Factors Affecting Occupational Therapy Job Site Selection in Underserviced Areas

1986 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 151-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Polatajko ◽  
Michelle Quintyn

Rural and isolated areas such as those found in northern Ontario are often underserviced with respect to occupational therapy. These areas present special problems for those involved in recruitment and planning recruitment programs. While it is generally recognized that practice in these areas can be both stimulating and rewarding, little is known about what factors might influence occupational therapists to choose these areas for job sites. It was the purpose of this study to investigate factors affecting job site selection and retention among occupational therapists in northern Ontario. Seven potential factors were explored: family proximity, place of origin, lifestyle, fieldwork placements, job opportunities and recruitment tours. These became the basis for the development of a questionnaire which was sent to all facilities employing occupational therapists in northern Ontario. The responses of twenty eight therapists (70%) indicated that the factors affecting job site selection were, in descending order: lifestyle, job opportunity, partner's employment and family proximity. The results also indicated that the factors influencing recruitment and retention differ. Based on the findings, recruitment efforts should focus on emphasizing the attractive features of the north and perhaps on people with family in the north. Retention incentives should include money for equipment, space, continuing education, travel, better salaries, links to educational resources and fieldwork placements.

1992 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penny Salvatori ◽  
Renee Williams ◽  
Helene Polatajko ◽  
Joyce Mackinnon

A consistently increasing imbalance between the supply of and demand for occupational therapists has led to a critical manpower shortage in occupational therapy. Based on a review of various government reports and related literature, this paper provides an overview of the extent of this manpower problem, identifies factors affecting retention and attrition of occupational therapists and discusses strategies to improve retention and reduce attrition. To address the supply-demand imbalance, recommendations in relation to education, employment, immigration and service delivery for the occupational therapy profession in Ontario are proposed.


2020 ◽  
Vol V (III) ◽  
pp. 400-409
Author(s):  
Salyha Zulfiqar Ali Shah ◽  
Muhammad Muzammil Asghar ◽  
Umber Riaz

Economic growth varies across different countries. Various potential factors have been identified over the years, but finding relevant determinants of growth has been a real issue for empirical investigation. This paper has attempted to examine different macro-economic variables that play a significant role in accelerating economic growth from 1970 to 2019. The econometric results show that human capital, financial development, and industrial production are the encouraging factors of economic growth, while the variable trade openness shows a negative effect on economic growth in Pakistan. Government should design policies to invest inhuman capital and fixed assets; this will create job opportunities for the people and leads to high economic growth.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 235
Author(s):  
Lili Somantri

The northern suburbs of Bandung City are an expansion area of the development of Bandung City. The regional development in suburban areas can cause land conversion problems. The objective of the present study was to identify the community's response and the factors of land conversion in the northern suburbs of Bandung City. A descriptive quantitative method was employed through the presentation of percentages and the results of interviews with 108 respondents. Findings reveal that the people’s responses to land conversion exhibited positive and negative responses. Among the positive responses were that land conversion was perceived appropriate for regional development; road construction could increase citizen mobility and create job opportunities. Meanwhile, among the negative responses were that land conversion could result in hot temperatures, barren fields, humidity, lack of water sources, and the loss of agricultural land. The factors affecting land use conversion included population growth, the development of the Bandung City area, construction of residential and tourist areas, increased land prices, and socio-cultural factors of the Sundanese people.Keywords: community response,  land function conversion factors, suburbs of the north of Bandung, land function conversion


2020 ◽  
pp. 156918612098028
Author(s):  
Ai Hasegawa ◽  
Risa Takashima ◽  
Kazuki Yoshida ◽  
Daisuke Sawamura ◽  
Waka Murata ◽  
...  

