Master's level occupational therapy students on placement: an exploration of perceptions and expectations

Introduction: The aims of this exploratory mixed methods study were to explore practice placement educators' perceptions and expectations of pre-registration masters level students on placement and compare the findings of educators who had had experience of masters level students with those who had none. Method: Twenty six educators completed questionnaires and four took part in semi-structured interviews; forty placement reports were reviewed. Findings: The findings show that many educators have higher expectations of master’s level students than of undergraduate students, due to perceptions of maturity and previous education, life and work experience. These expectations were contradicted however, by concerns that master’s level students achieve less academic and clinical competence in the shorter time frame for study. Staff with no prior experience at this level lacked confidence in their own abilities to meet the challenge of supporting a master’s level student, while staff experienced at this level found many benefits for their own learning as well as for their clinical team. Conclusion: Further education, support and collaboration with the university could enhance the placement experience for both educators and students and may result in the acquisition of more placement offers. The findings will be used to inform future educator training days as well as wider dissemination of information to all practice placement educators. Further collaborative and effective communication between the university and the educators may promote self-confidence in student abilities, as well as ensuring that assessment is provided at an appropriate level