Exploring professionalism: the professional values of Australian occupational therapists

There has been limited research into the values of the Australian occupational therapy profession and as such, the values have not been made explicit. Explicit values provide insight into what professionalism means to a profession. They can be used by practitioners for self-reflection purposes, shaping the future practice of individuals. Clear values can also enable the recognition and management of value conflicts between health professions. This study aimed to make a preliminary identification of the values of the profession, by exploring the professional values of 15 Australian occupational therapists.

A naturalistic approach and constructivist paradigm guided this study. Purposive sampling was employed to identify Australian occupational therapists who could contribute rich information to the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews that were recorded and analysed using an inductive data analysis method.

The professional values identified encompassed three main areas: the client and the client-therapist partnership; occupational therapy knowledge, skills and practice; and selfless values. The emerging values guided everyday practice, professional relationships and the responsibilities of being a professional.

This study provides insight into the professional values of Australian occupational therapists and contributes to research orientated towards identifying the values of the profession. The results also contribute to the understanding of what professionalism means to the Australian occupational therapy profession.