Occupational Career Research Articles

Dismantling Occupational Therapy Provider Licensure Barriers for Individuals Who Are Underdocumented.

The occupational therapy profession faces critical workforce shortages, and the demand for services to meet the needs of diverse communities continues to rise. Underdocumented individuals represent a diverse pool of potential practitioners who face barriers to licensure if they pursue a career in occupational therapy. Despite being eligible for occupational therapy education and the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy exam, inconsistent state licensure requirements, which often mandate a Social Security number (SSN), pose a significant barrier to licensure and employment. We examine the challenges underdocumented individuals encounter in pursuing occupational therapy education and careers and argue for removing such barriers to enable them to become licensed practitioners. Addressing these barriers could diversify the workforce, enhance access to culturally responsive care, and alleviate shortages in underserved areas. We propose six actionable steps for the profession: (1) investigating and clarifying state licensure requirements; (2) ensuring accurate information dissemination to the public and students; (3) advocating for inclusive licensure policies, such as accepting Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers instead of SSNs; (4) addressing inconsistencies in reciprocity agreements across states; (5) funding research to better understand workforce demographics and needs; and (6) advocating for increased tuition equity and scholarship opportunities. By fostering an inclusive pathway to licensure and embracing diversity in cultural backgrounds, languages, and life experiences, the occupational therapy profession can become a meaningful career option for underdocumented individuals who can contribute to the development of a more resilient and representative workforce to effectively serve diverse populations and address health disparities.

Young People as Actors in Their Occupational Careers: Effective Strategies to Increase the Chances of Entering an Attractive VET Programme After Leaving a General Education School in Germany

Young People as Actors in Their Occupational Careers: Effective Strategies to Increase the Chances of Entering an Attractive VET Programme After Leaving a General Education School in Germany

Identifying English Language Needs of Yemeni Medical Students: An ESP Study at Dhamar University

The present study aims to find out the English language needs of the medical, undergraduate students at Dhamar University from an ESP perspective. More specifically, it seeks to address the following questions: what are the English language needs of the medicines students at Faculty of Medicines, Dhamar University in Yemen?; to what extend do the current ESP courses meet the students' actual needs in the Faculty of Medicine, Dhamar University?; what are the most important recommendations to address the medical students needs in the Faculty of Medicine, Dhamar University?; and what do the medicines students think about the actual needs of medical students in the Faculty of Medicine, Dhamar University? The total number of 48 medicine students participated in the study to answer the prepared questionnaire. The population of the questionnaire is the selected students from the fourth and fifth academic years. The questionnaire data were analyzed quantitively and designed to comprehend the ESP context. The research work investigates the English-related problems the students face while they are studying medicines and, thus, presents solutions and recommendations to overcome such obstacles, bridging the gap between the students' low level of English and the required level at the university where English is used as the language of instruction. The main findings show that the special needs of the medical students such as their limited narrow knowledge of English at Dhamar University are taken into account. The research work shows that the medical students in Dhamar university have low level of English proficiency. Their low, limited knowledge of the English language constitutes an obstacle most students face either in their study or in their occupational careers. The need analysis was figured out to show that all skills and sub-skills are important for the students’ academic studies and target career with special attention to scientific terms and reading aspects. This research study, based on its findings, ends with some recommendations and suggestions to the people concerned of teaching and learning English to the medical students at Dhamar University. It is generally recommended that there is a need to increase the class hours, provide technological equipment, and appoint ESP trained instructors for the efficient teaching of medical English.

Contrasting Trajectories in Adolescent Pro-Environmentalism: Qualitative Differences Between “Engagers” Versus “Disengagers”

The present study is a qualitative expansion of pre-existing quantitative research. Two groups of teenagers from a previous longitudinal study were specifically targeted, namely those who demonstrated extraordinary increases in their pro-environmental engagement from 13 to 17 years (called “Engagers”) and those who showed the opposite trajectory, that is, a marked decrease in pro-environmental behavior, reminiscent of an adolescent dip (called “Disengagers”). Nineteen participants (equally distributed across the engagers and disengagers categories) took part in semi-structured interviews that explored participants’ relationships with nature over their adolescent years, communication about environmental issues in the context of family, peers and school, as well as media influences. All interviewees described memorable nature experiences in childhood and adolescence as important to them, and all were growing up in family households where parents had established basic routines of sustainability behavior. All participants had access to a wealth of media information about environmental sustainability (and lack thereof). However, they largely differed in what they made out of it. For the group of disengagers, environmental concerns moved more and more into the background as other themes, goals, and projects came to the forefront over the adolescent period (e.g., graduation, establishing an educational and occupational career, establishing lasting peer relationships). In contrast, engagers actively expanded their environmental engagement over time. As a consequence, this engagement became increasingly independent from family, peer and school contexts. Ultimately, it was the process of engagement and disengagement itself that accounted for the different trajectories that were targeted in the present study. The study points out that it is not possible to understand the developmental context for pro-environmentalism as a factor that operates independently from the individual person. Teenagers create the contexts that influences their pro-environmental engagement as much as they are influenced by them.

