Job Satisfaction among Occupational Therapy Practitioners: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies

Abstract

A comprehensive description of the factors associated with job satisfaction among occupational therapy practitioners is needed to promote their work well-being. This systematic review aimed to describe occupational therapy practitioners' job satisfaction and the related intra-, inter-, and extra-personal factors. Original peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2019 were retrieved from four databases with the review including fourteen studies. The review was conducted according to the Joanna Briggs institute guideline. The data were analyzed by narrative synthesis. Occupational therapy practitioners experienced high job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was found to be associated with significantly lower rates of turnover intention and higher rates of rewards. The relationships between job satisfaction, professional identity, exhaustion, and social environment showed conflicting results.

What Next? Learning from the findings of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists workforce survey 2022–2023

“…To address this, services may need to think differently about when, where and how occupational therapists intervene, so that they make the best use of their skills, and effective interventions are available for those in greatest need. Enabling occupational therapists to optimise and utilise their unique competencies is associated with increased job satisfaction and service delivery, which in turn impacts retention (Mertala et al, 2022).…”

Work-related quality of life of occupational therapists in Ireland

“…Stress, burnout and low job satisfaction are significantly associated with turnover intention in occupational therapists (Mertala et al, 2022; Park, 2021; Scanlan and Still, 2013). Research also shows that higher Quality of Working Life (QoWL) is associated with higher job satisfaction in general working populations (Sirghy et al, 2001; Wallace et al, 2007) and in occupational therapists (Rostami et al, 2021).…”

Den Alltag im Fokus – ausgewählte Assessments im Überblick

“…Indem Therapeut*innen Erhebungswerte vor und nach der Intervention miteinander vergleichen, können sie Veränderungen gegenüber Klient*innen wie Stakeholder*innen gezielter verdeutlichen [1,4]. Dies führt zu einer besseren Transparenz für alle Beteiligten und kann zudem die Arbeitszufriedenheit der Therapeut*innen erhöhen [5].…”