Occupational therapists' perceptions of occupation in practice: An exploratory study

Area of Science:

• Occupational Therapy Education
• Clinical Practice Integration
• Health Sciences Research

Background:

• Occupational therapy education must cover occupation and health principles per World Federation of Occupational Therapists standards.
• Australian occupational therapy graduates are presumed to possess strong foundational knowledge of occupation-based practice.
• Challenges arise in practice settings where the link to occupation is not explicit, potentially hindering graduates' application of these principles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore Australian occupational therapy graduates' perceptions of occupation within their professional practice.
• To investigate whether recent graduates feel adequately prepared for implementing occupation-based practice in their roles.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative pilot study utilizing two focus groups with a total of eight occupational therapists.
• Thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke's methodology, was employed for data synthesis through line-by-line coding.

Main Results:

• Participants viewed occupation-based practice as important but not always essential as an intervention method, accepting it as an end goal.
• A significant focus on impairment-based practice impeded the exploration of occupation-based approaches.
• Workplace culture presented a pervasive barrier for recent graduates, inhibiting the consistent use of occupation in practice.
• Graduates reported a lack of integrated and consistent teaching on applying occupation in practice from university educators.

Conclusions:

• Workplace expectations and limited autonomy hinder graduates' authentic application of occupation-based practice.
• Recent graduates' insights into occupation offer valuable perspectives for shaping the future of occupation-based practice.
• Addressing educational and workplace systemic factors is crucial for enhancing occupation-based practice among new therapists.