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1
Björklund, Anita. "On the structure and contents of occupational therapist paradigms : empirical studies of occupational therapy students' and occupational therapists' views on occupational therapy /." Stockholm, 2000. http://diss.kib.ki.se/2000/91-628-3986-1/.
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Bloch, Elise M. "Occupational therapists' attitudes toward family-centered care." FIU Digital Commons, 2004. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2016.
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The purpose of this study was to examine pediatric occupational therapists attitudes towards family-centered care. Specific attributes identified by the literature (professional characteristics, educational experiences and organizational culture) were investigated to determine their influence on these attitudes. Study participants were 250 pediatric occupational therapists who were randomly selected from the American Occupational Therapy Association special interest sections.
Participants received a mail packet with three instruments to complete and mail back within 2 weeks. The instruments were (a) the Professional Attitude Scale (b) the Professional Characteristics Questionnaire, and (c) the Family-Centered Program Rating Scale. There was a 50% return rate. Data analysis was conducted in SPSS using descriptive statistics, correlations and regression analysis.
The analysis showed that pediatric occupational therapists working in various practice settings demonstrate favorable attitudes toward family-centered care as measured by the Professional Attitude Scale. There was no correlation between professional characteristics and educational experiences to therapists' attitudes. A moderate correlation (r=.368, p
These study findings suggest that organizational culture has some influence on occupational therapists attitudes toward family-centered care (R2 =.16). These findings suggest educators should consider families as valuable resources when considering program planning in family-centered care at preservice and workplace settings.
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Moyers, Penelope A. "Engagement in professional updating by occupational therapists." Virtual Press, 1992. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/832990.
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Dubin's and Cohen's (1970) Empirical Motivational Model of Updating (EMMPU) guided the design of this research, leading to the examination of the relationships among lifelong learning characteristics, job satisfaction, and engagement in professional updating activities for occupational therapists. Occupational therapists completed the Characteristics of Lifelong Learners in the Professions Questionnaire (Livneh, 1986), the Index of Organizational Reactions (Smith, 1976), the Professional Activity Engagement Survey, and participated in qualitative interviews.Statistically, no relationships were found among job satisfaction, characteristics of lifelong learning, and engagement in professional updating activities. The qualitative data suggested that these relationships existed. Characteristics of lifelong learning significantly predicted 7% of the variation in time spent engaged in professional updating activities. There were significant differences found on characteristics of lifelong learning and engagement in professional updating activities among therapists with varying educational 1eve1s.Utilizing grounded theory methodology, a theory of Professional Learning Management emerged from the data, contributing to the understanding of professional updating that was not addressed by the EMMPU model. In the theory of Professional Learning Management, patient treatment interaction triggered the need for updating by occupational therapists. The patient interaction determined the specifics of the necessary learning in regards to the content, timing, context, and methods. Occupational Therapists were reliant upon off-the-job learning in order to provide quality patient care. There was a cyclical feedback loop between off-the-job learning and application of that learning on the job within the patient treatment situation.Unlike the EMMPU model, updating occurred under both positive and negative contexts. The high engagers in professional updating were able to learn in spite of the barriers restricting learning efforts. The barriers to learning were not managed as well by the medium and low engagers in professional updating activities. Regardless of level of updating, occupational therapists utilized a variety of updating methods in accordance with the way in which the learning needs were defined by the patient treatment situation.3Department of Educational Leadership
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Estes, Joanne P. "Occupational Therapists' Experiences with Ethical and Occupation-based Practice in Hospital Settings." UKnowledge, 2014. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/rehabsci_etds/24.
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Changes in health care delivery practices are impacting the provision of care in all venues. Occupational therapists working in hospital settings strive to meet professional mandates for occupation-based practice within a medical-model system. Ethical practice is another aspect of service provision vulnerable to contextual influences. The aims of the two studies reported here were to explore occupational therapists’ experiences with occupation-based practice, and with ethical issues, in hospital settings. Grounded theory methods were employed for both studies. Data were collected via individual, semi-structured interviews with 22 participants for the first study. For the second study, nine participants participated in individual, semi-structured interviews, journaling, and follow up interviews. Data analysis resulted in four emergent themes for each study. The main themes of the first study were Occupation-based practice expresses professional identity; Occupation-based practice is more effective; Occupation-based practice can be challenging in the clinic; and, Occupation-based practice takes creativity to adapt. The four themes of the second study were Anything less would be unethical: Key issues; I trust my gut: Affective dimension of ethical practice; Ethical practice is expected but challenging; and, It takes a village. Occupational therapists negotiate challenges inherent in contemporary hospital-based practice to provide occupation-based services and to practice ethically. Occupation-based practice is perceived to be more effective than biomedical approaches to intervention. Therapists must employ creative strategies to overcome challenges presented by medical-model service delivery contexts in order to provide occupation-based interventions. In comparison to other health care professionals working in adult rehabilitation practice, occupational therapists experience both common and unique ethical issues. A discovery of this study was that occupational therapists also experience ethical tensions related to team members’ and families’ sometimes subtle, and less frequently explicit, requests to falsify recommendations in documentation. Experiences with ethical issues include an inherent affective component in the form of moral distress and a strong sense of caring. The impact of systemic/organizational and relational forces is a reality that contemporary occupational therapists must negotiate in order to provide occupation-based and ethical practice.
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D'Oliveira, Jenna. "Occupation-centred practice : perspectives of occupational therapists working in acute mental health care." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78424.
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Introduction: The prevalence of mental disorders is rising across the world and in South Africa driving the need for effective, occupation-centred practice in acute mental health care. In the acute setting, however, many occupational therapists experience challenges to practising in an occupation-centred manner. Occupation though remains the core construct of occupational therapy and occupational therapists everywhere are being urged to rediscover the power of occupation and embrace, develop, and maintain an occupation-centred practice.
Aim: This study aimed to describe occupation-centred practice from the perspective of occupational therapists working in acute mental health care, in and around the City of Tshwane, South Africa.
Methodology: A qualitative, explorative, descriptive design was used. Through maximum variance purposeful sampling nineteen participants were recruited to two focus groups. Transcriptions were analysed using the six steps of thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke to construct themes.
Results: Four themes were constructed namely, 1. The process of occupation-centred practice, 2. Activities enable occupation-centred practice, 3. The theoretical underpinnings of occupation-centred practice and 4. Influencers of occupation-centred practice.
Conclusion: Occupational therapists confirmed the centrality of occupation in their practice and further described occupation-centred practice as a process that entails the use of activities to facilitate experiences. Theoretical constructs that were helpful in guiding occupation-centred practice were highlighted. Influencers were experienced as either supporting or constraining occupation-centred practice. Significance: This study contributes to the evidence base of the profession in South Africa, ensuring that Occupational Therapy maintains its unique role and contribution to acute mental health care.Dissertation (MOccTher)--University of Pretoria, 2020.
Occupational Therapy
MOccTher
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Clarke, Emma. "Ethical dilemmas experienced by Australian public practice occupational therapists." Thesis, Discipline of Occupational Therapy, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/14207.
