Students' attitudes towards people with a disability, their perceptions of the characteristics of a successful occupational therapist, and their future career plans were surveyed on entry to and exit from the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy course at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Factors impacting on students' career plans were also examined. Questionnaires were administered to 84 students on the first day of the course in 1994 and to 59 students on the last day of the course in 1997. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise and compare the data. While generally positive on entry to the course, students' attitudes were even more positive on completion. Entry and exit perceptions of the characteristics considered important to being a successful occupational therapist were closely aligned with the values and ideals of the profession. At both survey points, students indicated a reluctance to pursue work in non-metropolitan areas and in psychosocial, research and academic fields. Clinical placements and particular clinicians were identified as having the greatest impact on students' career plans. These findings provide support for the notions that student self-selection into occupational therapy may assist in bringing aware students to the course and that clinical experiences during the course serve as potent influences on future career plans. Tailored use of the processes of socialisation within occupational therapy courses may assist in attracting therapists to particular geographical and clinical areas.

In this study, an examination was made of the clinical reasoning processes used by expert occupational therapists and post-ellnlcal fourth-year occupational therapy students. Using nominal group technique, the factors Involved In clinical reasoning were derived and their relative Importance determined.The most highly valued skill for the experts was good communication, while the most highly valued skill for the students was a knowledge of and understanding of disability. The experts considered a wider range of factors when making clinical decisions than did the students, and rated their level of clinical reasoning at a higher level than did the students. For the experts, the factors Identified as Important In clinical reasoning were concerned more with gaining an understanding of the patients both by using general princIples of diagnosis and Illness and by gaining an understanding of the Illness as It affected the Individual patient. Meanwhile, for the students, greater emphasis was placed upon the Influence of pragmatic factors on treatment, such as resources, time constraints and other environmental factors.

A class of first year occupational therapy students were surveyed to explore their backgrounds, attitudes to disability and perceptions of the characteristics of a successful occupational therapist, factors underlying their decision to study occupational therapy, and course-related and career expectations. Of 83 students, most were female, under 20 years of age and from a middle-class background. Their attitudes towards people with disability were generally positive. Their decision to study occupational therapy was largely made at the end of their formal schooling and was based on altruistic and practical influences. Their expectations of the course appeared accurate and, in terms of their future career, most students expressed a desire to work in either paediatric or adult physical areas, These students will be surveyed again during the course and as graduate therapists to monitor their attitudes and the unfolding of their career paths. K E Y W 0 R D S attitudes, career choice, course and career, expectations, student background.

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