Abstract
The present study aims to examine the impact of on-campus clinical clerkships (CCS) on occupational therapy students using a mixed methods reseach. Significant quantitative improvements were observed in the ability of students to “learn from clinical educators” after CCS. No significant differences were observed in the students’ feelings of anxiety and self-esteem between, before, and after the CCS. Qualitatively, CCS encouraged students to have a positive outlook on their clinical placement and futures as a result of the first experience of the triadic relationship with clients and clinical educators. On the other hand, students also experienced intensified anxiety as a result of multifaceted self-awareness. The results suggest the need to consider future involvement of clinical educators who have a strong influence on students, and to propose possible approaches to better prepare students for clinical placement with a focus on their resilience.