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Occupational therapists working within Australia’s dynamic and complex publicly-funded health sector may experience ethical dilemmas as they fulfill their professional responsibilities, compromising client care, straining collegial relationships and negatively affecting their personal well-being. This thesis describes and explores the nature of the ethical dilemmas experienced by public practice occupational therapists. Section One: LITERATURE REVIEW The literature review comprises two parts. First a background to ethics in health care is outlined, where the Person-Environment-Occupation Model is presented as a way of evaluating the ethical dilemmas experienced by occupational therapists. This is followed by a review of literature exploring the ethical dilemmas experienced by health professionals including occupational therapists, speech pathologists, physiotherapists, social workers, rehabilitation counsellors and nursing and medical professionals. However, no literature was identified exploring the nature of ethical dilemmas experienced by public practice occupational therapists, providing an opportunity for further research. Section Two: JOURNAL MANUSCRIPT The journal manuscript outlines a qualitative, descriptive study exploring the ethical dilemmas experienced by five public practice occupational therapists. Findings indicate that public practice occupational therapists experience an array of ethical dilemmas which reflect the complexities of working within Australia’s publicly-funded health care context. Ethical dilemmas reported by public practice occupational therapists are encompassed by five themes: defining boundaries in professional relationships, fair access to quality services, professional status, life choices and the complex client at the heart of the dilemma. Person, environment and occupation factors were all found to contribute to the ethical dilemmas experienced by participants.
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Lloyd, Katherine Elise. "Occupational Therapists: A Study of Managing Multiple Identities." The University of Montana, 2010. http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-05132010-221502/.
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This qualitative study uncovered the identity construction of occupational therapists located in two regions of the United States. In utilizing an organizational communication studies lens, it was discovered that occupational therapists possess multiple, conflicting, and intersecting identities. The four central categories that emerged from the data were: Therapist as catalyst of functional activity, Therapist as envoy of profession, Therapist as navigator of bureaucracy, and Therapist as member of interdisciplinary team. Therapist as catalyst of functional activity proves to be the preferred identity of occupational therapists and the subsequent identities work to support or interfere with occupational therapists ability to see themselves as a catalyst of functional activity for their patients. This study further problematizes the notion that individuals have preferred identities and the effects this has on identity construction. The examination also provides useful insights for the development of Occupational Therapy as a profession.
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Stav, Wendy B. "Practice patterns of occupational therapists related to driving." NSUWorks, 2001. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_ot_student_dissertations/4.
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Jansson, Ida, and Emil Heitz. "Occupational Therapists’ Experiences of working in Irish Schools." Thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för hälsovetenskap, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-79728.
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Purpose. The purpose of the study was to describe Occupational Therapists’ experiences of working in Irish schools. Method. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the eight participants in the study. A semi-structured interview was used to gain data about their experiences. The data was analysed through latent and manifest content analysis inspired by Olsson and Sörensen (2011) and meaning units were identified, condensed and labelled with codes. Result. The analysis resulted in three categories: “Resources impact the delivery of service” which shows how resources, within and outside of the participants control, impact the delivery of service and the challenges that might lead to. “Importance of communication and understanding” describes the dynamic between the participants’, school-staff and parents. ”Comparing school-based and clinic-based occupational therapy” where the participants share their experiences and opinions of school-based and clinic-based Occupational Therapy. Conclusion. Resources and communication have a beneficial effect on Occupational Therapy in schools. Many factors add to the complexity of delivering the service. A preference of school-based Occupational Therapy is seen, however, Occupational Therapy today is generally more clinic-based. More research on the topic is needed.
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Thompson, Amy Litteken. "Compression vest use : a survey of occupational therapists /." Oklahoma City : [s.n.], 2008.
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Stav, Wendy. "Practice patterns of occupational therapists related to driving." Diss., NSUWorks, 2001. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_ot_student_dissertations/23.
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"Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Occupational Therapy Department, College of Allied Health, Nova Southeastern University 2001."--T.p.
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Roots, Robin Katharine. "Understanding rural rehabilitation practice : perspectives of occupational therapists and physical therapists in British Columbia." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/33022.
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Background:
Providing rehabilitation services to meet the needs of rural residents and address poor health outcomes requires overcoming the challenges of geography, limited referral options and a shortage of occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs). However, little is known about how rehabilitation professionals in rural areas enact their practice to meet and overcome these challenges. To address this gap and contribute to enhancing health for rural residents, this research constructed an understanding of rural rehabilitation practice from the perspectives of OTs and PTs in rural British Columbia (BC).
Methods:
This qualitative study employed a purposive sample of OTs and PTs in rural communities (population < 15,000) in northern BC. Potential participants were recruited through a study information mail-out to workplaces and were selected according to inclusion criteria to ensure a variety of work experiences, roles and practice settings. In semi-structured interviews, participants were asked to describe the skills and knowledge they perceived as unique to rural and strategies used to overcome challenges. Guided by interpretive description, transcripts were analysed inductively using broad-level coding and findings collapsed into interpretive categories. Interpretations and implications for education, practice and policy were reviewed with participants to ensure relevancy for rural practice.
Results:
From interviews with 6 OTs and 13 PTs, serving a total of 15 rural communities, rehabilitation practice and participants’ definition of health was understood to be substantially shaped by rurality, or the contextual features of geography, determinants of health and access to services. Participants considered general practice ‘a specialty’ requiring advanced skills in assessment. They described ‘stretching their role’ and ‘participating and partnerships’ as means to overcome resource shortages. Reflective practice, networking and collaboration were deemed essential to maintaining competency. Rural clinical placements, mentoring and improving access to continuing education were regarded as central to recruitment and retention.
Conclusion:
This research illuminates the influence of rurality on the practice of OTs and PTs in rural BC. The findings asserted the importance of incorporating rural content in professional training programs and providing accessible professional development resources to addressing health human resource shortages and meeting the rehabilitation needs of rural residents.
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Ásmundsdóttir, Elín Ebba. "Icelandic occupational therapists' attitudes toward educational and professional issues." FIU Digital Commons, 1998. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1328.
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The entire population of Icelandic occupational therapists were surveyed concerning characteristics and attitudes toward professionalism and educational goals. There were 87 questionnaires sent out and 80 (92%) were returned and used for analysis. This data will have a positive impact upon the development of the first Icelandic occupational therapy curriculum. Icelandic occupational therapists, in general, value academic skills over technical skills, are active in their association, willing to take on duties for the advancement of the profession and are interested in conducting research. The attitudes of the Icelandic occupational therapists were generally quite uniform. T- tests and one-way ANOVAs (p < .05) revealed some significant differences in a number of attitudes by education level, length of professional experience and country of education. The results show the importance of providing Icelandic occupational therapy practitioners with the opportunity to take part in research. This study will serve as a foundation for future studies on Icelandic occupational therapists and provide reference data for later comparison.
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Harries, Priscilla Ann. "Occupational therapists' judgement of referral priorities : expertise and training." Thesis, Brunel University, 2004. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/3110.
