The Potential Effectiveness of Virtual Fieldwork Utilizing the Fennell Four-Phase Model™

This project examines the potential effectiveness of virtual fieldwork utilizing the Fennell Four-Phase Model™ with a cohort of students enrolled in The Russell Sage College School of Health Sciences Occupational Therapy (OT) Master’s Program.

Brief description of the Occupational Therapy fieldwork experience

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, Sage faculty from the occupational therapy department sought placements for students to complete their fieldwork for “Level I Fieldwork: Psychosocial Settings” field placement, while not putting the students or patients at risk for contracting the disease. Typically, these students would be placed in hospital or clinic settings to receive experience and supervision.  Physicians, OTs, and other clinicians offered their chronically ill patients the option to receive assistance from occupational therapy master students without having to leave their home, or have a student enter their home.

As part of this virtual fieldwork placement, OT students learned how to help patients manage chronic illness utilizing the Fennell Four-Phase Model™ (FFPM) from Patricia Fennell, MSW, LCSW-R, through the zoom platform.

The Fennell Four-Phase Model™ (FFPM) is used to describe, understand, predict, and inform treatment regarding how people adapt to chronic illness and trauma (Fennell, 2012).  The four phases are Crisis, Stabilization, Resolution, and Integration.

For their fieldwork, students received introductory instruction about the FFPM™ in one of two four-week sessions with Patricia Fennell, run sequentially.  While learning about the model, OT students were conducting virtual sessions with patients applying what they learned about the model and what they learned in the OT classes.

The OT students who completed this fieldwork experience were split into two student learning groups.  This allowed for more didactic time, accommodation to a remote teaching platform, supervision, and class discussion of their experiences with patients.

This fieldwork is part of OT students’ curriculum in acquiring experience working with patients. The research will assess the effectiveness of this experience for both the OT students and the patients with chronic illness.