Novice occupational therapists: Navigating complex practice contexts in South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorVan Stormbroek, Kirsty
dc.contributor.authorBuchanan, Helen
dc.date.accessioned2019-07-29T09:53:15Z
dc.date.available2019-07-29T09:53:15Z
dc.date.issued2019-01-30
dc.description.abstractBackground/aim: The transition from student to occupational therapy practitioner is challenging. In South Africa, this transition is undertaken in rural and underserved areas, as graduate health professionals are deployed by the government for a year of compulsory Community Service. This study set out to establish the characteristics of these practice settings, the resources available for occupational therapy services, the availability and quality of supervision, and participants’ perceived ability to communicate with their patients and negotiate cultural differences. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey design was utilised and a questionnaire was sent to all occupational therapists completing Community Service in 2013 (N = 240). Data were analysed using Stata 12 and IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for categorical variables and associations tested with Odds Ratios and the Pearson's Chi square test. Responses to open‐ended questions were post‐coded. Results: A 44.3% (n = 103) response rate was achieved. Practice settings often provided few resources. Although most participants had supervisors (89.6%), many did not find supervision satisfactory (65.9%). Communication difficulties featured strongly (73.9%), but the majority of participants felt they possessed basic cultural competence. Conclusion: Participants worked within complex practice settings that were frequently resource‐restricted with less than satisfactory supervision. Practice required cultural competence and an ability to work across language barriers. Undergraduate curricula need to be tailored to equip new graduates to navigate these contextual realities. Furthermore, human resourcing strategies need to be evaluated and effective supervision and support structures need to be developed.en_US
dc.identifier.apacitationVan Stormbroek, K., & Buchanan, H. (2019). Novice occupational therapists: Navigating complex practice contexts in South Africa. <i>Australian Occupational Therapy Journal</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30341en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationVan Stormbroek, Kirsty, and Helen Buchanan "Novice occupational therapists: Navigating complex practice contexts in South Africa." <i>Australian Occupational Therapy Journal</i> (2019) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30341en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationVan Stormbroek, K., Buchanan, H. 2019-01-30. Novice occupational therapists: Navigating complex practice contexts in South Africa. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Van Stormbroek, Kirsty AU - Buchanan, Helen AB - Background/aim: The transition from student to occupational therapy practitioner is challenging. In South Africa, this transition is undertaken in rural and underserved areas, as graduate health professionals are deployed by the government for a year of compulsory Community Service. This study set out to establish the characteristics of these practice settings, the resources available for occupational therapy services, the availability and quality of supervision, and participants’ perceived ability to communicate with their patients and negotiate cultural differences. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey design was utilised and a questionnaire was sent to all occupational therapists completing Community Service in 2013 (N = 240). Data were analysed using Stata 12 and IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for categorical variables and associations tested with Odds Ratios and the Pearson's Chi square test. Responses to open‐ended questions were post‐coded. Results: A 44.3% (n = 103) response rate was achieved. Practice settings often provided few resources. Although most participants had supervisors (89.6%), many did not find supervision satisfactory (65.9%). Communication difficulties featured strongly (73.9%), but the majority of participants felt they possessed basic cultural competence. Conclusion: Participants worked within complex practice settings that were frequently resource‐restricted with less than satisfactory supervision. Practice required cultural competence and an ability to work across language barriers. Undergraduate curricula need to be tailored to equip new graduates to navigate these contextual realities. Furthermore, human resourcing strategies need to be evaluated and effective supervision and support structures need to be developed. DA - 2019-01-30 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - Australian Occupational Therapy Journal KW - Community Service KW - novice KW - occupational therapy KW - rural practice KW - complex practice contexts KW - supervision KW - cultural competence KW - language barriers LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2019 T1 - Novice occupational therapists: Navigating complex practice contexts in South Africa TI - Novice occupational therapists: Navigating complex practice contexts in South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30341 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12564
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/30341
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationVan Stormbroek K, Buchanan H. Novice occupational therapists: Navigating complex practice contexts in South Africa. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 2019; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30341.en_ZA
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Health and Rehabilitation Sciencesen_US
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Health Sciencesen_US
dc.sourceAustralian Occupational Therapy Journalen_US
dc.source.urihttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14401630
dc.subjectCommunity Serviceen_US
dc.subjectnoviceen_US
dc.subjectoccupational therapyen_US
dc.subjectrural practiceen_US
dc.subjectcomplex practice contextsen_US
dc.subjectsupervisionen_US
dc.subjectcultural competenceen_US
dc.subjectlanguage barriersen_US
dc.titleNovice occupational therapists: Navigating complex practice contexts in South Africaen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
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