Working conditions of occupational therapists in Jordan

The purpose of this study was to investigate the working conditions and factors related to job satisfaction among Jordanian occupational therapists. A self-administered survey consisting of several questions about the participants' jobs was developed for this study. The inclusion criteria included occupational therapists who worked in the field of occupational therapy (OT) in Jordan and who had at least six months of experience. The survey was distributed to 120 occupational therapists in different OT settings. One hundred and one occupational therapists from different hospitals, centres, schools and universities responded to the survey. Salaries of the participants were low in comparison with the salaries of the rest of healthcare practitioners in Jordan. Chi-square analysis revealed significant relationship between participants' perceived job satisfaction and the administration of the setting, and between the choice of studying OT and the salary that the participant makes. Most occupational therapists in Jordan are young, have modest experience and work in general OT services in government-owned facilities or paediatric centres. A sense of dissatisfaction was obvious among the participants. Further studies are needed to explore reasons of work satisfaction and dissatisfaction among occupational therapists in Jordan.