Career planning and development for occupational therapists working in mental health: A scoping review.
Pamela Fitzpatrick, Rosalind Bye, Clyde Eriksson and 2 others
PMID 40599216WHAT IT FOUND
Job satisfaction among mental health occupational therapists was linked with meaningful, discipline-specific work and supervision.
Career pathways and early career programmes were supports; workload, role blurring and resource shortages were barriers.
Key findings
01The review included 26 papers published between 2001 and 2022, with 21 set exclusively in Australia and samples ranging from n = 9 to n = 1345.
02Career planning and development was supported by practice placements, rotations, preceptorship, education and training beyond occupational therapy, networking, leadership and research opportunities; barriers included lack of career pathway framework, funding, unsupportive workplace culture, changing roles, personal motivation or circumstances, and random opportunities.
03Meaningful work, described as using discipline-specific skills and knowledge when working with clients, was associated with higher job satisfaction, lower burnout and a stronger sense of professional identity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Most evidence came from Australia, so findings may not apply to countries with different education, registration, funding or mental health systems. Studies varied in design, setting and participants, including some students or mixed mental health staff, so themes are broad rather than precise. The review mapped literature rather than testing whether career pathways, supervision, placements or programmes caused better retention or job satisfaction. Quality appraisal was descriptive rather than selective, so weak studies were not removed from the synthesis. Workforce data by specialty are incomplete in many countries, which limits comparison of career stages and retention.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial support and no other conflicts of interest. The review contributed to an honours degree for an author.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these enablers as proven ways to keep occupational therapists in mental health work. The review mapped barriers and supports across heterogeneous studies, mostly Australian, and did not test whether career pathways, supervision or placements caused better retention.