Occupational Therapy Workforce Development Project

The OTA Occupational Therapy Workforce Plan was developed using an evidence-based approach, including extensive consultation with the profession. It included:

A literature review examined over 300 articles from national and international scholarly and grey literature.

A data analysis examined data available from national databases concerning the occupational therapy workforce, including workforce demographics and distribution.

A survey of occupational therapists with 2,145 responses. Responses were broadly representative of the profession with respect to age, geographic location and field of practice.

20 interviews: six preliminary and 14 structured interviews.

10 focus groups with representation from the private practice/private group practice, rural and remote, public health, education, mental health, aged care, paediatrics and disability sectors and new graduate and five year graduate cohorts within the workforce

Clinical placements during training are essential for the development of an OT professional. Many training programs report limited quality placement positions being available for students.

Students approaching graduation are not always aware of the range of benefits and challenges of working in different workplace settings and can find it difficult to decide what is the best workplace for them.

Students would benefit from information around what to expect in their first graduate OT role to assist their transition to practice.

Clinical supervision is essential for recently graduated therapists. There is inconsistency in the level and quality of supervision graduates receive.

Recent graduates would benefit from greater access to resources and supports to aid their transitioning to practice.

There is significant variation in the experience of recently graduated OTs. Some graduates report that their early careers are stressful with high work demands and little professional support, others reported feeling well supported and report gaining confidence and professional skills.

Effective transitioning to practice requires strong supervision, challenging professional opportunities undertaken with good support, and a positive workplace culture.

There are recruitment and retention challenges in most practice settings.

Career satisfaction is higher when able to work to full scope of practice and where the workplace is supportive and safe.

Some OT’s move into non-clinical roles that draw upon their OT skills and they wish to maintain their OT identity and connection to the profession while in these positions.

Some OTs believe there is limited opportunity to progress to advanced clinical roles or that professional recognition is not available to them, limiting their career opportunities as an OT.

Recruitment and retention are impacted by a range of factors including remuneration, flexibility and responsiveness of conditions, the availability of support and supervision and opportunities for professional and career advancement.

Some form of credentialing is widely supported as a means of acknowledging advanced standing.

Major changes in the industry profile (such as the introduction of National Disability Insurance Scheme [NDIS] and My Aged Care) have required changes in the clinical, professional and business management skills required by OTs.

Professional supervision is considered critical for quality assurance, worker support and for the safety and reputation of the profession. Those who reported they receive no supervision have a generally more negative perspective on multiple other indicators. They have a dramatically negative view on the adequacy of supervision structures, team leadership and the availability of professional development. They also report a less positive work/life balance.

The demand for OT services across multiple sectors has placed pressure on established professional training supervision and support structures.

The NDIS represents a challenging working environment for OTs because its commercial requirements can feel in tension with professional values.

There is an absence of quality and safety standards and reporting with respect to OT services provided in the private sector.

Clinical governance is critical to ensure the quality and safety of services.