Will the Opacich fieldwork model work?

Abstract

One of the dilemmas for occupational therapy fieldwork education is how to maintain and promote a holistic approach when our traditional model is a separatist one. Traditionally and historically, most Level II fieldwork education has been offered in 2- or 3-month experiences, with one affiliation being in a physical disabilities setting, another in a mental health setting, and a third, if chosen, in a pediatrics or specialty setting, although this arrangement has never been prescribed by AOTA. The shortage of psychosocial fieldwork sites and the increasing demands for efficacy have forced us to examine not only how we will meet the unrelenting need for sites but also how we will fulfill the expectations for effective and meaningful applied education for our students. Although health care delivery, and even health care reform, are reimbursement driven, we cannot abandon the humanistic and holistic values on which our profession was built. Reflection on our roots leads us to the importance of the inclusion of psychosocial considerations for every client. One way to accomplish this is to have sites that function within a medical model, where the primary focus is biological, include psychosocial issues in their treatment planning more overtly, just as sites whose primary focus is psychosocial need to become more overt about addressing clients' biological needs. A collaborative approach between academic and fieldwork educators would be necessary to provide training and support for affecting these changes. The fieldwork reconceptualization offered by Opacich is intriguing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)