An Online Hub for Fieldwork Educators and Capstone Mentors: The Florida Occupational Therapy Educational Consortium Website

Gianna M. Martello, OTS

The Florida Occupational Therapy Educational Consortium (FLOTEC) is an organization dedicated to developing, implementing, and supporting quality fieldwork and capstone education. (FLOTEC, n.d.). As a doctoral capstone student, my project was focused on the dissemination of resources for fieldwork educators and capstone mentors through the FLOTEC website to align with the mission and purpose of the organization.

Identifying Gaps in Knowledge

As part of the doctoral capstone process, a needs assessment and literature review were completed to understand what resources fieldwork educators and capstone mentors prefer. Through this, it was uncovered that there is a lack of resources available for fieldwork educators and capstone mentors, along with a lack of knowledge of the resources that do exist. A study inquiring on the practices and preferences of fieldwork educators found that more than half of participants reported insufficient resources to supervise their students (Ryan et al., 2018). For capstone mentors, there are few resources and frameworks available to use as a guide, so most mentors rely on fieldwork forms and try to adapt to the needs of their student and the site (Stephenson et al., 2020).

Selection of Resources

By completing a needs assessment survey, I identified common themes of resources that fieldwork educators and capstone mentors wanted to see on the website. This included models of supervision, guidelines for giving feedback, helpful articles related to their roles and responsibilities, and tips when taking students. Once the areas of interest were identified, I completed a literature search for high quality research articles to inform either the resource page or the blog posts. To determine if the article was of high quality, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools were used. Finally, I used a simple internet search to find web articles or other OT pages to further inform the pages or posts. 

Implementation of the Doctoral Capstone Project

Working closely with the FLOTEC board, I identified resources that fit the needs of fieldwork educators and capstone mentors, as identified through a survey, the needs assessment, and the literature review. Resources were delivered through a main “Resource” page on the FLOTEC website and a “Blog” page. An “About” page was created to further highlight the mission and purpose of FLOTEC and introduce the board members. Throughout the fourteen-week capstone project, the website was shared on Facebook and LinkedIn to improve website views and promote the page to the intended audience, so that it could be put into use. Finally, I ran a website accessibility scan to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to improve website accessibility for all users. Some key changes made to ensure website accessibility included adding alternative text to images so that individuals using screen readers can understand the context, changing some colors to provide appropriate color contrast for individuals with visual deficits, and utilizing appropriate headers and navigation tools so those who use their keyboard for website navigation can access the content they want. 

Implications for Occupational Therapy

Ensuring that OT fieldwork educators and capstone mentors have all of the tools they need to be excellent educators is core to ensuring students are meeting entry-level competency and becoming OT practitioners. Additionally, our profession works with individuals of all ability levels, and accessibility to the environment is a major focus of our practice. Ensuring the accessibility of not only the physical environment but online as well can ensure that everyone can have access to the same materials. Finally, as FLOTEC continues to provide resources, fieldwork educator courses, and more, the role of social media in education and practitioner engagement should not be overlooked. Many OT practitioners utilize social media to find information and resources related to practice, so optimizing sites such as Facebook and Linkedin can help reach a wider population of fieldwork educators and capstone mentors.

In conclusion, the capstone project to update the FLOTEC website tied in many of the core capstone areas of focus including education, clinical skills, research, and advocacy. This project demonstrated an increase in website views, website accessibility, and overall satisfaction from the FLOTEC board and members. Check out the new website at https://floteceducation.com/

References

FLOTEC. (n.d.). About. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://floteceducation.com/about/

Ryan, K., Beck, M., Ungaretta, L., Rooney, M., Dalomba, E. & Kahanov, L. (2018). Pennsylvania occupational therapy fieldwork educator practices and preferences in clinical education. Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1362

Stephenson, S., Rogers, O., Ivy, C., Barron, R., & Burke, J. (2020). Designing effective capstone experiences and projects for entry-level doctoral students in occupational therapy: One program’s approaches and lessons learned. Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1727