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Academic integration of occupational therapy faculty: a survey
1Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Loma Linda University, California 92350-0001, USA.
Objective:
This descriptive study explored the reasons for occupational therapy faculty members selecting academia as a career, their use of faculty development practices, and the relationship of organizational culture to collegial support.
Method:
Full-time faculty members (n = 191) from accredited occupational therapy professional programs in the United States completed a questionnaire about their early years in academia.
Results:
Respondents indicated that their primary reason for selecting academia as a career was their love of teaching. The most helpful faculty development practice was frequent sharing of ideas with peer faculty members.
Conclusions:
The findings support the following recommendations for program administrators and experienced faculty members to assist new faculty members in adapting to academia: (a) support and develop new avenues for sharing ideas in formal and informal settings; (b) develop mentoring programs, with new faculty members observing experienced teachers and receiving feedback and assistance for their own teaching; (c) encourage attendance at instructional seminars; (d) provide resource materials and texts on improving teaching and research skills; (e) allow time for research; and (f) encourage coauthoring of publications.