A Comparative Analysis of Occupational Therapy Graduates from Baccalaureate and Entry-Level Master's Degree Programs

Abstract

Using a static group comparison design, two groups of therapists who had graduated from occupational therapy programs in the United States were surveyed Occupational therapists whose professional education was at the baccalaureate level were compared with those who entered practice with a professional master's degree A stratified systematic, random sample was selected from 7,902 therapists comprising the above target population Comparative analyses pertained to general demographic data, job activities and responsibilities, professional productivity, and professional growth. Subjects sampled were at 1 through 6 years since graduation, inclusively. A questionnaire was mailed to each of the 1,147 subjects, with 91.4% responding. Descriptive data were summarized using means, standard deviations, and percentages. For categorical items, chi-square analyses were employed A nested two-way ANOVA was used to analyze continuous data Although not at a level of significance overall, several notable trends were identified.