The Caring Occupational Therapist: Scope of Professional Roles and Boundaries

Abstract

The seven participants had a broad definition of the scope of their professional responsibilities and experienced difficulty defining the limits of their role. Caring is a central part of the occupational therapists' role; therefore, perceptions about caring are central to the role definition of occupational therapists.

Reflections on the confluence of personal and professional

“…The stance of valuing 'the personal' is one that occupational therapists often take. For example, Sachs & Labowitz (1994) interviewed seven female occupational therapists about their perceptions of caring, and professional role definition. They found that participants had difficulty with the boundaries of their professional role because they understood caring in a different way from that expected by the institution.…”

Occupational Therapists' Perceptions of Their Undergraduate Preparation for the Workplace

“…This shift away from a technically driven orientation to health care requires that health science graduates have certain competencies, in particular those underpinning interpersonal skills, necessitating an understanding of the client's goals and actual life circumstances at the time of consultation. Recent research indicates that occupational therapists endorse this role in their everyday practice (Adamson et al 1994, Sachs andLabovitz 1994).…”

Caring: The moral motivation for good occupational therapy practice

“…Caring duties, historically assigned to the domain of women, have typically been undervalued and underpaid in society (Hamlin, 1992;Sachs & Labovitz, 1994). The notion of caring brings with it a troubled sociopolitical history.…”

“…The notion of caring brings with it a troubled sociopolitical history. Caring duties, historically assigned to the domain of women, have typically been undervalued and underpaid in society (Hamlin, 1992;Sachs & Labovitz, 1994). Occupational therapy, as a predominantly female profession, may be viewed critically as an extension from natural caring in the home to professional caring in the workplace.…”