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. 2022 Oct 13:2022:2266326.
doi: 10.1155/2022/2266326. eCollection 2022.

"I Could Really Use This": Occupational Therapy Students' Perceptions of Learning to Coach

Marie-Christine Potvin  1 , Erin K West  1 , Alexis N Morales  1 , Katherine S Sailor  1 , Natalie Coronado  1
Affiliations

"I Could Really Use This": Occupational Therapy Students' Perceptions of Learning to Coach

Marie-Christine Potvin et al. Occup Ther Int. .

Abstract

Coaching, an evidence-based approach in other fields, is relatively novel within occupational therapy (OT) and is not yet widely taught in OT programs. In recent studies, experienced occupational therapists have reported that coaching added value to their practice, but OT students' perspectives are missing from the literature. This phenomenological study explored OT students' (n = 14) perceptions of the value of learning to coach while in fieldwork. Three themes emerged from the inductive qualitative analysis: Coaching Requires a Mindset Shift, Change is a Journey, and Impact on Clients. Occupational therapy students perceived that coaching required a different way of thinking and reimagining their role, saw the value of learning to coach in the clients' outcomes, and recognized the potential for their future practice regardless of settings. The study findings suggest that incorporating coaching skills into OT education could be beneficial to students when they enter the profession.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Themes and subthemes related to Level II OT fieldwork students' perceptions of coaching.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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