Perceptions of Low Income by Canadian Student Occupational Therapists
Low income negatively impacts health, access to health services, and overall quality of life. Living with low income is complex, strongly correlated with disability, age, gender, race, and mental illness, and can present barriers to participation in employment, self-care, and leisure occupations. Oc...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Eastern Kentucky University
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Occupational Therapy Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2019.030203 |
| _version_ | 1818599695891562496 |
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| author | Naomi Newfield Lucy Bartlett Ellen Murray Tim Park Keri Chambers Farah Hameed Lynn Cockburn |
| author_facet | Naomi Newfield Lucy Bartlett Ellen Murray Tim Park Keri Chambers Farah Hameed Lynn Cockburn |
| author_sort | Naomi Newfield |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Low income negatively impacts health, access to health services, and overall quality of life. Living with low income is complex, strongly correlated with disability, age, gender, race, and mental illness, and can present barriers to participation in employment, self-care, and leisure occupations. Occupational therapists are well-positioned to reduce these socioeconomic, environmental, and personal barriers. Research on student occupational therapists’ learning and perceptions in working with individuals living with low income is unexplored. This study aimed to understand student occupational therapists’ perceptions and experiences related to low income and their knowledge of their professional roles in working with low income populations. Fourteen Canadian occupational therapy programs were asked to invite final year students to complete an online survey. Resulting data was analyzed for student perceptions of their professional roles, personal experiences, and learning experiences related to working with low income populations. Eighty-eight respondents completed the survey. Ninety-one percent (n=81) agreed with the occupational therapy role as a change agent with marginalized and low income populations. Fifty-seven percent of respondents (n=53) disagreed that they learned enough about low income in their programs. Students reported gaps in their learning about working with low income populations, with six percent (n=5) having learned to screen for low income. Respondent comments resulted in 21 unique codes that built three themes; ‘academic experiences’, ‘perception of role’, and ‘individual experiences’.<strong> </strong>Occupational therapy programs need to address gaps in student learning to prepare student occupational therapists to advocate for individuals living with low income and address socioeconomic inequities of occupational engagement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T12:23:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9d56c31516ed4a7cb82f5fdc0319f2bf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2573-1378 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T12:23:41Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Eastern Kentucky University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Occupational Therapy Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-9d56c31516ed4a7cb82f5fdc0319f2bf2022-12-21T22:31:54ZengEastern Kentucky UniversityJournal of Occupational Therapy Education2573-13782019-01-013210.26681/jote.2019.030203Perceptions of Low Income by Canadian Student Occupational TherapistsNaomi Newfield0Lucy Bartlett1Ellen Murray2Tim Park3Keri Chambers4Farah Hameed5Lynn Cockburn6University of TorontoVancouver Coastal HealthToronto Board of EducationWest Park Hospital, TorontoStella's CircleCentral East Local Health Integration NetworkUniversity of Toronto Faculty of MedicineLow income negatively impacts health, access to health services, and overall quality of life. Living with low income is complex, strongly correlated with disability, age, gender, race, and mental illness, and can present barriers to participation in employment, self-care, and leisure occupations. Occupational therapists are well-positioned to reduce these socioeconomic, environmental, and personal barriers. Research on student occupational therapists’ learning and perceptions in working with individuals living with low income is unexplored. This study aimed to understand student occupational therapists’ perceptions and experiences related to low income and their knowledge of their professional roles in working with low income populations. Fourteen Canadian occupational therapy programs were asked to invite final year students to complete an online survey. Resulting data was analyzed for student perceptions of their professional roles, personal experiences, and learning experiences related to working with low income populations. Eighty-eight respondents completed the survey. Ninety-one percent (n=81) agreed with the occupational therapy role as a change agent with marginalized and low income populations. Fifty-seven percent of respondents (n=53) disagreed that they learned enough about low income in their programs. Students reported gaps in their learning about working with low income populations, with six percent (n=5) having learned to screen for low income. Respondent comments resulted in 21 unique codes that built three themes; ‘academic experiences’, ‘perception of role’, and ‘individual experiences’.<strong> </strong>Occupational therapy programs need to address gaps in student learning to prepare student occupational therapists to advocate for individuals living with low income and address socioeconomic inequities of occupational engagement.https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2019.030203Low incomepovertystudent learningprofessional roles |
| spellingShingle | Naomi Newfield Lucy Bartlett Ellen Murray Tim Park Keri Chambers Farah Hameed Lynn Cockburn Perceptions of Low Income by Canadian Student Occupational Therapists Journal of Occupational Therapy Education Low income poverty student learning professional roles |
| title | Perceptions of Low Income by Canadian Student Occupational Therapists |
| title_full | Perceptions of Low Income by Canadian Student Occupational Therapists |
| title_fullStr | Perceptions of Low Income by Canadian Student Occupational Therapists |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptions of Low Income by Canadian Student Occupational Therapists |
| title_short | Perceptions of Low Income by Canadian Student Occupational Therapists |
| title_sort | perceptions of low income by canadian student occupational therapists |
| topic | Low income poverty student learning professional roles |
| url | https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2019.030203 |
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