Professional Conduct as a Student in the Occupational Therapy Program at Queen’s University. The following has been adapted from the Continuing Teacher Education Program, Faculty of Education at Queen’s University.
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide occupational therapy students within the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University with specific direction concerning conduct as a professional Master’s student.
This document provides guidelines for privacy and protection of personal dignity that permeates all relationships in the School of Rehabilitation and includes responsibilities related to both academic and fieldwork experiences.
Responsibilities of the student, as outlined in this document, are a part of the professional requirements of the Occupational Therapy program and evaluation of these is an ongoing and integral part of the
curriculum. Consequently, evaluation of professional conduct can affect both grading and a student’s status within the program. Professionalism is reflected in each MScOT student’s conduct and is essential for the development of professionalism, collegiality, collaboration, and the desire to learn.
The regulatory body for occupational therapy in Ontario, the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO) defines specific parameters for all interactions with clients. Socialization into the profession of occupational therapy includes requirements for professional conduct that are in line with both the
expectations of Queen’s University and the bodies across Canada, which, like COTO, regulate the practice of occupational therapy.
The COTO (2011) document ‘Essential competencies of practice for occupational therapists in Canada’ outlines seven units of competence for professional occupational therapists in Ontario and Canada. These include:
1. Assumes professional responsibility 2. Thinks critically
3. Demonstrates practice knowledge
4. Utilizes an occupational therapy process to enable occupation 5. Communicates and collaborates effectively
6. Engages in professional development
7. Manages own practice and advocates within systems
For detailed information concerning standards of practice, practice guidelines and position statements for occupational therapists in Ontario, please visit www.coto.org. The 2011 publication which was published by the Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations (ACOTRO) can be found
http://www.coto.org/pdf/Essent_Comp_04.pdf. Competencies 1, 4, and 5 above are particularly relevant to the following guidelines for professional conduct as an occupational therapy student.
As occupational therapy has moved to a graduate entry-level degree program there has been a shift away from a skills-based evaluation to competency-based evaluation. Competencies reflect the integration of theoretical and clinical learning and move beyond simple skill assessment (Epstein & Hundert, 2002). Seven core competencies have been identified by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) that represent the knowledge, skills and abilities required for an occupational therapist to practice. More
information on your Canadian Association can be found at www.caot.ca.
The Competency Based Fieldwork Evaluation (CBFE) (Bossers, Miller, Polatajko & Hartely, 2007) was developed to 1) reflect the shift in clinical evaluation to focus on competencies, 2) provide a flexible tool that could be used to evaluate performance in a range of settings and 3) to provide feedback on cumulative competencies that develop over the course of fieldwork experiences. The seven competencies included in the CBFE are consistent with the seven competencies identified by CAOT and include:
1. Practice Knowledge 2. Clinical Reasoning
3. Facilitating Change with a Practice Process 4. Professional Interactions and Responsibilities 5. Communication
7. Performance Management
Of the seven competencies on which students are evaluated, competencies 4 (Professional Interactions and Responsibility) and 5 (Communication) are the two competencies which specifically relate to professional conduct. While the CBFE is used specifically within fieldwork, it is expected that students will work towards these seven competencies throughout the program. These competencies form a bridge between academic and clinical education. For further information regarding the competencies please refer to your Student Fieldwork Resource Binder and the Competency Based Fieldwork Evaluation for Occupational Therapists (Bossers, Miller, Polatajko & Hartely, 2007).
In the Occupational Therapy Program, you will experience much of your learning within a team-based learning approach. This framework was chosen specifically to develop the kind of skills required of practitioners who work within long-term working groups in clinical, education, and research practice settings. Instructional formats used within teams and small groups will include: lecture; lab; clinical observation; practice; online discussions; case study analysis; problem-based learning; inter-professional learning; seminars; and tutorials, among others. The guidelines provided here, along with your professional orientation materials on team-based learning, will provide you with the resources required to support your professional conduct within your learning team. All policies applicable to Queen's
University and the Faculty of Health Sciences, as well as the guidelines set out below, apply to your conduct in both coursework, fieldwork, and online learning activities at the School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University.
Policies of Queen’s University
To become familiar with the policies of the Queen’s University, including Professional Conduct, Academic Dishonesty, Code of Conduct and Computer Code of Ethics, please go to Policies of Queen's University at:
http://www.queensu.ca/registrar/aboutus/policies.html.
Ethical, Professional and Privacy Issues as a Student Occupational Therapist
Students are expected to adhere to the ethical guidelines set out by the appropriate College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario. Refer to the COTO website for information on privacy, ethics, and confidentiality at
www.coto.org.
Maintaining the Privacy of Others:
In order to maintain privacy students must refrain from using names or personal details concerning any of the following individuals or groups encountered during academic or fieldwork learning, including:
patients/clients; community members/volunteers involved in academic or fieldwork courses, staff; therapists; administrators; or fellow students/colleagues. Students must also refrain from identifying any and institutions in course discussions or assignments. In other words when submitting assignments, MScOT Candidates must not give any information that might identify patients, staff, therapists, administrators and in some instances the institution where professional services are provided.
