With new Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) standards to take effect in 2025, there are a few new changes to be highlighted. One change, in particular, is the highlight on student well-being. The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator (AFWC), Doctoral Capstone Coordinator, fieldwork educator, and capstone mentor must be aware of resources related to students’ well-being and have a way to document communication of these resources. This blog post will highlight some of the key terms and standards, and provide useful resources to share with students in order to meet the standard criteria.
Noteworthy Standards Reflecting Student Well-Being
C.1.8: Demonstrate support for enhancing supervision (e.g., materials on supervisory skills, continuing education opportunities, student well-being, cultural humility, and articles on theory and practice).
C.1.9: Document a process for communication with the student and fieldwork educator throughout the fieldwork experience. Ensure all aspects of the student’s progress and performance are addressed and the fieldwork educator is aware of resources that support student well-being.
Key Terms
Student Well-Being: A faculty advisor must be up to date and knowledgeable on university/college policies that impact a student’s successful; progression in the program and be aware of resources that support student well-being (ACOTE®, 2023).
Advisement: The process used to provide holistic support to students throughout enrollment in the occupational therapy (OT) program. A faculty advisor must be up to date and knowledgeable on university/college policies that impact a student’s successful progression in the program and be aware of resources that support student well-being. Advisement must be documented and occur on a regular basis (ACOTE®, 2023)
Resources
- Gannon University’s capstone student and AFWC mentor team created these websites for student Emotional Well-Being and Stress
- The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Student article on Mental Health as an Occupational Therapy Student by Marisol Busacay, BS, OTDS and Mackenzie Kent, BS, OTDS highlights some tips and tricks to reduce stress and anxiety while in school or on fieldwork
- An AOTA article on Promoting Positive Mental Health in Occupational Therapy Graduate Students by Tracy Young, Destiny Larking, and Amy Yun discuss how the OT process was used to design an intervention for pre-OT students to promote positive mental health and prevent the onset of mental health issues prior to entering OT school; these interventions can be used for students currently in OT school as well
- Do You: Occupational Balance and Quality of Life on the AOTA website is a one-stop shop for students and fieldwork educators on managing stress, quality of life, and emotional wellbeing
- The National Institutes of Health issued an Emotional Wellness Toolkit with strategies to improve your emotional health, such as building resilience, reducing stress, getting quality sleep, strengthening social connections, and more
Articles for Well-Being
Grab, J., Green, M., Norris, J., Pilchik, K., & Fisher, G. S. (2021). Exploring occupational therapy student stress: Professor and student perspectives. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2021.050103
Lamoureux, N. (2015, July 10). The work, school, life balancing act. Student Pulse. https://www.aota.org/publications/student-articles/school-tips/balancingact
Laposha, I. & Smallfield, S. (2022). Self-care: An occupational therapy student perspective. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2022.060105
Written by Gianna Martello, OTS