Date Presented 03/23/24
This pilot survey study received 57 responses from World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT)-approved programs in 32 countries. Academic curricula should adequately reflect the current practice trend; however the percentage of education dedicated to pediatrics is relatively low.
Primary Author and Speaker: Kate Barlow
Additional Authors and Speakers: Said Nafai, Kathryn LeMonda, Allyson Bates
Contributing Authors: Petya Mincheva, Marinela Rata, Liliya Todorova
PURPOSE: The World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) is advocating for occupational therapy (OT) diploma programs to transition to degree programs (WFOT, 2021). Information on the pediatric specific content in OT curriculums has not been published since 2006, when 21% of curriculums in South Africa were pediatrics (Brown et al., 2006), 20% in New Zealand and Australia, 12% in Canada (Rodger et al., 2006), and less than 5% in the UK (Brown et al., 2005). This pilot study examined the percentage of pediatric education in approved WFOT programs and what percentage of OTs work in pediatrics in their respective countries.
DESIGN: A cross sectional descriptive, online survey was created by the authors and administered.
METHOD: At least one WFOT program from the 78 countries was contacted.
RESULTS: Of the 365 WFOT programs contacted, 57 responses were received from 32 countries (16% response rate). The prevalent entry level to the profession across countries indicated by the respondents was 4-year bachelor (N=32), followed by followed by 3-year diploma (N=8), 3-year Bachelor (N=6), Master (N=5), and Clinical Doctorate OTD (N=4). The total percentage of academic curriculum specific to pediatric content was on average 5%. More than half of the respondents indicated that in their country, more than 50% of OTs work in pediatrics.
CONCLUSION: The WFOT Education Survey (2021) reported 17% of their respondents had a diploma level entry to the profession, which is similar to this study’s response of 14%. The changes from a diploma to a degree is a window of opportunity to make changes to the curricula. With more than half of OTs practicing in pediatrics across the globe, academic curriculums should adequately reflect the current practice trend, however the percentage of education dedicated to pediatrics is relatively low. Future research should explore programs at the diploma level transitioning to a degree to determine the adequacy of pediatric education provided.
References
Brown, T. G., Brown, A., & Roeve, C. (2005). Paediatric occupational therapy university program curricula in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2005;68(10):457–466. https://doi.org/10.1177/030802260506801004
Brown, G., Brown, A., & Roever, C. (2006). A review of paediatric occupational therapy university curricula in South Africa: part two. International Journal of Therapy & Rehabilitation, 13(4), 151–158. https://doi.org/10.12968/ijtr.2006.13.4.21368
Rodger, S., Brown, G. T., Brown, A., Roever, C. (2006). A comparison of paediatrics occupational therapy university program curricula in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 26(1-2),153–80. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16938830/
World Federation of Occupational Therapy (2021, December). Education survey. https://wfot.org/resources/wfot-education-survey-report
