University of Sydney Reports Findings in Pediatrics (The experience and role of mentorship for paediatric occupational therapists): Pediatrics

2022 SEP 29 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Pediatrics Daily News -- New research on Pediatrics is the subject of a report. According to news originating from Camperdown, Australia, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Within Australia, the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme has led to a growth in paediatric occupational therapists working in community settings. This growth has increased the demand for support from more senior paediatric occupational therapists to novice clinicians.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Sydney, “Mentoring has long been valued by occupational therapists as a means to provide this support. Despite its apparent benefit, there is limited research on the contribution of mentoring as distinct from supervision, and its impact on mentees’ skills and confidence in providing care. This study examined the contribution of mentorship to the development of professional capability in paediatric occupational therapy practice from the perspective of mentors and mentees. Interpretive description methodology was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine mentors and eight mentees from three Australian states. Data were analysed inductively and thematically. All participants reflected on the challenges presented by the complexity of practice, requiring a knowledge base that mentees perceived they did not possess. The essential nature of non-judgemental, emotional support allowed mentees to feel safe to discuss their concerns when they were often overwhelmed by practice. Mentorship was viewed as capacity building, building competence by scaffolding clinical reasoning and supporting theory to practice translation while developing resilience to cope with complexity. Study participants reported that successful mentorship assisted novice practitioners to integrate knowledge and skills required for complex clinical and professional reasoning. The emotional support provided through the relationship supported novice therapists to build their confidence and resilience while promoting professional identity and socialisation into the profession.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The study raised questions related to how the profession best supports novice paediatric therapists in the current employment contexts, and the need to review how bodies of knowledge relevant to paediatrics are brought together to be used by both novice clinicians and senior therapists, who support them, for translation to effective practice.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: The experience and role of mentorship for paediatric occupational therapists. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2022. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Australian Occupational Therapy Journal - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1440-1630)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Michelle Villeneuve, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney School of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia. Additional authors for this research include Olivia Jackson and Michael Millington.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12839. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher’s contact information for the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal is: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA.

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