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The British government currently requires mental health services to be targeted at the most needy (Department of Health, 1999). For occupational therapy services, where service demand far exceeds service availability, skill in referral prioritisation is essential. The studies in this thesis describe how experienced occupational therapists’ referral prioritisation policies were used to successfully educate novices. 40 British occupational therapists’ referral prioritisation policies were modelled using judgement analysis. Individuals’ prioritisation decisions were regressed onto 90 referral scenarios to statistically model how referral information had been used. It was found that the reason for referral, history of violence and diagnosis were most important. The occupational therapists’ capacity for self-insight into their policies was also examined by comparing statistically modelled policies derived from their behaviour with their subjective view of their cue use. Self-insight was found to be moderate (mean r = 0.61). A Ward’s cluster analysis was used on the statistically modelled policies to identify if subgroups of therapists had differing referral prioritisation policies. Four clusters were found. They differed according to several factors including the percentage of role dedicated to specialist occupational therapy rather than generic work. The policies that led to more of an occupational therapy role were found to give particular importance to the reason for referral and the client’s diagnosis. The occupational therapy professional body supports this latter method of working as it has recommended that occupational therapists should use their specialist skills to ensure clients’ needs are met effectively. Therefore the policies that focussed on clients’ occupational functioning were used to train the novices. Thirty-seven students were asked to prioritise a set of referrals before and after being shown graphical and descriptive representations of the policies. Students gained statistically significant improvements in prioritisation. Students’ pre-training policies were found to be those of generic therapists; a method of working that has been found to be leading to reduced work satisfaction and burnout (Craik et al.1998b). The training is therefore needed to ensure undergraduate occupational therapy students develop effective referral prioritisation skills. This will help to ensure that clients’ needs are met most effectively and work stress is reduced.
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Dhippayom, Jananya. "Independent living : the perspectives of occupational therapists in Thailand." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2011. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/54405/.
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This research used focus groups to investigate the views of occupational therapists from contrasting geographic areas of Thailand on the concept and practicability of the independent living movement within a Thai context. In addition, convergent interviews were employed with individuals from a region where insufficient professionals for group formation agreed to participate. Emerging themes were around the issue of differences and similarities in the concept of independent living between Western and Eastern cultures. Rather than independent living promoting an individualistic culture in Thailand, interdependent living was seen to be likely to be more suitable for a collectivistic culture like Thailand. However, independent living, along with other constructs concerning activity and participation were deemed to have been integrated with values shared by the participants. According to their construction of responsibilities, the participants felt it was crucial to- provide support for clients for independent living. Moving from an agricultural to an industrial society has caused changes in family structure in Thailand that have resulted in disabled people being pushed to live more independently. There do appear to be mechanisms within Thailand allowing independent living for disabled people to be made possible but it requires a period of time to address the barriers existing in disabled people themselves, their families, people in the community, physical environment, the Thai government and therapy professionals as well as financial barriers. To support independent living in Thailand, strategies for practice are suggested. Some strategies require cooperation and collaboration from other stakeholders in society. The client-centred and occupation- based models are viewed as being appropriate to form a frame of occupational therapy practice for promoting independent living and need to be augmented by community service, counselling and social skill, and knowledge for occupational therapists to be enabled to support independent living.
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Agee, Leigh Ann. "Occupational therapists as consultants in Florida schools : a survey." FIU Digital Commons, 1994. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1139.
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Little research has been done on how well prepared occupational therapists feel to perform the role of consultant. This study investigated the perceptions of occupational therapists acting as consultants in Florida schools, how much education/training they have received and how they perceive their consultation skills. Participants in the study were sent a questionnaire and measures of central tendency were calculated on each item. Crosstabulations using Fisher's exact test were completed to investigate any relationship between type of consultation model used and relationships with educators. A one way ANOVA was conducted to investigate any relationship between self-perceived consultant skills and age, amount of experience, and training. The results indicate that occupational therapists providing consultative services rate their abilities as more than adequate and believe formal training in consultation is only mildly important. No significant relationships were found between training and skills or model used and relationships with educators.
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Mason, Rosemarie W. "The professional identity of occupational therapists : an empirical study." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2006. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14489/.
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There has been an understanding that occupational therapists suffer from a weak professional identity. This qualitative study examined the ways in which the professional identity of occupational therapists was perceived from the stance of practitioners, educators, and those working for the College of Occupational Therapists (COT) and the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine (CPSM). There are many ways of defining 'profession'. In this case the perspective of symbolic interaction was taken and Becker's (1977), explanation of it as a symbolised concept was used. This framework was used to generate an interview schedule for 50 in-depth interviews, which facilitated an exploration of the actions that were undertaken to expand professional status, how individuals and collectives had interpreted those actions and the ways in which meaning was attributed to professionalism. The research findings showed notable differences in interpretation between practitioners and organising bodies. Practitioners were confident that occupational therapy could claim a discrete body of knowledge but collective actions to align the skill to science had undermined its value. Changes in education, whilst beneficial to status, have weakened the capacity of the profession to control how it is managed. Government measures to monitor the competence of all health professionals have placed a greater imperative on occupational therapists' self-regulatory mechanisms to be visibly effective. A code of ethics is important for professional cohesion and has more potency than previously thought but events have made it difficult for occupational therapists to live a service ideal. In essence the profession was not acting as a cohesive unit. There needs to be a stronger identification with a unique skill with more professional control over what form the work should take. There should be effective gate-keeping guarding against inappropriate admissions to the profession, effective monitoring of competence and discipline and a strong code of ethics. Socialisation has the potential to enhance individual professionalism and strengthen collective professional identity. Exploring these issues requires co-ordination, a purpose for which professional bodies, in this case COT, were established.
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Lucas, Cheryl Burke. "Occupational Therapists of Color| Perceptions of the Academic Experience." Thesis, Johnson & Wales University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10276527.
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Despite the growth in the US population of persons of color and the need for allied health professionals to improve healthcare disparity, people of color make up only 20% of the total enrollment in professional occupational therapy education programs (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2016a). Inequalities in the participation of people of color can lead to diminished educational experiences for all students, isolation for occupational therapy students and professionals of color, and decreased healthcare quality for minority clients. This five phase, qualitative interpretive/constructivist study explored the academic experiences of occupational therapists of color, guided by the following research questions:
1. How do occupational therapy practitioners of color ascribe meaning to their educational experiences in their OT program?
2. How do occupational therapy practitioners of color describe their perceived facilitators and barriers to educational success?
3. In what ways do occupational therapy students/practitioners of color navigate their culture of origin and the majority White culture in order to succeed in occupational therapy educational programs and in professional practice?
AOTA (2016b) professionals (N=14) were solicited by email through their Multicultural, Diversity and Inclusion Network and participated in Phases I, II, and III. Participants completed demographic and interest questionnaires in Phase I; a reflective questionnaire regarding educational facilitators and barriers in Phase II; and depth interviews in Phase III. Using Colaizzi’s data analysis strategy (Colaizzi,1978), the results of the Phase III interviews were used to complete the Phase IV elite informant interviews with OT leaders (N=4). Phase V consisted of a document analysis of historical and current policy documents.
Six themes emerged from this study: 1) Decision to Enroll in an OT program, 2) Educational Program Culture, 3) Faculty Relationships, 4) Peer Relationships, 5) Student Resilience, and 6) Working Professionals.These results reveal participant persistence towards professional OT goals; however, academic and leadership success did not shield participants from marginalization or racism. These results may inform OT professionals regarding enrollment strategies for students of color and the imperative for student-centered program standards and zero- tolerance policies regarding discrimination within OT educational programs.
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Copeland, Juliet Bertaut. "Parent and Therapist Perceptions of Sensory Based Strategies Used by Occupational Therapists in Family-Centered Early Intervention Practice." VCU Scholars Compass, 2006. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/1090.
