Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Type

Open Access Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Department

Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Background: Leadership is a topic of interest for rapidly evolving healthcare professions and a cornerstone of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Centennial Vision. The history of leadership in the profession has a robust foundation and yet calls to action for leadership in the profession remain focused on traits, behaviors and transformative processes. Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) are positioned to be leaders of change with the use of leadership influence however, practitioner views on their enactment of leadership in everyday practice are sparse in the literature.

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to capture the perspectives of practicing clinicians on how they perceive and enact leadership in their daily practice. The study aimed to answer the research question; How do OTPs view their leadership in everyday practice in Washington State?

Theoretical Framework. A constructivist philosophical world view was used to explore and describe the perceptions of occupational therapy practitioner views on leadership as interpreted by the Person Environment-Occupation-Performance (PEOP) model and the Transformational frame of reference.

Methods. A qualitative descriptive design was selected to discover the meaning of leadership for occupational therapy practitioners in everyday practice in Washington State through use of convenience and snowball sampling. Two focus group sessions were convened, and one make up session was conducted. Six occupational therapists and two occupational therapy assistants participated in the study. A focus group guide and questions were followed in order to discover practitioners’ views on leadership in their daily practice. Validity and study rigor were addressed in the session facilitation steps to promote capturing the participant voices. Data collection included the use of a reflective journal, secure laptop, Zoom recording, verbatim transcription followed by the development of codes and themes. Rich participant descriptions provided greater validity and conceptual heterogeneity with multiple voice perspectives to reinforce credibility. Saturation was attained. Reflexivity measures, member checks and maintaining an audit trail added to the rigor of the study to enhance trustworthiness.

Results. Data from the focus groups yielded four key themes which emerged from the voices of the study participants which related to leadership in daily practice: 1. Leadership…who me? The extrinsic factors of leadership dynamics were conveyed with a need for professional development for leadership as being essential. 2. Leadership…maybe someday. Practitioner satisfaction and innovation were expressed as intrinsic factors that would enhance leadership in daily practice. 3. Conversations and relationships matter. The importance of interpersonal relations that create influence for engagement in meaningful participation in life occupation were important to leadership in daily practice. 4. Money talks. Foundational decisions impacting practice were revealed to be essential for the evolution of the profession.

Conclusions: The AOTA Centennial Vision can be impacted by addressing the cornerstone of leadership in daily practice. Each of the themes identified relate to the cornerstones of the profession for accessibility, collaboration, diversity, effectiveness and leadership. The call to action by the legacy leaders of the profession are validated in the voices of practitioners as health care change is envisioned for all practitioners to be leaders of the profession

Faculty Mentor

Shirley P. O'Brien, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Department Affiliation

Occupational Therapy

Committee Member

Renee Causey-Upton, PhD, OTD, MS, CLA, FAOTA

Department Affiliation

Occupational Therapy

Department Affiliation

Occupational Therapy

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

6188

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