Minority Ethnic Groups and Occupational Therapy, Part 1: Recruitment of Students

Abstract

tis article I. the ftrst of two contributions looking at the under-representatlon of people from the United Kingdom'. minority ethnic groups In the occupational therapy profession. these articles ....est three broad areasthat should concern occupational therapy practitioners and educators: the recruitment of pe0-ple from minority ethnic groups to the profession; the admission process tooceupatlonal·.theraPY education and training courses; and the curriculum and ethos of thOse courses. Part 1 deals WIth the ftrsttwo concerns and part 2 will address ....... of course curricUlum and the .upport that maybe required for students from minority ethnic IJ'OQPS. The author$ strongly adVocate that these three Issues cannot be treated In IHiatfOn but must be dealt WIth simUltaneouslY-

Perceptions of speech and language therapy amongst UK school and college students: implications for recruitment

“…Although concern has been expressed about the underrepresentation of minority ethnic groups in other AHPs such as occupational therapy and physiotherapy (Rowe and MacDonald 1995;Meghani-Wise 1996;Jaggi 1998;Mason and Sparkes 2002), the representation of males in these professions is slightly higher.…”

Transcultural Occupational Therapy in the United Kingdom: Concepts and Research

“…Meghani- Wise and MacDonald (1995, p475) claimed that a 'colour-bli.nd' approach predominated in occupational therapy educational policy which was retarded by 10 years. Rowe and MacDonald (1995), while avoiding the mention of new or institutional racism, pointed out the complex combination of embedded structural factors which excludes people from ethnic minorities. An interesting example of this was provided by the COT's Ethics Committee's (1995) response to a student's dilemma about contravening religious norms on fieldwork placement.…”

Occupational Therapy Students' First Year Fieldwork Experiences: Discovering the Complexity of Culture

“…mainly white and female (Meghani-Wise & MacDonald, 1995;Rowe & MacDonald, 1995;Wells, 1994). mainly white and female (Meghani-Wise & MacDonald, 1995;Rowe & MacDonald, 1995;Wells, 1994).…”