Job-related stress over a prolonged period may lead to feelings of exhaustion, commonly referred to as burnout. Little is known, however, about the prevalence of such conditions among occupational therapists. This study addressed the following general research questions: Is burnout a significant problem among hospital-based registered occupational therapists (OTRs)? Is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) an appropriate instrument for measuring burnout of OTRs? Do specific OTR subgroups score differently on the measures of burnout? To gather exploratory data in this area, the MBI and a demographic sheet were administered to 135 hospital-based OTRs employed in Virginia. Findings suggested that the OTR respondents experienced moderate levels of burnout. Managers/supervisors, OTRs employed in government-owned facilities, OTRs employed in general hospitals, and OTRs treating patients included under the Medicare Prospective Payment System experienced significantly higher levels of burnout than those in other settings. The MBI appeared to be the best available instrument for measuring burnout; however, norms should be established for the occupational therapy profession.
The transition process by which a student with moderate to severe disabilities is prepared to leave the school setting and enter into employment and community living is legally mandated and includes provisions for occupational therapy and other related services. This transition requires a team approach in which members collaborate to determine objectives with the student and his or her family in the domains of domestic, community, recreational, and vocational living. Assessment and intervention focus on functional activities that are chronologically age-appropriate and environmentally based. This focus on real life activities is a departure from the prereadiness skills and simulations used by some occupational therapists in school systems. This literature review describes the transition from school to community living, discusses methods to increase parental participation, and provides examples of functional assessments and intervention strategies pertinent to occupational therapy practice for persons with moderate to severe disabilities.
The primary objective of this investigation was to explore the effects ofthe managerial leadership ofhospital-based occupational therapy directors on their registered occupational therapy (OTR) staffmembers' job satisfaction. Leadership behaviors, power and influence factors, skills, and overall managerial leadership effectiveness were tested for their correlation with staffjob satisfaction. In order to test the conceptualizations, mailed questionnaires were completed by 93 occupational therapy department directors and 348 staffOTRs who were employed in hospitals throughout the United States. The managerial leadership styles of hospital-based occupational therapy directors influenced staffjob satisfaction much more than had been found in similar studies done with samples from some other fields. Also, directors and their staff members demonstrated major differences in their ratings of the directors' leadership styles. Thefindings suggesteda needfor further research and
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