What's the problem?

We are all aware of the healthcare shortage that is currently happening and I would be impressed to see someone who has not been personally impacted.

This takes a lot of forms including:

1. Having to wait months for doctors appointments

2. Excessive waiting times in the emergency room

3. Lack of access to specialty doctors

4. No local care for behavioral health therapy

We know the reason this is happening is because the current work environment for healthcare professionals can over focus on productivity and not provide an environment that supports the clinicians wellbeing due to financial pressures, lack of staffing, and all of the changes that have happened during the pandemic.

But there are still many people that need care. There are also many people who are passionate about helping and looking to provide that care in a healthy environment.

How can managers and healthcare business owners help with retention of staff and provide a positive work environment?

Occupational therapy managers and business owners play a unique role during this time. As someone who has looked up to many managers, I have been very impressed by all the pressures they take on. I know this role is no easy feat.

One key strategy to support people staying within the healthcare field by promoting a positive work environment include providing competitive salaries and benefits, offering flexible work schedules, providing opportunities for professional growth and development, and addressing work-life balance issues. Supporting healthcare workers' mental health and well-being has also become a focus for many organizations.

What specifically do occupational therapy practitioners want?

In the field of occupational therapy, there are unique benefits that consistently come up as wishes for employers to provide. These include:

• Advanced Certification or Specializations: Many OTs seek advanced certification in specialized areas such as pediatrics, geriatrics, hand therapy, or mental health. These certifications can allow an occupational therapy practitioner to focus on a niche area they are passionate about and improve meaning during daily work tasks.

• Technology Training: Technology is playing an increasingly important role in occupational therapy, and OTs may want training in the use of assistive devices, virtual reality, or telehealth.

• Research Skills: OTs may want to develop their research skills to conduct studies or stay up-to-date with the latest research in their field. A clinical researcher is extremely valuable to the field and business and that desire should be encouraged and rewarded.

• Cultural Competence: Occupational therapists may want to develop their cultural competence to better understand the diverse needs of their patients and provide culturally sensitive care.

• Interprofessional Collaboration: Occupational therapists work as part of a healthcare team, and training in interprofessional collaboration can improve their ability to work effectively with other healthcare professionals. Providing time to encourage this collaboration through team meetings during the day is beneficial for both clinician and client satisfaction.

• Business and Marketing: OTs who own their own practices or work in private settings may want training in business and marketing skills to help them run their practices more effectively. This is usually a skill that is not taught in occupational therapy programs.

• Leadership and Management: Occupational therapists who hold leadership positions or want to advance their careers may want training in leadership and management skills.

Overall, occupational therapists may seek continuing education in a variety of areas to improve their clinical skills, stay current with research and technology, and advance their careers.

If you are looking for a tool or resource that can provide support for your staff's professional development. Consider the OT Graphically Library.

The benefits to the library include:

1. Saving time for your occupational therapy practitioners in reviewing research

2. Connecting your staff with other occupational therapy practitioners around the world using a community platform and app

3. Offering continuing education credit (we are an AOTA Approved Provider)

4. Providing evidence-based research infographic library (100+ strong!) to share with clients

As a practicing occupational therapist myself, I enjoy finding articles that are relevant to the cases we are seeing. I also created this as I wished I had this tool as a benefit in my job.

To learn more about the library visit: https://members.otgraphically.com