Objective/background The rapidly increasing incidence of patients with dementia in Japan is creating an urgent demand for evidence-based occupational therapy (EBOT), which has been reported to improve clinical efficacy. This study aimed to examine the current practice of EBOT for patients with dementia in Japan and clarify factors influencing its application. Methods We conducted an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey by mail. The participants were 432 occupational therapists treating patients with dementia at 432 designated medical institutions nationwide. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and multiple regression analysis was performed to clarify the factors influencing the present application of EBOT. Results The response rate was 31.3%. Among the participants, 46.3% responded ‘somewhat frequently’ or more (5, 6, and 7 on a 7-grade scale) to a question on the frequency of practice of EBOT. Using multiple regression analysis with the stepwise method, we selected the model with the highest degree of fit. This model extracted three factors, namely, ability to understand scientific papers, sufficiency of means of getting information, and availability of advice, which had standardized partial regression coefficients (β) of 0.419, 0.214, and 0.158, respectively. Conclusions The three factors extracted using the multiple regression analysis indicate that in order to encourage EBOT for patients with dementia, occupational therapists need to acquire reading comprehension skills, so that they can assess the quality of scientific papers. Furthermore, it is important to create environments where they have access to publications and can discuss research with superiors and colleagues.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1089-1097
Author(s):  
Nguyen Quynh Hoa ◽  
◽  
Phung Chu Hoang ◽  

Quality outcomes from vocational education and training (VET) are fundamental to ensuring a skilled workforce and supporting a productive economy. The quality of vocational training from the demand’s perspective is defined as meeting the customer specification, needs or requirements. Using the method of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Multiple Regression Analysis to get the analytical results of 275 respondents as graduates of University of Transport and Communication, University of Transport Technology (the two universities training on transportation in the North of Vietnam), the results show that factors are measured by the observed variables in the study that ensure reliability and relevance. The descriptive statistics result of vocational training quality is 3.28, while all independent variables are at average level (between 3.1 to 3.48) with the highest value related to the quality of the teacher and the lowest are facilities and training programs and management capacity of university. However, the regression results show that the qualification of the teacher, material facilities and training program, management capacity and job opportunities at the training school do not affect the quality of the training while “Learners-NH” have a great positive effect and the labor market information has a negative effect on the training quality of the school significantly. Base on those data, some policy recommendations have been given out in order to improve the training quality of transport technology universities in the north of Vietnam in particular and the vocational training quality of Vietnam in general.


2020 ◽  
pp. 221-236

Background: Vision deficits are highly prevalent in children with neurodevelopmental disorders including those with motor delays, learning and reading difficulties, and maladaptive behaviors. These deficits can interfere with their participation and performance in everyday life activities and therefore, require a comprehensive approach to therapy. As such, optometrists and occupational therapists are an optimal team to provide interprofessional collaborative care, reported in research as best practice, in the treatment of these children. However, little is known about the long-called-for collaboration between these professions. The purpose of this study was to explore factors and implications associated with a collaborative practice between optometrists and occupational therapists in the co-management of vision deficits in the pediatric population. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive design was employed to explore perceptions of collaborative practice among teams of optometrists and occupational therapists in the remedial care of children with visual deficits. Following IRB approval, co-located optometrists and occupational therapists were recruited for this study. Semistructured interviews served as the primary data collection tool to investigate the factors and implications of collaborative practice. Results: Eleven professionals provided informed consent and took part in this study, including five occupational therapists and six optometrists. Following thematic analysis, four overarching themes emerged including 1) professional boundaries, 2) co-located, integrated practice, 3) professional growth, and 4) improved patient care. Participants indicated that although barriers exist, exercising humility, upholding patient-centered focus, maintaining mutual respect, communicating frequently, and co-location were factors that enable collaboration. Positive outcomes related to both the provider and the patient were further highlighted supporting the interprofessional collaboration between these professionals. Conclusions: The findings of this qualitative study add to the body of evidence underpinning interprofessional collaborative practice. Furthermore, this study supports the coordination of care, through optometry and occupational therapy collaboration, in the treatment of visual deficits in children with special needs.


