Occupational attainment in selected allied health professions

This study examined the factors in the process of occupational attainment for a single group, the allied health professions. A 14-variable causal model was developed to explain postcollege attainment of a job in one of five allied health professions: medical dietetics, medical social work, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or speech therapy. The sample was composed of 272 college students who responded to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program surveys of 1971 and 1980. Analysis indicated that several variables, including academic integration, having a science major, and being oriented to service, had significant direct effects on attainment in the allied health professions. Knowledge of the personal characteristics and achievements of those who successfully enter jobs in the allied health professions may allow informed student and faculty choices and reduce recruitment and retention problems in schools of allied health.