Muriel Driver Memorial Lecture. Making our mark in the marketplace.

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of a changing health care environment on the organization, management, and delivery of occupational therapy services in Canada. Political, economic, and other societal forces are having a profound effect on the demand for and the practice of occupational therapy. The influence of such forces on occupational therapy is discussed within the context of the profession's internal organization, external image, educational continuum, and practice directions. The paper reviews the profession's past response to such forces and develops approaches that occupational therapists individually and collectively can pursue to be more strategically positioned within the changing health care scene.