of Their Role

Abstract

The responsibilities and challenges of Academic Fieldwork Coordinators vary considerably across occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs in the United States. In the second part of a nationwide convergent mixed-method study conducted to identify the roles and responsibilities of the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, we examined the role responsibilities, structural supports, and barriers that influence their success and satisfaction. Academic Fieldwork Coordinators described the valuable role they play in supporting students’ achievement of learning outcomes, successful fieldwork experiences, and their entrance into the profession as competent practitioners. They additionally delineated the valuable contributions they make to their programs’ maintenance of relevance in their curriculum and in the community. Their ambassadorship of institutions, program, students, fieldwork educators, and the occupational therapy profession brings them both reward and challenge. This study yields important data on these juxtaposed experiences and sheds light on the ways they can be addressed to improve role satisfaction and success