Calling’s dimensions and career development among undergraduate students

ABSTRACT Most scholars conceptualize calling as multidimensional, yet most studies operationalize the variable using unidimensional scales or total scores from multidimensional scales. Consequently, research has established calling’s overall relationships with career development variables without clarifying the dimensions’ roles in accounting for these associations. We sought to address this concern using multiple linear regression models examining how calling’s dimensions (transcendent summons, purposeful work, and prosocial orientation) uniquely relate to career development among undergraduate students. Occupational self-efficacy, vocational identity, and career engagement were used as criterion variables. Each dimension accounted for unique variance in career development variables, suggesting that incorporating all dimensions in calling research is important. Occupational self-efficacy uniquely related to purposeful work and prosocial orientation. Vocational identity was significantly associated with transcendent summons. Career engagement uniquely related to all dimensions. Our findings support multidimensional calling operationalizations. Implications for career counseling professionals are explored with suggestions for incorporating each dimension in practice.

Contributions of Clinical Simulation with Standardized Patients in the Subject of OT intervention in Mental Health

The paper discusses the contributions of clinical simulation with standardized patients in the teaching of occupational therapy at the Universidad Andrés Bello, highlighting its importance in the formation of practical skills, the improvement in the understanding of the empathic aspects of care, and its relevance of its use in mental health. The study was carried out using a quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional analytical design of local validation. The universe was made up of 60 students of the VIII semester of the Occupational Therapy career of the Andrés Bello University, Viña del Mar campus. Among the main results, it is inferred that clinical simulation offers a safe learning environment that allows students to practice skills before interacting with real users; facilitates the development of empathy and effective communication in a therapeutic context; contributes to a better understanding of emerging dynamics and challenges in mental health; It improves students' competencies to apply theories in practical situations. In conclusion, it promotes critical reflection on behavior and decisions in the context of the intervention, helping to evaluate performance in real attention situations, encouraging active and collaborative learning among students.

Fatigue assessment for back-support exoskeletons during repetitive lifting tasks.

Fatigue is a major cause of low back pain for workers in various fields, including industry and agriculture. It has a negative impact on workers' safety, decreases their productivity, and causes a reduction in their occupational career. An exoskeleton is expected to be a solution for reducing workers' fatigue. However, assessing the safety and effectiveness of exoskeletons, except for the direct measurement of electromyography (EMG) in the human body, is challenging in real-case scenarios. Recently, simulations have been widely used to estimate biomechanical variables. Thus, we aimed to develop a method that combines an exoskeleton model and human body simulation to evaluate the effects of exoskeletons on lumbar fatigue. The strength and tendency estimated using this method are similar to those obtained from EMG devices in symmetrical repetitive lifting tasks. In addition, this method can be used to predict and simulate fatigue after a recorded motion. Our findings will help guide manufacturers in designing their products.

Job computerization, occupational employment and wages: A comparative study of the United States, Germany, and Japan

This study adds to the growing literature on wage and employment responses to the risk of job computerization. Specifically, it revisits the original occupational perspective and inquires into the nature of the adjustments of occupational wages and employment, i.e., the potential benefits and costs associated with professional careers in such occupations. The investigation further aims at identifying whether these adjustment processes are universal — as suggested by the global availability of the respective technology — or reflect country-specific peculiarities. To this end, it conducts a comparative analysis with data from the United States, Germany, and Japan, three G7 lead countries which share the commitment to fostering technological progress, but which are also characterized by distinctly different labor market institutions and approaches to industrial policies. Generally consistent with the country-specific employment institutions and common corporate strategies, transmission channels — as reflected by the relationship between adjustments of occupational employment and wages — differ between countries. In all three countries, though, higher risks of computerization are associated with relative wage losses in occupations which require low levels of formal education or training.

