# Effects of Clinical Education on Occupational Therapy Students’ Professional Identity: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan

## TL;DR

This study found that clinical training influences occupational therapy students' professional identity, particularly in personal growth and societal contribution.

## Contribution

The study empirically examines how clinical education affects professional identity in occupational therapy students in Japan.

## Key findings

- Clinical education increased 'confidence in personal growth' among students.
- Students with clinical training showed higher 'desire to contribute to society'.
- No significant difference was found in 'professional pride' or 'view of the medical profession'.

## Abstract

Introduction: Occupational therapy students may form professional identities during clinical training, but this is yet to be verified. This study aimed to clarify the influence of clinical training instructors on the formation of professional identity among occupational therapy students during clinical training. Specifically, we compared the professional identities of occupational therapy students who had not received clinical training with those who had.

Methods: Seventy-five occupational therapy students participated in this cross-sectional study. Of these, 41 were classified into the clinical education group and 34 into the inexperienced group. This study measured professional identity in the clinical education and inexperienced groups. Student’s t-test was conducted for statistical analysis to compare professional identity outcomes in four subcategories: “confidence in personal growth,” “professional pride,” “establishing a view of the medical profession,” and “desire to contribute to society” between the clinical education and inexperienced groups.

Results: When comparing the professional identities of the clinical education and inexperienced groups, significant differences were found in “confidence in personal growth” and “desire to contribute to society” (p > 0.05). However, the factors of “professional pride” and “establishing a view of the medical profession” were not significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The study results showed that the occupational identity dimensions of “confidence in personal growth” and “desire to contribute to society” were significantly higher in the clinical education group than in the inexperienced group.