Senior Occupational Therapy Students in Select Arab Countries: Characteristics, Perspectives, and Academic Satisfaction
Keywords:
Satisfaction, perspective, occupational therapy students, Arab countriesAbstract
Occupational therapy (OT) is a relatively new profession in the Arab world. The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics, perspectives, and academic satisfaction of 204 senior OT students in Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. A cross-sectional survey design was employed in this study. Results revealed that the majority of the students surveyed indicated they chose to study OT because it is a humanistic profession. Most students first heard about it from their relatives and friends. Participants reported a preference for working in hospitals or centers and with pediatric population. The majority of students would choose to study OT if given the opportunity to go back in time. Most of the participants reported they were satisfied with individual course foci, academic assignments, and external training sites. They were least satisfied with lab tools availability, practical training being adequate, and the study plan. Generally, students were satisfied with the didactic theoretical part but less satisfied with the institutional infrastructure and the clinical training intended to prepare them to be competent entry-level practitioners. This study provided preliminary useful data for decision-makers and educators about the students’ desired career goals and satisfaction level in their professional education.
Downloads
References
Busuttil, J. (1991). Setting up an occupational therapy college in the Middle East. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 54(11), 423-426. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F030802269105401110
Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2011). Occupational therapists in Canada, 2010 national and jurisdictional highlights and profiles. Retrieved from https://www.cihi.ca/en/ ot2010_highlights_profiles_en.pdf
Craik, C., Gissane, C., Douthwaite, J., & Philp, E. (2001). Factors influencing the career choice of first-year occupational therapy students. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(3), 114-120. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F030802260106400302
Craik, C., & Napthine, C. (2001). Students' choice of occupational therapy as a second degree. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(9), 432-437. https://doi.org/10.1177/030802260106400903
Craik, C., & Zaccaria, J.-M. (2003). The career choice of first-year occupational therapy students: a follow-up study. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66(11), 531-534. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F030802260306601107
Dudgeon, B. J., & Cunningham, S. (1992). Occupational therapy entry-level program applicants: A survey of northwest schools. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 46 (7), 583-589. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.46.7.583
Esdaile, S. A., Lokan, J. J., & Madill, H.M. (1997). A comparison of Australian and Canadian occupational therapy students’ career choices. Occupational Therapy International, 4(4), 249–270. https://doi.org/10.1002/oti.59
Fleming, J., Gilbert, J., McKenna, K., & Heath, T. (1997). First year occupational therapy students: Profile and perceptions. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 44, 107-118. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.1997.tb00763.x
Grant, V. J., Robinson, E., & Muir, P. (2004). Sex ratios in healthcare occupations: population based study. British Medical Journal, 328(7432), 141-142. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7432.141
Hodgetts, S., Hollis, V., Triska, O., Dennis, S., Madill, H., & Taylor, E. (2007). Occupational therapy students' and graduates' satisfaction with professional education and preparedness for practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(3), 148-160. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F000841740707400303
Hussein, S., Ismail, M., & Manthorpe, J. (2016). Male workers in the female-dominated long-term care sector: evidence from England. Journal of Gender Studies, 25(1), 35-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2014.887001
IBM Corp. (2013). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
Malkawi, S. (2017). Introduction to occupational therapy (in Arabic). Amman: University of Jordan Press.
McKenna, K., Scholtes, A.A., Fleming, J., & Gilbert, J. (2001). The journey through an undergraduate occupational therapy course: Does it change students' attitudes, perceptions and career plans? Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 48(4), 157-169. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1630.2001.00248.x
Milsom, A., & Coughlin, J. (2015). Satisfaction with college major. The Journal of the National Academic Advising Association, 35(2), 5-14.
Pfeifer, T. A., Kranz, P. L., & Scoggin, A. (2008). Perceived stress in occupational therapy students. Occupational Therapy International, 15(4), 221-231. https://doi.org/10.1002/oti.256
Randolph, D. S., & Johnson, S. P. (2005). Predicting the effect of extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction factors on recruitment and retention of rehabilitation professionals. Journal of Healthcare management, 50(1), 49. http://doi.org/10.1097/00115514-200501000-00011
Rezaee, M., Rassafiani, M., Khankeh, H., & Hosseini, M. (2014). Experiences of occupational therapy students in the first fieldwork education: a qualitative study. Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 28, 110.
Robinson, A. J., Tanchuk, C. J., & Sullivan, T. M. (2012). Professionalism and occupational therapy: An exploration of faculty and students’ perspectives. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79, (5), 274-285. https://doi.org/10.2182%2FCJOT.2012.79.5.3
Schenkenfelder, M. (2017). Predicting academic major satisfaction using environmental factors and self-determination theory. Unpublished thesis. Retrieved from https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/15411
Tryssenaar, J., & Perkins, J. (2001). From student to therapist: Exploring the first year of practice. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 55(1), 19-27. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.55.1.19
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
