Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec;86(12):839-852.
doi: 10.1177/03080226231169825. Epub 2023 Jun 30.

A propensity to thrive: Understanding individual difference, resilience and entrepreneurship in developing competence and professional identity

Liz Cade  1
Affiliations

A propensity to thrive: Understanding individual difference, resilience and entrepreneurship in developing competence and professional identity

Liz Cade. Br J Occup Ther. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: This paper draws on a study and its findings that set out to explore why some students appear to thrive, turning placement experiences into positive empowering opportunities despite the challenges, where others may not. Findings established a broader application beyond placements to inform curriculum design and delivery that nurtures professionalism, competence and identity from pre-admission to transition into practice as a journey of growth and development.

Method: A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Questionnaires and interviews gathered data from two cohorts in traditional (n = 25) or role-emerging placements (n = 13). An interpretive approach was employed for the qualitative data. The quantitative data underwent statistical analysis.

Findings: Students in role-emerging placements scored higher in resilience prior to and developed greater resilience as a consequence. These students scored higher in traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness and were more emotionally stable compared with students in traditional placements. Agreeableness was positively correlated with greater resilience in these students.

Conclusion: Curricula design and delivery should embed opportunities throughout programmes of study enabling students to nurture an openness to new experiences, with positive risk taking, building an ability to thrive. Understanding individual differences in students informs the development of competence and identity pivotal for transition into practice.

Keywords: Resilience; entrepreneurship; individual difference; occupational therapy; personality; placements; role-emerging.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Thematic model: the dynamics of role-emerging placements with core constructs of resilience, entrepreneurship and personality.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Conceptual model of the development of professional competence and identity. Source: Incorporating Challenge-Hindrance stressors (Cavanaugh et al., 2000).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
The resilience, entrepreneurship and personality development model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bandura A. (2012) On the functional properties of self-efficacy revisited. Journal of Management 38: 9–44.
    1. Beveridge J, Pentland D. (2020) A mapping review of models of practice education in allied health and social care professions. British Journal of Occupational Therapy 83: 488–513.
    1. Biddle C, Schafft K. (2015) Axiology and anomaly in the practice of mixed methods work: Pragmatism, valuation and the transformative paradigm. Journal of Mixed Methods Research 9: 320–334.
    1. Bleasdale L, Humphreys S. (2018) Undergraduate Resilience Research Project. Leeds: Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence, University of Leeds.
    1. Boardman L. (2016) Building resilience in nursing students: Implementing techniques to foster success. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience 18: 1–5.

LinkOut - more resources