Graduates' reflections on their preparation for practice

摘要

New graduates are the life blood of the occupational therapy profession. It is important that they are equipped to practise in the current health care environment and are confident about their professional contribution. This New Zealand study explored new graduates' perceptions of how well they had been prepared for practice, using three focus groups of graduates from one occupational therapy programme. The findings confirmed that the biggest issues for new graduates were searching for role clarity, inadequate supervision, an insufficient grasp of skills and uncertainty in team responsibility, underpinned by a lack of confidence. Conversely, they felt confident about their ability to research and find information in response to gaps in their knowledge.