Australian Occupational Therapy Journal (2015) 62, 72–73
Letters to the Editor
Solutions for strengthening the occupational therapy academic workforce
Dear Editor, Cusick, Froude, Bye and Zakrzewski’s (2014) editorial in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal is a timely reminder of the need to consider current and future occupational therapy academic workforce demands, including student and university expectations for training and investment respectively. Their comments highlighted for us the importance of innovative solutions within education programs. As the number of undergraduate and graduate entry programs increase in Australia, it is necessary to harness the right mix of occupational therapy educators to meet future graduates’ expectations for quality education, work readiness and employability. Cusick et al.’s (2014) suggestion of ‘grow your own’ (p. 131) has its merits due to the increased need for appropriately qualified academic staff. However, as they acknowledge, there are benefits and risks to ‘growing your own’ staff. Benefits include prior knowledge of overall teaching philosophies and course content, reduced time spent on orientation to specific university systems, policies and facilities, possible familiarity with local practitioners and knowledge of the local health-care context. Nevertheless, some risks when home grown teachers are employed include loss of diverse perspectives and a possible lack of touch with the realities of practice if graduates enter academia immediately post-graduation. At the University of Canberra, the Field of Occupational Therapy in the School of Public Health and Nutrition has introduced two solutions for addressing workforce demands: providing a teaching fellowship for someone enrolled in a PhD; and appointing adjunct and honorary positions. The introduction of a teaching fellow into the Masters of Occupational Therapy programme means an additional staff member, who does not yet have a doctoral qualification but who is currently enrolled in a PhD programme, can join the academic workforce. This strategy can increase research outputs as well as the number of teaching staff. On the basis of an apprenticeship model, the teaching fellow can build teaching skills under supervision and guidance of experienced academic staff and gain valuable experience for the future. At the completion of a teaching fellowship
© 2015 Occupational Therapy Australia
period, the staff member will have completed a PhD, and have adequate teaching experience to potentially gain a full-time academic position. The Adjunct Professor and Adjunct Associate Professor appointments strengthen the occupational therapy programme’s teaching, research and professional activities as well as foster cooperative arrangements between the programme and international, national, academic, business, professional and cultural communities. Other honorary appointments such as Professional Associate have been created for experienced occupational therapists with postgraduate qualifications (masters and doctoral level) who are currently working in traditional, role-emerging or other practice areas ‘on the ground’. The blended academic and practice-oriented position of the Professional Associate leads to benefits which include: expanded opportunities for students’ learning potential; maintenance of curriculum currency with practice-based evidence; a formal university affiliation for occupational therapy practitioners, and opportunity for programme design and active research and scholarship. Together with exploring innovative solutions, we encourage and challenge the profession to lobby for and create opportunities that encourage occupational therapists to partner with universities and be able to participate in formal blended positions in academia, programme design and student education. At present, such opportunities are more the exception than the rule. Robert B. Pereira PhD, BOccThy (Hons)1,2, Alison Wicks PhD, MHSc (OT), BAppSc (OT)2 and Amelia Di Tommaso BHSc (OT) (Hons)2 1 Hospital Admission Risk Program, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 2 Field of Occupational Therapy, School of Public Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, E-mail: [email protected] doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12173
Reference Cusick, A., Froude, E., Bye, R. & Zakrzewski, L. (2014). Building a strong academic workforce: Challenges for the profession. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 61, 131.
Copyright of Australian Occupational Therapy Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
Letters to the Editor
Solutions for strengthening the occupational therapy academic workforce
Dear Editor, Cusick, Froude, Bye and Zakrzewski’s (2014) editorial in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal is a timely reminder of the need to consider current and future occupational therapy academic workforce demands, including student and university expectations for training and investment respectively. Their comments highlighted for us the importance of innovative solutions within education programs. As the number of undergraduate and graduate entry programs increase in Australia, it is necessary to harness the right mix of occupational therapy educators to meet future graduates’ expectations for quality education, work readiness and employability. Cusick et al.’s (2014) suggestion of ‘grow your own’ (p. 131) has its merits due to the increased need for appropriately qualified academic staff. However, as they acknowledge, there are benefits and risks to ‘growing your own’ staff. Benefits include prior knowledge of overall teaching philosophies and course content, reduced time spent on orientation to specific university systems, policies and facilities, possible familiarity with local practitioners and knowledge of the local health-care context. Nevertheless, some risks when home grown teachers are employed include loss of diverse perspectives and a possible lack of touch with the realities of practice if graduates enter academia immediately post-graduation. At the University of Canberra, the Field of Occupational Therapy in the School of Public Health and Nutrition has introduced two solutions for addressing workforce demands: providing a teaching fellowship for someone enrolled in a PhD; and appointing adjunct and honorary positions. The introduction of a teaching fellow into the Masters of Occupational Therapy programme means an additional staff member, who does not yet have a doctoral qualification but who is currently enrolled in a PhD programme, can join the academic workforce. This strategy can increase research outputs as well as the number of teaching staff. On the basis of an apprenticeship model, the teaching fellow can build teaching skills under supervision and guidance of experienced academic staff and gain valuable experience for the future. At the completion of a teaching fellowship
© 2015 Occupational Therapy Australia
period, the staff member will have completed a PhD, and have adequate teaching experience to potentially gain a full-time academic position. The Adjunct Professor and Adjunct Associate Professor appointments strengthen the occupational therapy programme’s teaching, research and professional activities as well as foster cooperative arrangements between the programme and international, national, academic, business, professional and cultural communities. Other honorary appointments such as Professional Associate have been created for experienced occupational therapists with postgraduate qualifications (masters and doctoral level) who are currently working in traditional, role-emerging or other practice areas ‘on the ground’. The blended academic and practice-oriented position of the Professional Associate leads to benefits which include: expanded opportunities for students’ learning potential; maintenance of curriculum currency with practice-based evidence; a formal university affiliation for occupational therapy practitioners, and opportunity for programme design and active research and scholarship. Together with exploring innovative solutions, we encourage and challenge the profession to lobby for and create opportunities that encourage occupational therapists to partner with universities and be able to participate in formal blended positions in academia, programme design and student education. At present, such opportunities are more the exception than the rule. Robert B. Pereira PhD, BOccThy (Hons)1,2, Alison Wicks PhD, MHSc (OT), BAppSc (OT)2 and Amelia Di Tommaso BHSc (OT) (Hons)2 1 Hospital Admission Risk Program, Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 2 Field of Occupational Therapy, School of Public Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, E-mail: [email protected] doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12173
Reference Cusick, A., Froude, E., Bye, R. & Zakrzewski, L. (2014). Building a strong academic workforce: Challenges for the profession. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 61, 131.
Copyright of Australian Occupational Therapy Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