2020 ◽  
pp. 030802262097394
Author(s):  
Deborah Bullen ◽  
Channine Clarke

Introduction In response to growing demands on health and social care services there is an emphasis on communities addressing the needs of local populations to improve lives and reduce inequalities. Occupational therapists are responding to these demands by expanding their scope of practice into innovative settings, such as working with refugees, the homeless and residents of nursing homes, and within sport and leisure environments. The benefits of sport are widely acknowledged, and this paper argues that occupational therapists could play a pivotal role in enabling people to participate. Method This qualitative study drew on a phenomenological approach and used interviews and thematic analysis to explore five occupational therapists’ experiences of enabling people to participate in sport. Findings Findings revealed that participants demonstrated the uniqueness of occupational therapy when enabling people to participate in sport and practised according to their professional philosophy. There were opportunities to reach wider communities and promote the value of occupational therapy by collaborating with organisations, but there were also challenges when working outside of traditional settings. Conclusion The study emphasises the unique skills occupational therapists can bring to this setting. It highlights opportunities to expand their practice, to forge new partnerships in sports and leisure environments, and to address the national inactivity crisis.


2021 ◽  
pp. 153944922110054
Author(s):  
Sharon A. Gutman

Although occupational therapists were once integrally involved in mental health practice, the percentage of therapists presently working in this clinical area is low. In 2017, the American Occupational Therapy Foundation convened a planning grant collective (PGC) to generate research to support populations with serious mental health challenges. The PGC’s primary mission was to identify key research areas in which occupational therapists and colleagues could work collaboratively to demonstrate evidence for occupational therapy services supporting mental health community participation. Participants included 21 members from six professions and three program officers from federal funding establishments. The PGC identified seven overarching research concepts, three broad areas of research inquiry, and eight possible studies addressing occupational therapy’s contribution to research promoting community participation and health outcomes for people with mental illness. This article provides a summary of the PGC proceedings so that researchers can collaboratively implement identified research topics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4203
Author(s):  
Bin Du ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Jiaxin He ◽  
Wai Li ◽  
Xiaohong Chen

Based on the fundamental concept of sustainable development, this study empirically analyzes the spatio-temporal characteristics, formation mechanisms and obstacle factors of the urban-rural integration of shrinking cities in China, from 2008 to 2018. The conclusions are as follows: the overall level of the urban-rural integration of shrinking cities in China is low; the internal differences of urban-rural integration are also small, and the changes are slow. Next, the space difference is high in the east and low in the west, high in the south and low in the north. Moreover, differences exist among different levels of urban agglomerations. Urban economic efficiency, urban resources and environment, urban social equity and rural economic efficiency are the main factors affecting the urban-rural integration of shrinking cities in China. Urban and rural economic efficiency are the two most prominent shortcomings that restrict the urban-rural integration of shrinking cities. The spatial resistance mode of each city is more than the two-system resistance; the main resistance of shrinking cities with a higher level of urban-rural integration also comes from the non-economic field. This study expands the research scope that up till now has ignored the discussion of urban-rural issues in the research of shrinking cities at home and abroad, and provides practical guidance for the sustainable development of shrinking cities in China.


2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 375-386
Author(s):  
Debbie Kramer-Roy ◽  
Denise Hashim ◽  
Nighat Tahir ◽  
Areeba Khan ◽  
Asma Khalid ◽  
...  

Introduction Occupational therapists around the world increasingly seek to support the participation of children with disabilities and special educational needs in mainstream education. Contemporary school-based occupational therapy practice is progressing from an individual, impairment focus towards collaborative, universal interventions at the whole class and whole school level. Participation-focused practice and collaboration is particularly important, but uncommon, in low-resource contexts such as Pakistan. Methods This article reports on collaborative action research that developed the role of occupational therapy in inclusive education in Karachi, Pakistan. A research team consisting of occupational therapists and teachers worked with five local primary schools, using the action research cycles of plan–implement–observe–reflect to develop practical strategies, materials and inclusive lesson plans to facilitate the participation of all children in all school-based occupations. Findings Support from school management and interdisciplinary collaboration were crucial for implementing change. In addition, strategies like inclusive lesson planning were found to benefit all children in class. Collaborative action research led to increased professional confidence in the teachers and occupational therapists, and skill development through developing a resource guide, running workshops and presenting at (inter)national conferences. Conclusion Collaborative action research was an effective means to develop the occupational therapy role in inclusive education practices in Pakistan, develop culturally appropriate educational resources, and upskill local therapists and teachers.


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