UniversityThe number of schools and universities offering a course in occupational therapy has almost doubled in the last decade, which has been playing a major role in the effectiveness and future of the profession. This puts a lot of pressure on new graduates seeking work in hospitals and other ‘traditional’ roles. However, there are a variety of role-emerging areas where occupational therapy has been making its presence known.
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Supervision |
Supervision or support from colleagues has a major impact on whether or not people decide to stay in their place of employment. Supervision is an enabler for job retention due to guidance given, though can also become a deterrent when not supplied. Through a literature review it was determined that for some OTs they preferred working solo, however most preferred to have guidance from a more experienced therapist in order to improve their own skills. Working in rural or remote areas lack this supervision and therefore staff turnover can be quite high. People gain a vast amount of knowledge when being employed as the sole OT of an organisation however find their case and workloads can become overwhelming on their own, therefore they do not stay within these areas for very long. Don't let this deter you from choosing to work in these areas though as most people find that this kind of work forced them into learning more and developing their skills further.
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Referneces: Mckinstry & Fortune, 2014, Wood et. al, 2013 Brockwell et. al, 2009, McAuliffe & Barnett, 2009, Pidgeon, 2015 & Dancza et. al, 2013