Occupational therapy students' technological skills: Are 'generation Y' ready for 21st century practice?

BACKGROUND/AIM Technology is becoming increasingly integral to the practice of occupational therapists and part of the everyday lives of clients. 'Generation Y' are purported to be naturally technologically skilled as they have grown up in the digital age. The aim of this study was to explore one cohort of 'Generation Y' occupational therapy students' skills and confidence in the use of technologies relevant to contemporary practice. METHODS A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from a cohort of 274 students enrolled in an Australian undergraduate occupational therapy programme. RESULTS A total of 173 (63%) students returned the survey. Those born prior to 1982 were removed from the data. This left 155 (56%) 'Generation Y' participants. Not all participants reported to be skilled in everyday technologies although most reported to be skilled in word, Internet and mobile technologies. Many reported a lack of skills in Web 2.0 (collaboration and sharing) technologies, creating and using media and gaming, as well as a lack of confidence in technologies relevant to practice, including assistive technology, specialist devices, specialist software and gaming. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the results suggested that this group of 'Generation Y' students were not universally skilled in all areas of technology relevant to practice but appear to be skilled in technologies they use regularly. Recommendations are therefore made with view to integrating social networking, gaming, media sharing and assistive technology into undergraduate programmes to ensure that graduates have the requisite skills and confidence required for current and future practice.

[1]  Marion Tower,et al.  Social networking as a learning tool: nursing students' perception of efficacy. , 2014, Nurse education today.

[2]  Carina Wiid,et al.  Public and private blogging during placements: perspectives of occupational therapy students , 2013 .

[3]  F. Clark.  Beyond high definition: attitude and evidence bringing OT in HD-3D. , 2012, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[4]  Hanne Peoples,et al.  Stroke patients' experiences with Wii Sports® during inpatient rehabilitation , 2012, Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy.

[5]  Lori I. Kidd,et al.  Effectiveness of a second life(®) simulation as a teaching strategy for undergraduate mental health nursing students. , 2012, Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services.

[6]  T. Higashi,et al.  Utilization of the iPad application: Aid for Decision-making in Occupation Choice. , 2012, Occupational therapy international.

[7]  Derek R. Smith,et al.  The impact of 'Generation Y' occupational therapy students on practice education. , 2012, Australian occupational therapy journal.

[8]  Paula W Rushton,et al.  Wheelchair skills training programme for children: a pilot study. , 2012, Australian occupational therapy journal.

[9]  Frederick W. Kron,et al.  Nursing students' attitudes toward video games and related new media technologies. , 2011, The Journal of nursing education.

[10]  Elizabeth Fain,et al.  Effects of Nintendo Wii on Quality of Life, Social Relationships, and Confidence to Prevent Falls , 2011 .

[11]  A. Turner.  The Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture 2011: Occupational Therapy — A Profession in Adolescence? , 2011 .

[12]  Cary A. Brown,et al.  Evaluating Students' Use of Web-Based Communication during Practice Placements , 2010 .

[13]  Laura Czerniewicz,et al.  Debunking the 'digital native': beyond digital apartheid, towards digital democracy , 2010, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[14]  Christopher R. Jones,et al.  Net generation students: agency and choice and the new technologies , 2010, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[15]  Barney Dalgarno,et al.  Beyond natives and immigrants: exploring types of net generation students , 2010, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[16]  Ken So,et al.  The Utility of a Video Game System in Rehabilitation of Burn and Nonburn Patients: A Survey Among Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Practitioners , 2010, Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association.

[17]  Ji-Hong Park,et al.  Differences among university students and faculties in social networking site perception and use: Implications for academic library services , 2010, Electron. Libr..

[18]  K. Stagnitti,et al.  From student to therapist: follow up of a first cohort of Bachelor of Occupational Therapy students. , 2009, Australian occupational therapy journal.

[19]  L. Robertson,et al.  Graduates' Reflections on their Preparation for Practice , 2009 .

[20]  Alan Sunderland,et al.  Clinical evaluation of a non-immersive virtual environment in stroke rehabilitation , 2009, Clinical rehabilitation.

[21]  Simon Cooper,et al.  Educational gaming in the health sciences: systematic review. , 2009, Journal of advanced nursing.

[22]  Zane L. Berge,et al.  Training Generation N: How Educators Should Approach the Net Generation. , 2008 .

[23]  Sue Bennett,et al.  The 'digital natives' debate: A critical review of the evidence , 2008, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[24]  Michele Verdonck,et al.  Mainstream Technology as an Occupational Therapy Tool: Technophobe or Technogeek? , 2008 .

[25]  P. Gray.  Placement Educators: Are you Ready for the Net-Ready Generation? , 2008 .

[26]  Kathleen Bodisch Lynch,et al.  Personal digital assistants as cognitive aids for individuals with severe traumatic brain injury: A community-based trial , 2008, Brain injury.

[27]  G. Chard.  Computer Games and Karate: The Arts and Crafts of Today , 2007 .

[28]  Catriona M. Morrison,et al.  What is the Net Generation? The challenge for future medical education , 2007, Medical teacher.

[29]  P. Gooch,et al.  The Therapeutic Use of Videogames within Secure Forensic Settings: A Review of the Literature and Application to Practice , 2004 .

[30]  M. Prensky.  Do They Really Think Differently , 2001 .

[31]  M. Prensky.  Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants , 2001 .

[32]  J. Deitz,et al.  Accessing play through assistive technology , 2008 .

[33]  W. West.  Perspectives on the past and future, Part 2. , 1990, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.