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A qualitative approach was used to explore the perceptions of parents and therapists in early intervention regarding sensory diets and their efficacy, particularly their goodness of fit within family routines and occupations. Open-ended interviews were conducted with therapist and parent participants and analysis of the data resulted in a model depicting how sensory diets became a "way of life" for families. The Sensory Diet "Way of Life" Model revealed seven themes that illustrated how occupational therapists in early intervention enter the homes of the families they serve and establish a "partnership" with parents to address a child's needs. Once this "partnership" is established, knowledge is transferred to parents who then transform their "vision" of their child and are empowered to generalize knowledge of sensory processing and sensory diets to ever enlarging environments. Ultimately, the sensory diet became a "way of life" for these families. Implications for the field of occupational therapy were given following the presentation of the model.
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Corradetti, Ernest Vincent. "Occupational therapists' assessment of the caregivers of their elderly patients." FIU Digital Commons, 1998. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2587.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the methods and extent to which occupational therapists who are practicing in aging are assessing the caregivers of their elderly patients. A random sample of 500 therapists who subscribe to a special interest group publication of a professional organization were surveyed by mail and 204 responses were received.
Respondents were asked to indicate all of the activities related to caregiver assessments in which they engage. Methods of assessment included: (a) professional caregiving activities, (b) informal assessment methods, and (c) formal assessment methods. There were more than 90% of respondents who indicated that they engaged in at least two professional activities related to caregiving, such as patient and/or caregiver education and discharge planning. Approximately one-third of subjects indicated that formal assessment is performed with a facility created assessment cited as the most frequently used formal instrument. Informal assessment methods were used by all but one subject in the sample. Direct questioning/discussion with caregiver and observation of the caregiver were the most frequently used informal assessment methods at 90% and 93.6%, respectively.
The findings indicate that virtually all occupational therapists are highly engaged in assessing the caregivers of their elderly patients. Most of the assessment being performed relies on their clinical expertise and observation and/or facility created assessments. Furthermore, clinicians are highly engaged in patient and/or caregiver education. It is recommended that more of the body of research related to formal multidimensional caregiver assessment be disseminated into the occupational therapy community.
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Taylor, M. Clare. "Occupational therapists : empowerors or oppressors? : a study of occupational therapy students' attitudes towards disabled people." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1999. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/3997/.
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The aim of the research was to investigate the concepts of, and attitudes towards, people with physical disabilities held by occupational therapy (OT) students, so that a theory of professional attitudes and professional action could be developed. The research was building on previous research by the author, which found that OT students tended to have a maternalistic and nurturing view of disabled people, and also as a response to issues raised by the social model of disability which questioned whether OT was an oppressive or empowering profession. Utilising an integrated methodology, the research sought to address the following research questions: what, amongst OT students, is a 'professional' attitude towards disabled people? are the attitudes of OT students towards disabled people any different from those of other students? do these attitudes change over time? are there any differences in the 'personal' and 'professional' attitudes of OT students towards disabled people? how accepting of disabled people are OT students, would they be willing to work with disabled people as colleagues? is there an hierarchy of relationships for people with different impairments? what does the 'professional' attitude mean in practice? how does this 'professional' attitude develop? what factors influence its development? does contact with disabled people have any effect on attitudes? do OT students express attitudes and values which oppress or empower their disabled clients? A case study approach was used with a variety of data collection methods. The main focus of the study was the collection of data, using a questionnaire and a series of interviews, from a cohort of OT students throughout the 3 years of their OT degree. The questionnaire included the Attitudes Towards Disabled People Scale, a suitability for OT training scale, and a semantic differential exploring stereotypes of disabled people. Data were also collected from other groups of OT students comparing personal and professional attitudes and attitudes in terms of social distance, using the Disability Social Distance Scale. Comparative data was collected from non-OT students. In order to explore attitudes in greater depth a small group of students was selected from the main OT cohort and interviewed about their attitudes and approaches to disabled people at 3 points during their studies. Analysis of the data revealed that the OT students held highly positive personal and professional attitudes towards disabled people. These attitudes were also demonstrated by the use of an empowering, client-centred approach to OT interventions. However, the OT students had a tendency to focus on an individualistic and personal tragedy approach to disability. This individualistic approach might result in oppressive practice. The findings were used to develop a conceptual framework for OT interventions with disabled people which should allow therapists to articulate and develop their practice within an empowering framework.
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Lidström, Holmqvist Kajsa. "Occupational therapy practice for clients with cognitive impairments following aquired brain injury : occupational therapists' perspective." Doctoral thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för hälsovetenskap och medicin, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-26007.
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The overall aim of this thesis was to describe occupational therapy practice for clients with cognitive impairment following acquired brain injury (CIABI) from the perspective of practicing occupational therapists (OTs). To fulfill this aim, qualitative and quantitative approaches were used including interviews (Study I) and questionnaires (Studies II -IV). Based on the qualitative descriptions generated in Study I, a questionnaire was developed and evaluated for content validity and test-rest validity (Study II). The questionnaire was then used in a survey (Study III). The reactive Delphi technique was used to empirically define the aspects that OTs found to be consistent with the concept of therapeutic use of self (Study IV). The results showed that a predominant practice pattern was the use of ADL activities for intervention regardless of whether limitations in occupational performance or cognitive function were assessed, or whether the approach to therapy was remedial or compensatory. General ADL-instruments were used more than instruments focused on impairment level. Therapies covering a wide range of cognitive impairments, and abilities important to organizing and executing occupational performance were commonly targeted. Therapies targeting clients’ activity limitations were prioritized before remediating impairment. Therapeutic use of self was regarded as being important and the results identified clientspecific aims not earlier described in relation to therapeutic use of self. Another prominent practice pattern was the collaborative approach toward clients, relatives, and other staff. Theories used to support practice were primarily general. Occupational therapy practice for clients with CIABI was found to be complex, and the practice patterns were affected by circumstances such as the ‘hidden’ nature of the cognitive impairments, perceived lack of knowledge, and organizational issues. The results of this thesis can be used as a foundation for further research on practice patterns or the specific therapies used. It can facilitate discussions on strengths and weaknesses witcurrent practice, the need for development, and research utilization.
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Boerema, Christina Fenna D. "The therapeutic relationship : a phenomenological study of occupational therapists' experience /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1998. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09EDM/09edmb672.pdf.
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Melton, Jane. "Practice Development with individuals : A Realistic Evaluation with Occupational Therapists." Thesis, City University London, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.509462.
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Roberts, Anne Elizabeth. "Occupational therapists' thinking and its development following continuing professional development." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.394337.
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Alsop, Auldeen Elizabeth. "Career conversations with occupational therapists : capturing the qualities of narrative." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2004. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19662/.
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Occupational therapists are known to use storytelling and storymaking in their clinical practice to assist people with disability to visualise and work towards a positive future which they, themselves, can construct. Little work seems to have been done using the same medium of storytelling with occupational therapists in order to explore aspects of their professional life, career and possible future. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the use of narrative in research and in occupational therapists' clinical practice, and to examine its potential for exploring occupational therapists' career stories. Qualitative research was undertaken drawing on the biographical tradition, life history research and narrative inquiry for its methodology. A total of seven taped interviews were recorded with die agreement of two female occupational therapists who had been in practice for a minimum of eight years. In conversation, they told the story of their entry to the profession and of the ups and downs of their career as an occupational therapist. Emotions such as pleasure and pain seemed to be experienced as their stories emerged. Their narratives produced rich data. Systematic analysis revealed characteristics of both the storytelling process and of the narrative itself. The nature of the occupational therapists' careers and the context in which they were played out became apparent. Despite there being only two participants, their stories illustrated how their work was strongly guided by their personal values. Their stories revealed that triumphs and setbacks at work could be experienced in different ways. Their reflective comments made during the storytelling process sometimes offered new insights into these experiences, so that telling the story became, for them, a way of reviewing the issues and seeing them in a new light. The findings also showed that the therapists' career could not easily be isolated from their home life. The two appeared to be inter-dependent, and in this study were perceived to be in balance. Both occupational therapists expressed satisfaction about their professional and personal life and, as a result, were unwilling to project too far into the future about how their career might develop. It was concluded that storytelling, and the reflection involved in producing the narrative, could assist a therapist to explore issues and dilemmas that occurred at work. The process of telling the story could help to redefine the situation in relation to the context in which it was occurring and could help to determine a satisfactory future course of action. It is possible that storytelling in a confidential relationship with another could assist the professional development, not only of occupational therapists but also of other health professionals. A forum, such as in a mentorship arrangement, could allow work-related issues, career options or opportunities to be explored for their costs and benefits and enable better informed career decisions to be made.
