Work and Industry Occupational Therapy Career Pathways: Understanding an Underrepresented Practice Area

Abstract

The involvement of occupational therapy (OT) providers in work and industry (W&I) has noticeably diminished despite the historical and ontological connection between work and occupation. Clear career expectations are necessary to introduce and retain the OT workforce in this underrepresented yet essential practice area. This study aimed to describe OT practitioners’ experiences exploring and developing careers in the W&I practice area. We used an inductive thematic analysis in a multi-step, iterative process to explore experiences shared through comments and stories in response to an open-ended question in a cross-sectional online survey. Four semantic-level themes emerged, including career pathways, accumulation of expertise, professional identity, and challenges in W&I practice. Novel career paths revealed in the article underlined the limited recognition of W&I practice in OT. Structured career planning support is needed to promote the growth of this practice area.