Exploring the Professional Identity Development and Leadership Capacities of a Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Sarah Bream, University of Southern California Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational TherapyFollow
Julie McLaughlin Gray, University of Southern California Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational TherapyFollow

Document Type (Journals)

Original Research

Abstract

Occupational therapy literature contains little evidence of the added value of clinical doctorate education, the professional identity of a Doctor of Occupational Therapy, or distinctions between master’s-prepared and doctorate-prepared occupational therapists. This study is intended to add to the literature base through the systematic and in-depth exploration of the experiences of graduates from a post-professional clinical doctorate program in occupational therapy. The goal of this study was to examine the professional identity transformation experienced by occupational therapists completing a doctorate degree, and to better understand the Doctor of Occupational Therapy identity. The study followed a qualitative descriptive design, including participant focus group interviews and document review. Participants included sixteen recent graduates, two male and fourteen female, of a post-professional doctorate program in occupational therapy. Data analysis revealed recent graduates’ perceptions of the leadership characteristics and capacities they developed throughout their learning experiences in the program and contributing to their professional identities as Doctors of Occupational Therapy. Results may have implications for the capacity for leadership within the profession. Further study is warranted to examine the impact of occupational therapy doctoral education on professional identity and capacities.

Biography

Sarah Bream, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA is Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy and Director of the post-professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program at the University of Southern California.

Julie McLaughlin Gray, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA is Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy and Associate Chair of Curriculum and Faculty at the University of Southern California.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Recommended Citation

Bream, S., & McLaughlin Gray, J. (2024). Exploring the Professional Identity Development and Leadership Capacities of a Doctor of Occupational Therapy. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 8 (4). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2024.080408