Occupational therapist Louise Donnellan spent the last year seeking answers for this question, interviewing and shadowing clinicians in a study based in ethnographic principles. What she learned changed her views and approach, has highlighted staff education needs and will inform how tasks are delegated and communicated at her workplace.
Louise completed this Major Project work as an MRSc student in the Rehabilitation Sciences Online Program. She began studies in the Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation, building her confidence that combining full time work in acute care and graduate studies was achievable, before transferring to the full MRSc. Along the way she asked lots of questions and received support from her manager, an MRSc graduate herself.
Throughout the program Louise addressed previous assumptions about clinical practice from a critical point of view. Louise states that, “From evidence based oriented courses I began to question things and put some clinical practice assumptions to test. Now I am well equipped with tools needed to answer my curiosity about current practice”.
As Louise looks forward to graduation this spring, she reports the program has opened doors at work; she is taking leadership roles and covering more projects as a result of the program.