How Do Students Come Across Occupational Therapy and What Makes Them Want to Study Occupational Therapy? Implications For Recruitment

Recruitment challenges in occupational therapy education vary globally. To address workforce needs, it is necessary to examine the factors influencing students’ decisions to pursue occupational therapy. This study investigated how students discovered occupational therapy, what they found appealing about the profession, the influence of study location, and demographic differences between students enrolled in an urban university city and a rural district. Three focus group interviews with 15 occupational therapy students were conducted, supplemented by descriptive statistics comparing student characteristics across urban and rural programs. Qualitative analysis identified five categories: (1) discovering occupational therapy by chance, (2) the power of occupational therapy, (3) the whole person; an all-in-one profession, (4) opportunities and freedom to change trajectory over time, and (5) place of study and life conditions matter. Descriptive statistics revealed minor but noteworthy differences between urban and rural cohorts. Most students encountered occupational therapy coincidentally. Accordingly, recruitment strategies should be oriented towards outreach initiatives and encouragement of individuals with pertinent professional interests and qualifications. Students are drawn to occupational therapy’s transformative and holistic nature, its potential for meaningful change, and the flexibility to shift specialties. Effective recruitment requires tailored approaches that highlight these strengths while addressing age, gender, ethnicity, and geographic context to broaden the appeal of occupational therapy education.