Background: Academic fieldwork coordinators (AFWC) in occupational therapy (OT) programs are challenged to find placements. Reasons for this challenge include changes in reimbursement, workload and productivity demands, and restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic. OT programs have pursued settings where OT is not currently provided to meet the growing need for level II placements. Research has investigated the students' perceptions of role-emerging placement (REP) but has not until now investigated the supervision provided by the other professions in addition to the Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) requirement of eight hours of supervision by an occupational therapist. Research has not been conducted into non-occupational therapy (non-OT) supervisors' perception of REP. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the experiences of non-OT supervisors, including perceived opportunities and challenges, and supervisory practices utilized by the non-OT supervisor. Method: The researcher used a basic interpretive qualitative approach using individual semi-structured interviews. After Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, criterion sampling was used to identify participants from established REP with D'Youville University. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Results: Information power was achieved after four participants completed the interview process. Three themes emerged which elucidated the participant's perceptions of REP. The themes were: requirements for student success; benefits; and opportunities for further partnerships. Discussion: The significance of this research will be its potential to identify the benefits of role-emerging placements facilitating the profession's ability to respond to an ever-changing healthcare arena.
Keywords: role-emerging placement, level II fieldwork