Professional competencies required by occupational therapists delivering work practice services to workers with disabilities in the South African open labour market

Abstract

Opportunities for South African occupational therapists to deliver appropriate work practice services to workers with disabilities in the open labour market, has increased within the context of current Disability Equity Legislation which promotes the rights, and therefore the employment of people with disabilities in the work place. The training of students at university plays a significant role in equipping them to competently deliver work practice services to workers with disabilities in the open labour market. The University of Pretoria’s Occupational Therapy Department has responded to the growing need for the training of occupational therapists in the area of work practice services, and for this reason implemented the Post-Graduate Diploma in Vocational Rehabilitation in 1997, the only post-graduate training course in this field in South Africa. However despite a long history of both under- and post-graduate training in the area of work practice, research into the identification of professional competencies required for this type of work has not been previously undertaken. The need for research to determine these professional competencies thus emerged. A Delphi Survey Technique was selected as research methodology with both qualitative and quantitative aspects. A panel of 35 occupational therapists representing various practice settings and meeting pre-determined criteria as being experts in this field, was selected to participate in this research. Three consecutive questionnaires were sent to the research participants requesting them to identify knowledge, skills and values considered to reflect professional competencies. Following a process of data analysis, 16 professional competencies were identified as being necessary to deliver work practice services to workers with disabilities in the open labour market.