Personal Privacy
The privacy of students using Rehab Central is ensured as long as you do not reveal yourself by posting or writing a message using any of the course communication tools. If you choose to do so, you are choosing to
reveal your name to the entire class.
Instructors and students are bound by the ethical procedures outlined at the following website, Queen's University Computer User Code of Ethics:
http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/senateandtrustees/eisframework.html.
Confidentiality (course materials)
Instructors and MSc OT Candidates are reminded that all course material is the property of Queen's University and cannot be shared with anyone who is not a student of this course. Please consult your Course Coordinator of this program for further details.
Instructors and students are further reminded that all material on the Discussion Board in Rehab Central is the property of the original writer and may not be used in any way without the writer’s explicit permission.
School of Graduate Studies – General Regulations
Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with all of the general regulations that are available online. Particular attention should be given to the regulations around academic integrity, appeals, code of conduct and withdrawal on academic grounds. Information about these regulations as well as all other regulations are available at http://www.queensu.ca/calendars/sgsr/General_Regulations.html.
Plagiarism and Copyright: Please note that postings to the course discussion board within Rehab Central
and other assignments must be the candidates' original work, unless otherwise clearly stated. Quotations may be included to support the points made, but they must be clearly cited with the source of the reference (book, web site, journal etc.) author, and page number included. Copying from books, journals and web sites without citing the reference is not permitted. Copyrighted materials (i.e. models, diagrams, graphs, photos and tables) may not be used without the author’s or publisher’s permission. For more information please visit the Queen’s Copyright Advisory Office at http://library.queensu.ca/copyright.
Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is constituted by the five core fundamental values of honesty,
trust, fairness, respect and responsibility (see: www.academicintegrity.org). Adherence to these values by students and faculty is central in order to build, nurture and sustain a thriving academic community. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations concerning academic integrity and for ensuring that their academic work (e.g., assignments, exams, clinical education activities, etc.) conforms to the principles of academic integrity (see: http://www.queensu.ca/academicintegrity/students.html) Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism, use of unauthorized materials, facilitation, forgery and falsification, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen's. Given the seriousness of these matters, actions which contravene academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the university. If you have any questions about adhering to the principles of academic integrity, please speak to your instructor or the Associate Director responsible for your program.
Offering Feedback: From time to time during the program, students will have an opportunity to provide
feedback to peers, clinical instructors/clinical supervisors, university staff, and faculty. The expectation is that this feedback will be communicated in a manner that is respectful, constructive and free of any
defamatory or libellous content. Persons giving the feedback will normally declare their identity and offer the feedback directly to the person involved. Use of any web-based delivery of this type of feedback will
Netiquette: Students should be aware of the importance of observing "netiquette" when writing and
sharing information electronically. While courses with an online component will include elements of netiquette in their marking rubrics/guidelines, all students should take time to refer to:
http://www.studygs.net/netiquette.htm. Consider the impact of how you write information and share it electronically (i.e.: email, discussion boards and social media) and be aware of the impression you are making for the receiver of this info.
4.9 Ethics
All behaviour will be guided by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics. This Code of Ethics has been published and distributed by CAOT to guide and assist the members in meeting and maintaining the proper standards of professional conduct. The Code of Ethics shall be construed as a general guide, and not as a denial of the existence of other duties or rights equally imperative. Refer to Appendix J for the Canadian Framework for Ethical Occupational Therapy Practice (CAOT, 2006) and Appendix E for the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario Standards for the Supervision of Students. Students are responsible for communicating placement issues or any situation jeopardizing their health or safety to the Fieldwork Coordinator.
4.10 Strikes
Time loss due to job action or strike at a placement site will not affect the student’s promotion from one year to the next. If this time loss exceeds 10 days the student will be required to make up the learning experience. Every effort will be made to provide supplementary placements prior to the student’s anticipated date of graduation. For short term time loss of 2 – 10 days, students may be given
supplemental work external to the site and supervised by the University Fieldwork Coordinator as deemed appropriate and agreed to by the University and fieldwork preceptor.
Students cannot continue the placement if the fieldwork preceptor: a. Is not working; or
b. Is providing essential services only.
During the strike it is the student’s responsibility to stay in close contact with the site O.T.
Director/supervisor and the University Fieldwork Coordinator. Students who, for personal reasons, choose NOT to cross the picket line during strike action, when their fieldwork preceptor is working a normal shift, are required to make up the lost time prior to graduation.
4.11 Criminal Reference Check
Students are required to provide documentation of a criminal reference check, including vulnerable sector screening, at registration and to fieldwork sites. The Kingston Police Service has an on-line service for an e-Criminal Background Check, see www.kpf.ca. A prepayment of approximately
$20.00 is required and the process may take up to 2 weeks. See Appendix K for details. Information is also available at the School of Rehabilitation Therapy website, at http://rehab.queensu.ca/current.