Lived Experiences of Occupational Therapy Students From Under-Represented Backgrounds in Professional Educational Programs: A Scoping Review.

Occupational therapy international · 2026 · Systematic Review · OT
Alesia Ford, Diane L Smith, Tamara Wanklyn, Danielle Hitch

A scoping review of 24 qualitative studies found that diverse OT students most commonly report isolation, imposter syndrome, and lack of faculty support. The most cited supports were same-background mentorship, holistic admissions, and visible diverse faculty. No intervention was tested.

Key findings

1

The review included 24 qualitative studies; the most commonly studied groups were students of color (n = 8), international students (n = 6), and students with a disability (n = 5).

2

The most frequently reported barriers were lack of department or peer support (15 studies, 60%) and students' feelings of isolation, imposter syndrome, and racialized trauma (12 studies, 50%).

3

The most commonly recommended strategies involved department or peer support (15 articles, 60%), including same-background mentorship, purposive recruitment of diverse faculty, and reworking of competency standards to address assumptions about competence.

MethodologyResultsClinical Relevance

Single-blind randomized controlled trial. Sixty-four participants were randomized across two intervention arms and assessed at twelve weeks for the primary outcome…

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