Role strain in occupational therapy fieldwork educators

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if occupational therapy fieldwork educators are experiencing role strain. PARTICIPANTS: Were recruited from a convenience sample of a university database of 315 fieldwork sites. METHODS: The Role Strain in Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Educators Inventory was used to gather qualitative and quantitative data about practice. RESULTS: The overall mean for role strain was 2.34/5 with a 73% return rate. The majority of participants fell into the moderate to low role strain category. Individuals with 5-10 years of practice had the greatest amount of role strain (2.43, SD 0.51, n=60). Participants working in pediatric settings had role strain in the moderate range. CONCLUSIONS: Nine items emerged with the highest amount of role strain, such as coping with job expectations and inadequate time to meet role expectations. Creation of strategies to reduce role strain should be a priority in our changing healthcare environment.