Environment, ideology, and role performance: a contextual needs assessment for an allied health profession

Two major issues for semiprofessions are the lack of a clearly defined and unique theory base and the degree to which practitioners can maintain their identity while conforming to the expectations of their work settings. Thus, an important aspect to an educational needs assessment for allied health professions is an examination of the interaction between a theory-based ideology of practice and environmental demands. This paper describes a survey that was conducted as a needs assessment for occupational therapy. By examining the presence of ideologies in a field characterized by identity confusion and by ascertaining the relative susceptibility of these ideologies to environmental influences, the survey was seen as a beginning step toward development of a proactive, change-oriented needs assessment for an allied health profession.