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Babic, Aleksandra. "Ethical Dilemmas Experienced by Occupational Therapists Working in Private Practice." Thesis, Discipline of Occupational Therapy, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/14209.
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Background: Contemporary healthcare systems are constantly evolving. Healthcare professionals including occupational therapists are required to adapt to increasing contextual demands while maintaining professional and ethical conduct. Ethical conduct in occupational therapy is guided by ethical principles which are often in conflict with each other resulting in ethical dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas may impact upon the well-being of a professional, quality of client care and the reputation of a profession as a whole. Despite this, there is limited research into the nature of ethical dilemmas experienced by occupational therapists, specifically those working in private practice. Aims: This research asks: What is the nature of ethical dilemmas, and their contributing factors, encountered by private practice occupational therapists? The study aims to explore the nature of ethical dilemmas experienced by occupational therapists working in private practice. Overview of Thesis: This thesis has been divided into two sections. Section One consists of a comprehensive literature review of the current knowledge base regarding ethical dilemmas in occupational therapy practice. Literature from other allied health professionals working in private practice was also consulted to provide insights about ethical dilemmas these professionals experience. Section Two contains a journal manuscript entitled “Ethical Dilemmas Experienced by Occupational Therapists Working in Private Practice”. Conclusions: Findings from this research project indicate the need to understand the nature of ethical dilemmas experienced by occupational therapists as they are a complex and unavoidable aspect of day-to-day practice. Further, knowledge of the topic at hand within the private sector is critical as these professionals encounter different dilemmas due to the conflict between providing quality services and ensuring a viable business. This knowledge can inform preparation of professional development programs to ensure ethical competency of the occupational therapy profession.
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Bond, Marian P. "An investigation of factors that inhibit or facilitate access and utilisation of research information by therapy professionals." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.249404.
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Blenkiron, Elizabeth Lucy. "Hand assessment and rheumatoid arthritis : professional and patient perspectives." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.251032.
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Ryan, Susan Jennifer. "Instructor competencies required for effective fieldwork supervision of occupational therapy and physical therapy students." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/26911.
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The absence of clearly defined competencies to guide the development of educational programs for occupational therapy and physical therapy fieldwork instructors provided the impetus for this research. A primary objective of the study was to identify the competency categories and the competencies which occupational therapy and physical therapy fieldwork instructors, and occupational therapy and physical therapy students perceived to be important in determining the effectiveness of a student's fieldwork experience.
A review of the literature in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and related health professions identified a pool of fieldwork instructor competencies from which 105 competencies were selected for the study questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to 34 occupational therapy and 37 physical therapy students from the University of British Columbia, and to 59 occupational therapy and 76 physical therapy fieldwork instructors in British Columbia. A response rate of 87% was obtained.
Respondents' ratings of importance of the competency categories and of the most important competencies were similar to previous research findings. Communication and supervisory behaviours were rated as most important in contributing to the effectiveness of a student's fieldwork experience. The majority of the competencies which were ranked as most important belonged to these two categories. Consistent with previous research, the professional competence category and the competencies which were assigned to it were deemed least important in contributing to the effectiveness of a student's fieldwork experience.
Group differences in ratings of importance were tested using a factorial design. The two-way and three-way analyses of variance, a multivariate analysis of variance and subsequent multiple comparison tests revealed only one significant main effect. Physical therapy students' ratings of importance differed significantly from the occupational therapy and physical therapy fieldwork instructors (p< .05). While this significant difference was identified from the analysis, examination of the mean ratings of the competencies showed a consistent pattern of low, moderate or high ratings among all of the groups.
Participants in the study confirmed that the competencies included in the questionnaire were important in contributing to the effectiveness of a student's fieldwork experience. However, the literature suggests that the most important outcome will be the use of the competencies to guide the development of standardized educational programs for occupational therapy and physical therapy fieldwork instructors.Education, Faculty of
Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of
Graduate
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Bellner, Anna-Lena. "Professionalization and rehabilitation : the case of Swedish occupational and physical therapists /." Linköping : Tema, Univ, 1997. http://www.bibl.liu.se/liupubl/disp/disp97/arts166s.htm.
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Ryan, Susan Elizabeth. "Voices of newly-graduated occupational therapists : stories of practice and education." Thesis, University of East London, 2003. http://roar.uel.ac.uk/3509/.
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In the past thirteen years in England the fields of higher education and healthcare have undergone radical changes that have challenged and changed the previous systems that were in place for the past several decades. These overall changes have mirrored and are being mirrored globally in most developed countries although each country's foundational educational, healthcare and political structures have developed in particular ways. This thesis is set within these contemporary scenes in both education and health. The developing profession of occupational therapy in England [not the UK] is the focus of this study and the experiences and stories of thirteen mature-aged students have been portrayed through narratives. These participants volunteered their time and efforts at a critical point in their professional development. This point surrounded the time of their graduation. The participants comprised two groups from two different schools that followed different learning philosophies; namely, subject-based learning [SBL] and problem-based learning [PBL]. Their stories focussed initially on an in-depth work experience with a client / patient but their subsequent embellishments included insights into their undergraduate educational experiences. The stories resulted from a method using a multi-layered reflective approach. The qualitative data were analysed and interpreted through two distinctly different methods of narrative analysis that opened windows on a person's world and analysis of narratives that opened windows onto a particular culture - that of occupational therapy in England. The narratives were presented against a backdrop of qualitative interpretive research and hermeneutic cycles and were framed against two contemporary frameworks: the artistic / interactive practitioner and a quadrant describing specific ways of practising. These were set within a macro-framework of a global Social- Ecological model. The participants were all successful in their professional entry qualifications and, so, the findings centred on those of congruency of educational fit in the entire learning experience and of subtle educational challenges that could enhance professional education particularly for a non-traditional group such as this one. The findings were also broad and so they have given rise to several avenues for further research.
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Adams, Karen T. "Goal setting for occupational therapists and patients with spinal cord injuries." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1267574104.
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van, Huet Helen. "Living and doing with chronic pain: clients' and occupational therapists' perspectives." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8001.
