Transitioning From Occupational Therapy Student To Practicing Occupational Therapist: First Year of Employment

ABSTRACT

This research examined the transition from occupational therapy student to practicing occupational therapist over the course of one's first year of professional employment, as recalled by a sample of occupational therapists. Surveys were mailed to 500 occupational therapists randomly selected from membership in the American Occupational Therapy Association resulting in 202 returned surveys. Median year of graduation was 1998, ranging from 1967 to 2014. In general, respondents indicated the transition was positive. Having a mentor was related to high job satisfaction and good clinical fit, while supervising an occupational therapy assistant and low self-confidence were viewed as negative impact factors. Recent graduates presented with lower ratings of a positive transition and higher ratings of likelihood of experiencing burnout and initial job stress than earlier graduates. Recommendations for improving the transition experience are presented.

KEYWORDS:

• Burnout
• employment
• job satisfaction
• mentor
• professional transition

Research ethics

Ethical approval was obtained from the West Virginia University Institutional Review Board prior to the commencement of this project.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter, materials, or results discussed in this manuscript. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

About the Authors

Randy P. McCombie, PhD, OTR/L, Chair and Program Director, Division of Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; Meredith E. Antanavage, MOT, OTR/L, Senior II Occupational Therapist, Good Shepherd Penn Partners at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.