The shift of occupational therapy (OT) education towards the doctoral level means that more and more OT students are needing to complete a Doctoral Capstone. In order to complete this graduation requirement, these students are in need of site mentors to supervise, mentor, and assist their project and experience. This blog post will highlight key roles and responsibilities of site mentors, recommended forms for students, ACOTE ® standards, and a podcast to learn more about your role.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Site Mentor
- Provide supervision that aligns with patient safety and protection, and with the student’s site-specific objectives
- Instruction and feedback for the student’s doctoral focus area and their performance
- Completion of a mid-term and final evaluation
- Provide orientation to the capstone site
- Review capstone goals and experience plan to ensure shared understanding
- Weekly sign-off of the student’s time log
- Communicate with the doctoral capstone coordinator (DCC) if there are any concerns
(Nova Southeastern University, 2022)
Roles and Responsibilities of the Capstone Student
- Complete needs assessment and literature review before the capstone experience
- Collaborate with the site and faculty mentor for individualized goals and objectives, evaluation, and a supervision plan
- Complete weekly time log to track activities and progress
- Communicate with site mentor and DCC if there are any questions or concerns
- Complete assignments required by the academic institution
(Nova Southeastern University, 2022; University of Florida, 2022)
Recommended: Content of Capstone Site Manual
- Orientation outline
- Safety procedures
- Week-by-week schedule of responsibilities
- Can be collaborative with the student’s project
- Guidelines for documentation
- Department information as it relates to the capstone project and experience
- Expectation of mentor and student meetings
- Responsibilities of the student and mentor
- Performance evaluation guidelines
- Resources for the student
(Nova Southeastern University, 2022)
Highlighted ACOTE® Changes
D.1.4: Ensure that there is a valid plan for the individual doctoral capstone experience that, at a minimum, includes:
- Individualized specific doctoral capstone experience objectives
- Plans for evaluation, supervision, and mentoring
- Responsibilities of all parties
The agreement must be signed by all parties
Changed from: Ensure that there is a valid memorandum of understanding for the doctoral capstone experience, that, at a minimum includes individualized specific objectives, plans for supervision or mentoring, and responsibilities of all parties.
D.1.5: Require that the length of the doctoral capstone experience be a minimum of 14 weeks’ full-time, and a minimum of 32 hours per week. This may be completed on a part-time basis as agreed upon by the organization and must be consistent with the individualized specific objectives and capstone project. This must be equivalent in length to 14 full-time weeks of at least 32 hours per week.
Changed from: Require that the length of the doctoral capstone experience be a minimum of 14 weeks (560 hours). This may be completed on a part-time basis and must be consistent with the individualized specific objectives and capstone project. No more than 20% of the 560 hours can be completed off site from the mentored practice setting(s), to ensure a concentrated experience in the designated area of interest.
The role of the site mentor in the doctoral-level of education is crucial for students to graduate. You will provide the mentorship and expertise for the student to complete their project and experience. With the increase in entry-level doctoral students, more resources for site mentors will follow.
Written by Gianna Martello, OTS
References
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. (2018). 2018 accreditation council for occupational therapy education (ACOTE®) standards and interpretive guide. https://acoteonline.org/accreditation-explained/standards/
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. (2023). 2023 accreditation council for occupational therapy education (ACOTE®) standards and interpretive guide. https://acoteonline.org/accreditation-explained/standards/
Nova Southeastern University. (2022, March 3). 2022-2023 doctoral capstone manual. https://healthsciences.nova.edu/ot/orientation/forms/otd-tpa/otd-orientation-2022-docs/otd-capstone-manual-2022–2023.pdf
University of Florida. (2022). Doctor of occupational therapy capstone experience & project manual. https://ot.phhp.ufl.edu/current-students/manuals-and-forms/#fw