Short-Term Job Shadowing Experience Benefits for Undergraduate Rehabilitation Students

Abstract

This study explored the subjective experiences of rehabilitation services undergraduate students in a short-term job shadowing experience. Experiential reflections of 61 undergraduate rehabilitation services students (females = 91 per cent, age range 18–22 for 77.5 per cent of sample) from a midsized state university in the USA with a brief job shadowing assignment were gathered utilising reflection journals and analysed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four interrelated themes emerged: encouragement to enter case management professions, field experience based definition of case management, appreciation of time management in case manager role, and application of related course material learned in the classroom. Results from the study suggest a brief job shadowing experience does improve students’ career exploration, understanding of aspects of a typical career for undergraduate rehabilitation graduates, and how to connect course material to the field.