Background and Position Profile of American Occupational Therapists

Alicia L

Abstract

The background of occupational therapists (OT) has been assessed in select countries. This study assessed the background, preparation, and position characteristics of OT in the United States (US). A validated survey instrument was administered via mail to 493 randomly sampled OT. One hundered one subjects responded (Age = 43.87 ± 13.57 years) and provided written informed consent. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. The survey resulted in 404 pages of data. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationship between subject variables and measures of job satisfaction. Answers to open-ended questions were content- analyzed. Salary was negatively correlated with start of workday (r = -0.37, p ≤ 0.001).