Effectiveness of Recruitment and Information Techniques in Occupational Therapy

Abstract

A national survey was conducted to determine how occupational therapists became interested in the field. Results from the study demonstrated that personal contact was the most effective technique for creating an interest in occupational therapy. However, books, magazines, aide and volunteer jobs, guidance counselors, and career days were adjuncts to the recruitment process. This study provides data concerning previous productive means that have been used in recruitment and suggests specific actions for future recruitment.

Students' Choice of Occupational Therapy as a Second Degree

“…Almost 90% (57/64) of the respondents reported that their previous degree had not been vocational and 73% (41/56) quoted this as the factor that had influenced their decision to study occupational therapy. The most frequently reported first degrees were in the human sciences (including psychology and sociology), echoing the findings of Townsend and Mitchell (1982) and Wyrick and Stern (1987).…”

What Attracts Mature Students to Occupational Therapy?

“…Given that the mean age of respondents was 37.2 years, they first considered the profession aged approximately 30 years. Townsend and Mitchell (1982) in the USA and Madill et al (1989) in Canada reported that students had cited encountering the profession, through family, friends or practising therapists, as a powerful recruitment source. In this study, 13 of the 37 respondents also reported that close contact with an occupational therapist had influenced their career choice and, of those 13 students, six had been supported by a practitioner.…”

“…Townsend and Mitchell (1982) surveyed 421 occupational therapists who had completed degrees in the USA since 1970. Personal contact was noted as 'the most effective and most influential recruitment mechanism in interesting students in occupational therapy' (p526).…”

Exposure to occupational therapy as a factor influencing recruitment to the profession

“…More recently research has identified that work in health care was the method by which students first heard about occupational therapy – reported by 24.6% (Craik & Zaccaria, ) and 30% of students (Craik et al ., ). Research also suggests that career choice and the decision to enter a health programme is associated with contact with ‘a health professional in your field’ (Baldwin & Agho, ) and a health professional who was a family member or friend (Townsend & Mitchell, ) though not specified as an occupational therapist, were influential.…”

“…The concept of occupational therapy as a second career has been investigated to suggest that many mature age occupational therapy students were not aware of the profession when leaving school (Craik & Alderman, ; Craik & Napthine, ), and had entered occupational therapy only after their initial degree and subsequent employment had put them in contact with an occupational therapist. American studies also showed that working in an occupational therapy department was an important source of information about occupational therapy for many prospective students (Cooperstein & Barker Schwartz, ; Craik & Alderman, ; Craik et al ., ; Rozier et al ., ; Townsend & Mitchell, ). Australian researchers (Fleming et al ., ) did not identify working in an occupational therapy department as a key source of information, but this may reflect different utilisation of occupational therapy assistants at that time.…”