Implications of Occupational Therapy Job Advertisement Trends for Occupational Therapy Education

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to consider trends in occupational therapy workplace demands in Queensland between December 2009 and November 2011, as demonstrated by advertised job requirements. These trends are considered in the context of both undergraduate curriculum design and continuing professional development. Method: A mixed-methods approach was used. The content of occupational therapy job advertisements from four job databases over a 2-year period were examined using quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify trends, concepts, and themes. Results: Six lessons regarding occupational therapy education were drawn from the data. These included lessons relating to balancing graduate demand and supply, intake and exit timing, high-demand areas of practice, non-traditional occupational therapy roles, the roles of continuing professional development providers, and discrepancies between existing new graduate competencies and required workplace competencies. Conclusion: Occupational therapy educators have an obligation to produce graduates who meet the profession's graduate competencies, as well as those competencies required by workplaces, if those graduates are to be considered work-ready and fit for practice. Similarly, education at a continuing professional development level should reflect market trends and offer graduates and practitioners the opportunity to maintain employment currency.

Is there an occupational therapy employment crisis within Australia? An investigation into two consecutive cohorts of occupational therapy graduates from a single Victorian University identifying trends in employment

“…Of these, just over half were employed in the first two months post completing the course and three quarters by four months. A Queensland study (Broome & Gillen, ) and a previous Sydney study (Franklin et al ., ) reported a decline in occupational therapy jobs advertised during the December to January period, followed by a gradual increase with a peak in June to July, suggesting the first four months would be possibly the most difficult to gain employment. In this study, the majority was employed during this difficult employment period (November – March).…”

Content analysis of vacancy advertisements for employability skills: Challenges and opportunities for informing curriculum development

“…It appears to be a worthwhile alternative or adjunct to employer surveys, with the advantages of currency, accessibility and low cost. Researchers even argued that results from their research challenged professional competency sets and found current curriculum wanting, (France 2010;Messum et al, 2011;Broome & Gillen, 2014). One third of the studies recommended that findings be used to inform curriculum development.…”

“…Others undertook periodic analyses to understand skill changes and trends (Sodhi & Son, 2010;Cramer & Tenzek, 2013;) with the intention of keeping skill requirements up to date (Wise, Henninger, & Kennon, 2011) or determining what skill sets preserve employability in rapidly changing and often global fields (Kennan, Cecez-Kecmanovic, Willard, & Wilson, 2009). More recently studies have focused on identifying high-demand areas of practice within professions (Wise et al, 2011;Broome & Gillen, 2014). In Canada, Workopolis (2014) provided the most indemand skills by employers across all job types, and compared the contents of online job postings with the available skills of candidates on the market to identify skill gaps.…”

“…Few studies sought information for the purpose of evaluating and renewing teaching and informing curriculum development (Wellman, 2010;Messum et al, 2011;Reeves & Hahn, 2012;Broome & Gillen, 2014). These studies explored the skills employers seek in recent graduates and the tasks they are expected to perform on the job.…”

“…These studies explored the skills employers seek in recent graduates and the tasks they are expected to perform on the job. It was argued that although national competency sets exist for many professions, employer requirements may be different and present more up to date skill requirements useful for curriculum renewal (Broome & Gillen, 2014). Even if this was not the original intention, findings from other studies noted the implications for curriculum development (Lavy & Yadin, 2013;Emery, Crabtree, & Kerr, 2012;France, 2010;Kennan et al, 2009;Arcodia & Barker, 2003).…”