The turnover intention of internal controllers of Vietnamese commercial banks in the context of COVID-19

Internal control plays an important role in managing the risks of banking system activities. Controllers are always under pressure from control activities due to the bank’s diverse activities. The resignation of internal controllers is relatively common in commercial banks. It is also a matter of concern for the banking and finance industry, which coordinates economic resources for the country, especially when the internal control period occurs again with the pandemic. The study aims to explore the turnover intention of internal controllers in the context of COVID-19 in Vietnamese commercial banks. The study uses the convenience sampling method to collect data from 339 respondents who are working or worked as internal controllers in commercial banks. The study was surveyed in 2023. The study uses quantitative methods for exploratory factor analysis. Ordinary least squares process the data to test the hypotheses. Some factors affect the turnover intention of internal controllers, such as occupational awareness, employment conditions, office environment, and career opportunities, in the context of COVID-19. The result is a useful resource for researchers to comprehensively understand issues related to the turnover intention of internal controllers in the banking industry. The study supports managers of commercial banks in planning the strategic objectives of human resource stabilization for the stable growth of the banking system.

Agency Penalties From Taking Parental Leave for Women in Men-Dominated Occupations: Archival and Experimental Evidence.

Organizations have started more progressively using and offering family benefits including parental leaves to address the issues of balancing work and family life. Although such leaves are fundamental for supporting, attracting, and retaining women, we examine whether such leaves may also inadvertently affect women's careers in occupations that overly value masculine traits, unless managed carefully. Drawing on the literature on gender stereotypes (micro factors) and occupation gender type (macro factors), we argue that longer (vs. shorter) parental leaves negatively affect women's work outcomes (i.e., annual income, salary recommendation, hireability, and leadership effectiveness) in men-dominated but not in women-dominated occupations because it lowers perceptions of women's agency. We find support for our hypotheses across three studies in the Australian context with an archival data set and two experiments. Our work shows that men-dominated organizational structures reinforce traditional gender stereotypes, whereas such reinforcement does not happen in women-dominated organizational structures. Our research equips leaders and organizations with insights into the unintended negative consequences of parental leave for women. This understanding serves as a crucial first step in developing strategies and programs to mitigate these effects, thereby supporting women in men-dominated occupations and fostering more inclusive and healthy workplaces.

La competencia de comunicación terapéutica en estudiantes de práctica profesional de Terapia Ocupacional: percepciones y opiniones desde los docentes

La competencia de comunicación terapéutica en estudiantes de práctica profesional de Terapia Ocupacional: percepciones y opiniones desde los docentes

The Mediated Moderating effects of GRIT in relation of Occupational Stress and Career Resilience on Organizational Commitment of Youth workers

The Mediated Moderating effects of GRIT in relation of Occupational Stress and Career Resilience on Organizational Commitment of Youth workers

Young Adult Career Outcomes for Adolescents With ADHD, High Ability, or Twice-Exceptionality

The purpose of this study was to explore career outcomes in young adulthood among adolescents with ADHD and/or high abilities. The sample included respondents who had the ability and ADHD measures from Waves 1 (1995), 3 (2002), and 4 (2009) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health in-home questionnaire. Using multiple group path analysis, we examined the pathways for three groups of individuals (i.e., ADHD, high ability, and both/twice-exceptional). We discovered financial and educational family background predicted occupational status and career goal attainment, as well as supports and barriers among various family and adolescent predictors (e.g., school attachment, educational aspiration, depressive symptoms). Knowledge about these trajectories will help professionals design tailored career and educational services for adolescents with high ability, ADHD, and both.

Sense of Calling and Job Crafting: A Test of Mediating and Moderating Effects

This research aims to explore the influence of the sense of calling on job crafting by looking at the mediating variables of occupational self-efficacy and career commitment, as well as the moderating effect of job autonomy. By involving 264 employees in Indonesia, this research used a quantitative approach with the convenience sampling method and PLS-SEM analysis techniques to test the formulated hypotheses. Of the nine hypotheses, this study supported seven hypotheses. This study found partial mediation in the mediating effect of occupational self-efficacy and career commitment. However, the moderating relationship in this research shows opposing results that job autonomy will weaken the relationship between career commitment and job crafting. Future research hopefully will be able to look further into the impact of job autonomy to provide a better explanation regarding the phenomena of job autonomy and job crafting, which, until now, various studies have still focused on the positive effects of both.

