International Collaboration Pilot Program Brings Cross-Cultural Competence to Doctor of Occupational Therapy Students

Recently, seven of Baylor University’s Entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) students participated in a pilot global collaboration project between students from eight countries to exchange knowledge across cultures and understand various experiences in clinical education. Students from Australia, Canada, Greece, India, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and the United States participated in the six-week asynchronous project, which exposed Baylor OTD students to a multitude of occupational therapy practices globally and gave them the opportunity to grow in their cultural competence, critical thinking, and international networks.
Kirsten Davin, OTD, OTR, ATP, SMS, Clinical Assistant Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, developed and piloted the collaboration and its associated research. The program used Padlet and Microsoft Flip platforms, and each week, participants posted an initial video discussing a specific topic related to clinical education. At the end of the week, they responded to a peer from a different country, fostering international dialogue and engagement.
“My goal for this project was not only to foster global collaboration among students but also to emphasize that, despite our geographical, cultural, and educational differences, there are many commonalities that unite occupational therapy practice worldwide,” Davin said.
Regardless of where students were geographically, Davin said they saw a lot of similar experiences, such as anxiety leading up to the start of fieldwork, challenges with documentation, and figuring out how to initially assess and treat patients. Sharing these commonalities was beneficial, particularly for students who transitioned into their clinical work during the collaboration.
“It was a really good opportunity before going into my first fieldwork,” Aly Carpenter, Baylor OTD Class of 2024, said. “I was able to listen to and gather knowledge from the other students before putting my own knowledge into practice.”
While the program traced the common threads that tie cultures together, it also highlighted differences, including accessibility to equipment and educational requirements. Acknowledging these distinctions gave students a chance to brainstorm new ways to get similar outcomes with limited supplies or a smaller budget. Davin watched students grow in their cultural competence and critical thinking by comparing the various tools used for practice between developing and developed countries.
“Until this experience, I had never stopped to think about how different occupational therapy education may look in different countries,” Lexie Frachiseur, Baylor OTD Class of 2024, said. “It provided me with additional insight into how vast the occupational therapy profession is and how wide it expands to people worldwide.”
In addition, the global collaboration highlighted a wide array of educational requirements. According to Davin, a conversation about an occupational therapy doctorate degree is virtually nonexistent in many countries. In contrast, the U.S. has program options—and these programs are required to obtain accreditation, and OTD graduates must sit for the national certification exam administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
“One thing that stood out to me was that other countries receive a lot less education than we do in the U.S., and it reminded me how much I can learn and figure out on my own,” Chloe Baer, Baylor OTD Class of 2024, said. “It has given me a lot of confidence going into the field.”
Beyond the practical application of sharing experiences across cultures, participants described the program as “enlightening” and fueling their passions for their work. A large part of the collaboration showcased how the impacts of clinical education are effective on a large, global scale.
“Going into the program at Baylor, I already knew that my dream was to be a part of something that impacted lives not only for the people that I was working with, but for people in the future as well,” Carpenter said. “Being able to watch the global collaboration and communicate with students from other parts of the world gave me that final piece of understanding that it is bigger than us.”
Davin explained that, especially in an ever-changing, ever-growing, and interconnected world, the collaborations like this one are even more needed. Building international relationships contributes to the advancement of the profession alongside the growth of individual students’ careers and connections.
Overall, feedback from participants showed that the program contributed to enriching their clinical education, but also their understanding of the need for communication amongst occupational therapists on a global scale.
“It’s important to realize that no profession, health care system, person, or team has everything figured out,” Baer said. “There is always room to grow from talking and listening to someone else.”
Looking forward after the strong global pilot program, Davin hopes to start a new session of the program in Spring 2025, with plans to eventually expand to include more countries and schools. As she continues to evaluate the program’s success alongside participant feedback, Davin also hopes to implement even more opportunities for OTD students to connect beyond the asynchronous system, to allow for synchronous engagement and collaboration such as Zoom calls to keep the conversations flowing.