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The purpose of this research was to investigate how people with chronic pain manage their pain in the long term and what factors influence that management. The perspectives of past participants of a chronic pain management program (PMP) and occupational therapists working with people with chronic pain were sought to see if there was compatibility or difference in their points of view. The overarching research questions that arose from a review of the literature were: • What factors predict successful pain management in the long term? • How do people live and do with chronic pain in their everyday lives? These questions formed the foundation for further detailed exploration of how social factors, personal beliefs and meanings, individual attributes and strategies influenced pain management. The study design was based on qualitative methods, in this instance narrative inquiry, to gain stories from PMP participants of living with pain and therapist-participants of working in pain practice. Narrative inquiry was selected as it allowed participants to tell their stories of living and working with chronic pain. Stories inherently contain aspects of the past, present and future. This was an important element to capture in relation to the time contingent process of chronic pain management (Charmaz, 1991). Fifteen PMP participants were recruited in Stage 1 of the research, both males and females, with ages ranging from 31 to 64 years. Nine therapist-participants were recruited in Stage 2, who worked across a range of chronic pain settings including private practice, community-based and hospital-based pain programs. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews predominantly conducted at PMP participants’ homes and therapist-participants’ places of work. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim, with all participants receiving a summary of interviews for comment. Data analysis used an iterative and interpretive approach. Transcripts were read as whole stories, with initial researcher impressions noted and recorded. Transcripts were then subjected to closer scrutiny, with key themes, words and phrases noted using the participants’ language. These detailed themes were sorted into common groupings and compared across participants. Idiosyncratic themes were not discarded. The main themes that emerged related to the categories of self/identity, meaning ascriptions about pain, strategies used, and the influence of the social world. Within each of these categories, factors became apparent that influenced whether a person was predominantly agentic, active in their pain self-management, or victimic and passive, relying on external support (Polkinghorne, 1995). A conceptual model is proposed based on (a) knowing (meanings ascribed to chronic pain), (b) doing (strategies and methods used to engage in everyday activities), and (c) being (aspects of the self intrinsically and socially constructed) as critical to managing chronic pain. These factors are significant when considering how people live with chronic pain within the community in the long term and also how and when health care services specific to chronic pain might best be utilised to achieve favourable outcomes.
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Avantaggiato-Quinn, Maria. "Occupational Therapists : their lived experience of the phenomenon of Effective Occupational Therapy with children and young people." Thesis, Northumbria University, 2016. http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/32573/.
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Despite regulatory requirements for occupational therapists (OTs) to appraise the effectiveness of their service, there is little empirical evidence to suggest that they do so. This relativist research addresses the need to understand the phenomenon of effective occupational therapy with children and young people (CYP) with complex mental health needs/learning disabilities, in the lived experience of OTs. Assuming an interpretivist epistemological perspective, a Heideggerian (1962) interpretive phenomenological methodology guided a reflexive relational approach (Finlay and Evans, 2009) to in-depth interviews carried out with eight OTs working in specialist CYP services. Using threefold analytical methods: thematic (Van Manen, 1997a), metaphorical (Ricoeur and Thompson, 1981) and Lifeworld (Ashworth, 2003), results were contextualised using an occupational perspective of health (Wilcock and Hocking, 2015). Effective occupational therapy with young people identified issues of occupational injustice and was child centred. It supported the development of a sense of occupational being through having an authentic relationship and time and space during therapy. Opportunities to improve health through occupational doing were created through micro grading of activity-based interventions. Utilising their expertise in grading the environment enabled OTs to facilitate young people to set and reach personally meaningful goals to become the experts in themselves and develop a sense of self-hood. Consequently, outcome measurement toolkits were designed to capture patient and clinician reported experience and outcome measures. Such tools may enable occupational therapists to provide assurance that they are addressing issues of effectiveness as part of their statutory and ethical obligations, planned next stages are to pilot their use with clinicians and children. An important contribution of this study is that it supports the necessary bridging of the areas of paediatric, physical OT and MH/LD specialist OT, to enhance effective holistic occupational therapy.
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Ver, Loren Van Themaat Dorita Cornelia. "The practice profile of occupational therapists delivering work practice services in South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15764.
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Over the last decade, industrialised countries have experienced a significant increase in the cost of sickness, disability and employment injury benefits. Concurrently, an increase has been noticed in the need for work rehabilitation due to reasons such as disability as a result of an aging work-force, and work-related stress. Occupational therapists play a crucial role in providing work practice services, but little is known about the type of services they provide or the settings in which they are offered. The aim of this study was to describe the practice profile of occupational therapists delivering services within the field of work practice in South Africa to determine whether the work-related needs of the South African population are being met and to inform future planning of services. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken. A self-administered survey was distributed to occupational therapists in the field of work practice within South Africa. Convenience and snowball sampling were used to target as many participants as possible. A survey based on the literature was developed and underwent pilot testing. Content and face validity was determined by a panel of experts who participated in a focus group. Instrument utility was established with occupational therapists who did not work in this field. Frequencies and proportions were determined for categorical data. Chi-square tests of association were undertaken to determine whether there were any significant associations between identified variables. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Open-ended questions were post coded.
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Mshanga, Dominick Michael. "Perspectives of occupational therapists on the implementation of client-centred practice in Tanzania." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19909.
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Background: The concept of client-centred practice (CCP) was first developed and implemented by occupational therapists in Canada during the early 1980s and subsequently transferred into the Tanzanian occupational therapy curriculum by international volunteer educators. Currently, the occupational therapy curriculum at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo) in Moshi, Tanzania covers CCP using assessment tools and models developed by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy. To date, no occupational therapy research has been conducted to investigate the relevance of CCP for Tanzania, or to document the perspectives of therapists in applying the principles of CCP. This study was indicated to inform the occupational therapy curriculum at the KCMUCo and the Tanzania Occupational Therapy Association (TOTA) about occupational therapy practice realities related to the implementation of CCP in Tanzania and to guide the alignment of the occupational therapy curriculum towards a local understanding of CCP or an alternative (non-Western) perspective. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the understanding and use of CCP by occupational therapists in Tanzania. Methodology: The study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. All qualified occupational therapists working in different regions in Tanzania were approached to participate in the study (N=80). A questionnaire, the Professional Questionnaire for Assessing CCP (PQACCP) was adapted for the study. The questionnaire consisted of five sections: 1) demographic and practice information; 2) an adaptation of an existing checklist on understanding CCP (Parker, 2006); 3) potential barriers to CCP; 4) enablers of CCP; and, 5) therapist opinions on the relevance of CCP for the Tanzanian context. The checklist of potential barriers and enablers was adapted from Sumsion & Smyth, (2000). Data were analysed using the SSPS software program (version 20.0). Numerical variables were checked for normality and the appropriate measures of central tendency and dispersion calculated. Frequencies and proportions were determined for categorical items. The Chi-square test of association was done to determine whether there were any observed associations between demographic variables and barriers/enablers.
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Strutton-Amaker, Robinette. "Qualitative study of therapists' treatment choices and patients' treatment preferences in hand therapy." Diss., NSUWorks, 1999. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_ot_student_dissertations/30.
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Girbig, Maria, Stefanie Deckert, Christian Kopkow, Ute Latza, Madeleine Dulon, Albert Nienhaus, David Groneberg, and Andreas Seidler. "Work-related complaints and diseases of physical therapists – protocol for the establishment of a “Physical Therapist Cohort” (PTC) in Germany." Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2014. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-147087.