Linked lives: intergenerational transmission of labour-market pathways between parent dyads and children.

While a vast number of studies confirm the transmission of labour-market disadvantages from one generation to the next, less is known about how parents' interconnected labour-market pathways co-evolve and shape the opportunities and obstacles for their children's future careers. This study uses a multidimensional view of intergenerational transmission by describing the most typical pathways of parents' occupational careers and assesses how these patterns are associated with their children's labour-market outcomes. Drawing on Swedish longitudinal register data, we used multichannel sequence analysis to follow a cohort of people born in 1985 (n = 72,409) and their parents across 26 years. We identified four parental earning models, differentiating between (1) dual earners with high wages, (2) dual earners with low-wage, (3) one-and-a-half-earners and (4) mother as the main breadwinner. Regression analysis shows strong intergenerational transmission among the most advantageous trajectories, with education as a key determinant for young people to become less dependent on family resources. This study stresses the importance of intra-couple perspectives in life course research to understand how inequalities are shaped and preserved across generations.

Merit-based scholarships for university graduates: A generation of Italian economists

We examine the role of financial aid in shaping the formation of human capital. We study the impact of a large merit-based scholarship for graduate studies in affecting individuals’ occupational choices, career trajectories, and labor market outcomes of a generation of Italian economists, with special focus on gender gaps and the role of social mobility. We construct a unique dataset that combines archival sources and includes microdata for the universe of applicants to the scholarship program and follow these individuals over their professional life. We discuss five main results: (i) it is easier to become a high achiever for individuals from households with a lower socio-economic status if they reside in high social mobility provinces; (ii) women are less likely to be shortlisted for a scholarship as they tend to receive lower scores in the most subjective criteria used in the initial screening of candidates; (iii) scholarship winners are much more likely to choose a research career and this effect is larger for women; (iv) women who work in Italian universities tend to have less citations than men who work in Italy. However, the citation gender gap is smaller for candidates who received a scholarship and (iv) women take longer to be promoted to the rank of full professor, even after controlling for academic productivity.

Beatrice Dorothy Wade: Philosopher, Administrator, and Advocate

Occupational therapist, Beatrice D. Wade, contributed to occupational therapy through her interest in the philosophy of professional autonomy, in educational program administration and curriculum design, in mental health advocacy and in service to the profession as an office holder during her occupational therapy career spanning the years 1925–1971. The purpose of this article is to document her life, work, and contributions and to summarize her impact on current professional autonomy, and philosophy of education and practice.

Ergonomics in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Understanding effective ergonomic interventions is crucial for enhancing occupational health and career longevity. There is a paucity of clear ergonomics guidelines in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery (FPRS), placing practitioners at high risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and their consequences. There is mounting evidence that FPRS specialists are at increased risk of WMSDs as compared with the public and other surgical specialties. Numerous studies have demonstrated that implementation of ergonomics principles in surgery decreases WMSDs. Furthermore, WMSDs are reported as early as the first year of surgical residency, marking the importance of early intervention. Fatigue and physical injuries among surgeons occur more often than expected, particularly during complex, extended procedures that necessitate maintaining a constant posture. FPRS procedure often place surgeons into procrustean positions. Thus, integrating ergonomic practices into the practice of FPRS is essential for reducing WMSDs.

RETRACTED: Lai, Q.; Lee, G. An Exploratory Study of the Intrinsic Mechanisms of Occupational Stigma Consciousness, Career Development, and Work–Life Balance among Female Leaders. Sustainability 2023, 15, 15945

The Sustainability Editorial Office retracts the article “An Exploratory Study of the Intrinsic Mechanisms of Occupational Stigma Consciousness, Career Development, and Work–Life Balance among Female Leaders” [...]

Taking the long view of adolescent work quality.

Following Schulenberg's research on teenage employment and vocational development, we ask to what extent do job dimensions reflecting the quality of work experience during mid-adolescence (e.g., work stress, autonomy, learning and advancement opportunities, hourly pay, wage satisfaction, and work hours) predict the same work experiences during the ensuing occupational career? Using longitudinal data from the Youth Development Study (N = 711 individuals over 3164 occasions), and hybrid panel models to control for unobserved time-stable selection influences, we find a high level of continuity of work quality from adolescence to mid-life. Multiple dimensions of adolescent work quality are associated with the same dimensions of work quality in adulthood, even after controlling for educational attainment and other time-varying adult confounders.