Exploration of Student Reflections using the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) as an Intervention Planning Framework

Research Objectives: To analyze the perceptions of entry-level occupational therapy students’ use of the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) within the context of a physical disabilities intervention course.

Design: This study was a descriptive phenomenological approach that described the learning experiences of occupational therapy students who used the RTSS in a physical disability intervention course and used a retrospective analysis of deidentified student reflective writings.

Setting: The study took place in physical disabilities intervention course for an entry-level occupational therapy program. The university is located in the United States' northeast region and is situated within an academic medical institution.

Participants: Participants in this study were second-year occupational therapy students enrolled in either the master’s or doctoral entry-level occupational therapy program.

Interventions: Students were first provided with a lecture that outlined the core concepts of the RTSS. Then each week for 10 weeks, a lab assignment required students to integrate the elements of the RTSS for one specific target. Students were given feedback on their assignments.

Main Outcome Measures: Students completed an end-of-course reflection on their perceived areas of growth based on the six taxons of Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Data analysis was guided by the Systematic Text Condensation (STC) approach to qualitative research.

Results: Reflective writing from all students enrolled in the course was reviewed (n=76) and using the STC methodology, 29 students (38%) writings were reviewed. Two main themes were identified: The RTSS is a Bridge to Practice and Growth takes Practice. The student reflections described the use of the RTSS as challenging, yet supportive of their growth and a tool to support occupational therapy practice.

Conclusions: The results of this work support the use of the RTSS in occupational therapy education as a tool to develop clinical reasoning for intervention planning. Repeated exposure to this framework shows promise to support clinical reasoning skills. Providing opportunities to scaffold learning may enhance the student learning experience and integration of the tool into future intervention planning and delivery.

Author(s) Disclosures: The authors report no conflicts of interest.