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Background: Only few studies deal with the workload of physical therapists and the health consequences, although this occupational group is quite important for the health care system in many industrialized countries (e.g. ca. 136 000 people are currently employed as physical therapists in Germany). Therefore, the current state of knowledge of work-related diseases and disorders of physical therapists is insufficient. The aim of the "Physical Therapist Cohort" (PTC) study is to analyze the association between work-related exposures and diseases among physical therapists in Germany. This article describes the protocol of the baseline assessment of the PTC study. Methods/Design: A cross-sectional study will be conducted as baseline assessment and will include a representative random sample of approximately 300 physical therapists employed in Germany (exposure group), and a population-based comparison group (n = 300). The comparison group will comprise a sample of working aged (18–65 years) inhabitants of a German city. Variables of interest will be assessed using a questionnaire manual including questions regarding musculoskeletal, dermal, and infectious diseases and disorders as well as psychosocial exposures, diseases and disorders. In addition to subjective measures, a clinical examination will be used to objectify the questionnaire-based results (n = 50). Discussion: The study, which includes extensive data collection, provides a unique opportunity to study the prospective association of work-related exposures and associated complaints of physical therapists. Baseline results will give first clues with regard to whether and how prevalent main exposures of physiotherapeutic work and typical work areas of physical therapists are associated with the development of work-related diseases. Thereby, this baseline assessment provides the basis for further investigations to examine causal relationships in accordance with a longitudinal design.
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Emslie, Brenda. "Clinical occupational therapists' experience of their role as clinical educators during the fieldwork experience of occupational therapy students." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20180.
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Thesis (MPhil )-- Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Fieldwork is an essential part of the occupational therapy student’s education, and optimal learning is dependent on effective facilitation by a clinical Occupational Therapist. This study explored the lived experience of the clinical Occupational Therapists in their role as clinical educators by means of a phenomenological inquiry. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with clinical Occupational Therapists involved in clinical education. The data was analysed by using thematic content analysis, and was discussed according to the Lived Experience of a Clinical Educator Model. The results indicated that the clinical OTs’ sense of self, which revealed strong humanistic values, acted as the core element influencing the way in which they related to others and were able to juggle many roles in order to perform their role as clinical educator. It furthermore influenced the ways in which they managed balance and harmony in the workplace, as well as the process of growth and development. Incongruence during the performance of their roles as clinical educators was mainly caused by insufficient collaboration between the clinical educators and the university, the prescriptive nature of the fieldwork curriculum, workload pressures, the students’ attitudes and their lack of knowledge, as well as insufficient training of new clinical educators. The results may be helpful in fostering a collaborative relationship between the university and the clinical Occupational Therapists, as well as renewed attention to growth and development, all of which will benefit the students’ education.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kliniese werk vorm ‘n essensiële deel van die arbeidsterapie-student se opleiding en dit is noodsaaklik dat die leerproses effektief gefasiliteer word deur ‘n bekwame kliniese Arbeidsterapeut. Hierdie studie het die Arbeidsterapeute se belewing van hul rol as kliniese opvoeders nagevors deur middel van ‘n fenomenologiese ondersoek. Tien semigestruktureerde onderhoude is met kliniese Arbeidsterapeute, tans betrokke by kliniese opleiding, gevoer. Die data is verwerk deur middel van tematiese inhouds-analise en is bespreek aan die hand van die Lived Experience of a Clinical Educator Model. Die resultate het aangedui dat die kliniese terapeute se bewustheid van hulself (‘sense of self’) die kern element vorm wat hul verhoudings, sowel as die wyse waarop hulle al hul onderskeie rolle en take behartig, beïnvloed. Sterk humanistiese waardes kom voor in hierdie kern element. Dit is verder bepalend in die wyse waarop die Arbeidsterapeute balans en harmonie in hul werkplek verseker, sowel as hul professionele groei en ontwikkeling. Inkongruensie tydens die rolvervulling word veroorsaak deur onvoldoende samewerking tussen die universiteit en kliniese opvoeders, ‘n voorskriftelike kurrikulum, werksdruk, studente se negatiewe houding en gebrek aan kennis, sowel as onvoldoende opleiding van die terapeute wat nuut begin met kliniese opleiding. Die resultate mag in die toekoms behulpsaam wees in die totstandkoming van ‘n samewerkende verhouding tussen die universiteit en kliniese terapeute, met genoegsame aandag wat geskenk word aan professionele groei en onwikkeling. Dit kan tot voordeel van die studente se leerproses aangewend word.
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Jones, Janice. "A qualitative study exploring how occupational therapists embed spirituality into their practice." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2016. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/27857/.
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Introduction: Spirituality is a concept central to healthcare practice, and in particular to occupational therapy. As a profession, influenced from early Judeo-Christian religious beginnings, occupational therapy has retained yet translated this as a commitment to holistic, person-centred practice. Occupational therapy holds the uniqueness of the individual, and meaningful and purposeful expressions of health and well-being through occupation, as central to professional practice. Set in the context of 21st century healthcare, this thesis explored how occupational therapists (n=4) working in the English National Health Service (NHS) embedded spirituality into daily practice. Methods: Two studies were undertaken, first a structured literature review and concept analysis, applying the method outlined by Walker & Avant (2011), to conceptualise spirituality as described in occupational therapy practice. Second, a qualitative study was undertaken, underpinned by an ethnographic approach, using participant-as-observer observation and follow up interviews to explore how occupational therapists embedded spirituality into everyday practice. Framework approach was used to guide analysis and interpret the large volume of unstructured textual data. Findings: Despite the difficulties defining spirituality occupational therapists appeared able to apply the underpinning core values and philosophy of the profession and embed spirituality in their practice. Practitioners found it more meaningful to describe spirituality in terms of how they applied the concept in, and through, practice by comprehending the values, needs and concerns of the individual as opposed to a consistent definition. Occupational therapists engaged with spirituality by concerning themselves with supporting patients experiencing vulnerability due to disruption in their health and well-being. This support was achieved by the occupational therapist uncovering the individual needs of the patient and through delivering person-centred care by explicitly addressing spirituality. The scope to embed spirituality was on occasion limited by organisational and contextual factors that restricted the potential to practice fully. Achieving organisational targets by adopting time constrained interventions was perceived as having a particularly limiting impact on embedding spirituality in practice. Conclusion: The Embedding Spirituality into Occupational Therapy (ESpiOT) model which emerged from the findings of this study is offered as a tool to guide practice, education and research into how spirituality is, and could be, embedded into occupational therapy practice.
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Morley, Mary. "A realist evaluation of a preceptorship programme for newly qualified occupational therapists." Thesis, University of Brighton, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.443553.
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Osikoya, Francis O. O. "A curriculum plan for the professional education of occupational therapists in Nigeria." Thesis, University of Stirling, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/11842.
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This study was concerned with the planning of a curriculum for training occupational therapists in Nigeria. In doing so, both theoretical and practical matters were considered. First, the thesis identifies the need for occupational therapists in Nigeria, and, based on a literature review, theoretical perspectives and issues about curriculum, and about professional education are gathered and discussed. Secondly, the research for the study was conducted through different practical means. The first part of the research was directed at all the occupational therapists in Nigeria seeking facts and opinions on the occupational therapy situation in the country. A mail questionnaire composed of structured and open-ended questions was used. The second study attempted to find out international perspectives on the training of occupational therapists through a mail questionnaire using open-ended questions, directed at the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Associations in several countries, and all occupational therapy training schools in the United Kingdom. This was followed by a third piece of research in which a case study of the policies and practices of two occupational therapy training programmes in Scotland was carried out, using interviews. ii The findings in these investigations and the issues and arguments derived from the literature on curriculum theory and professional education were considered against the background of Nigeria. The discussion was used to develop principles and to suggest a curriculum for the training of occupational therapists in Nigeria. The study offered some suggestions for future monitoring of the programme and areas of future research in Nigeria
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James, Kirstin. "The lived experience of occupational therapists in Scottish Accident and Emergency Departments." Thesis, Glasgow Caledonian University, 2014. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1410459.
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Emergency Departments (EDs) deliver urgent treatment at the ‘front-door' of acute hospitals. In Scotland, occupational therapists have had an increasing presence in EDs, an emerging role with limited evidence to guide its development. There are no predetermined philosophies or existing theories of ED occupational therapy. Therefore, this exploratory study examined the lived experience of ED occupational therapists in order to make an original contribution to knowledge, and to inform practice. Ethical approval was granted from Glasgow Caledonian University. Research methods were framed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), and purposive sampling was used to recruit nine ED occupational therapists from across Scotland. Individual, semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interview transcripts were analysed line-by-line and interpreted using IPA methods. Two over-arching themes emerged from the data. Theme 1: 'On the Factory Floor' captured the experience of working in an ED. EDs are highly organised, likened to factory production-lines, but also unpredictable, even chaotic. The participants contributed their professional skills to make sense of both the order and the chaos. Theme 2: 'A Stranger in a Strange Land' encapsulated what it was like to enter the ED environment, and the participants were still discovering how they might acculturate. They experienced EDs as challenging environments, which potentially threatened the delivery of occupational therapy in terms of its core-constructs. However, they were able to maintain the values of occupational therapy, though they applied them with constraints. In addition, challenges placed clinicians at high risk of burn-out. Despite this, there were personal and professional rewards, especially enjoyment, being valued and being recognised. Occupational therapy is still emerging in the ED context, professional identity is forming and models of practice are not fully developed. Implications arising from the study are discussed in relation to health policy, future research, occupational therapy practice and occupational therapy education.
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Wright, Catherine R. "An investigation into the professional identities of occupational therapists in higher education." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2007. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/20707/.
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This investigation was designed to explore how occupational therapists working in higher education perceived their professional identities, and how they described their experience of the change in those identities when they moved from clinical practice to employment in higher education. The study is small scale and qualitative. The data was collected by individual career narratives, participant-led focus groups and individual interviews. There were sixteen participants all of whom offered career narratives; two of these gave individual interviews but did not participate in the focus group. There were two focus groups one of six participants and one of eight. One person from the larger focus group did not undertake an individual interview; all the others did so there were fifteen individual interviews in all. This data collection was supported by member and colleague commentary, field notes and a research diary. The commentary of colleagues expanded the number of participants to forty one whose comments were all considered and formed a part of the data base and triangulation. Analysis was by researcher immersion in the data, by continual checking, rechecking, and reconsideration until key themes emerged which were felt to be authentic by researcher and participants. The findings were presented and discussed in three broad areas: professional identity, personal journey and belonging and becoming, supported by participant quotations which were seen as the central voice of the study. The investigation suggested that the power and meaning of professional identity as an occupational therapist cannot be underestimated. Participants described a challenging, and sometimes painful, personal journey in their changed professional role, which was located in the central dilemma of the thesis: the transition from expert to novice. Contrasting workplace cultures were noted as causing some confusion in expectations. The need to belong to a suitable community of practice was seen as important, and support for the notion of several overlapping belongs was indicated. An acknowledgement of the meaning and experience of the transition from expert in onearea to novice in another needs to be more fully understood, acknowledged and managed to support the best interests of individuals and communities of practice.
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Girbig, Maria, Stefanie Deckert, Christian Kopkow, Ute Latza, Madeleine Dulon, Albert Nienhaus, David Groneberg, and Andreas Seidler. "Work-related complaints and diseases of physical therapists – protocol for the establishment of a “Physical Therapist Cohort” (PTC) in Germany." BioMed Central, 2013. https://tud.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A28148.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Only few studies deal with the workload of physical therapists and the health consequences, although this occupational group is quite important for the health care system in many industrialized countries (e.g. ca. 136 000 people are currently employed as physical therapists in Germany). Therefore, the current state of knowledge of work-related diseases and disorders of physical therapists is insufficient. The aim of the 'Physical Therapist Cohort' (PTC) study is to analyze the association between work-related exposures and diseases among physical therapists in Germany. This article describes the protocol of the baseline assessment of the PTC study. Methods/Design: A cross-sectional study will be conducted as baseline assessment and will include a representative random sample of approximately 300 physical therapists employed in Germany (exposure group), and a population-based comparison group (n = 300). The comparison group will comprise a sample of working aged (18–65 years) inhabitants of a German city. Variables of interest will be assessed using a questionnaire manual including questions regarding musculoskeletal, dermal, and infectious diseases and disorders as well as psychosocial exposures, diseases and disorders. In addition to subjective measures, a clinical examination will be used to objectify the questionnaire-based results (n = 50). Discussion: The study, which includes extensive data collection, provides a unique opportunity to study the prospective association of work-related exposures and associated complaints of physical therapists. Baseline results will give first clues with regard to whether and how prevalent main exposures of physiotherapeutic work and typical work areas of physical therapists are associated with the development of work-related diseases. Thereby, this baseline assessment provides the basis for further investigations to examine causal relationships in accordance with a longitudinal design.
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Job, Teresa. "This might be me : art and the elusive self : a Study of occupational therapists' narratives of the self as therapist." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2010. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/73619/.
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This study aimed to explore Occupational Therapists’ narratives of “the self” as a therapeutic agent, linking personal development and insight to professional development as an Occupational Therapist (OT). Three female, newly qualified OTs constructed a series of six arts based narratives, using creative media, over the course of three workshops. The narratives developed from an initial exploration of “the self as therapist” then continued through individual exploration of emergent personal themes. Each pictorial narrative was presented verbally to the group and the presentation and discussion of the images were videotaped. The transcribed stories, alongside the artwork, were analysed and revealed clear evidence that personal narratives have the potential to be active, dynamic processes with important implications for therapeutic practice, education and research. The study highlighted the tension generated by conflict or dissonance between the therapist’s sense of self and their professional role. Exploration of this conflict using art and narrative approaches showed how active story telling around challenging issues can lead to greater personal insight, autonomy and resolution through the re-integration of concealed aspects of the self.
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Bosch, Julie. "Occupational therapists' facilitation of collaboration with aphasic clients in order to encourage the clients' autonomy in relevant occupational engagement." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/2968.
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Buckley, Lori Susan. "Occupational therapists' interests and attitudes toward animal assisted therapy as a treatment modality." FIU Digital Commons, 1999. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1882.
Full textAbstract:
One hundred seventy-nine occupational therapists (OTs) responded to a survey regarding their interests and attitudes toward animal assisted therapy as a treatment modality. It was found that most of the practitioners would be interested in learning more about animal assisted therapy and most felt it is a valid treatment modality to be used by occupational therapists. Furthermore, the most common answer to the question "why would you not be interested in participating in an AAT program," was "I feel I don't know enough about it". It was also found that therapists' most commonly selected patient goals for AAT were in the realm of mental health, whereas the least mentioned goals were more physically based goals. Further, a recommendation was made to educate OTs regarding the uses and benefits of AAT through more research, continuing education programs on AAT, publications in professional journals, and media awareness.
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Ehmann, Caroline. "Creating a supportive practice community for occupational therapists in the Capital Health Region." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ59496.pdf.
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