WFOT used a multistage process to develop the Global Strategy ... this collaboration was integral to ensure we developed a strategy that had relevance and utility to advance the profession at a local , national and global level .”
WFOT used a multistage process to develop the Global Strategy ... this collaboration was integral to ensure we developed a strategy that had relevance and utility to advance the profession at a local , national and global level .”
The Occupational Therapy Workforce Resource Hub
To advance accessibility to occupational therapy , WFOT has also developed a hub of resources that can assist with addressing the priority actions and goals articulated in the Global Strategy for the Occupational Therapy Workforce . The Hub contains resources developed by WFOT and other organisations . Visit https :// workforcehub . wfot . org / global-strategy /.
human resources research literature , examination of international health frameworks and consultations with our research experts .
To validate and prioritise the strategies , we conducted an initial survey with our member organisations ; this process was followed by focus groups to discuss contentious issues identified by the survey .
A final survey of member organisations and focus group with research experts was completed to validate the strategies that were revised in response to feedback .
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What challenges did you face during the Global Strategy development stage , and how were these addressed and overcome ?
With this Global Strategy , WFOT was challenged to meet the differing needs of groups such as occupational therapy regulators , educators , employers , practitioners and policy makers , all of which have an important role in relation to the occupational therapy workforce .
We also wanted a broad strategy that could be used in a variety of contexts . The occupational therapy workforce is shaped by many factors , particularly within the local context . Factors such as health system infrastructure , income and population need result in varying levels of development of the occupational therapy profession across the world , all with different priorities for workforce development .
As a global organisation , we therefore needed to provide a comprehensive framework of strategies from which individual groups could choose that which is most appropriate for their workforce needs and goals .
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You have seven strategic directions ; how did you prioritise these ?
Through a scoping review of occupational therapy human resource research , WFOT identified areas of need for workforce development within the profession , and worked with member organisations and health human resource research experts to prioritise and validate the strategic directions .
This is not to say , however , that it is expected that users of the Global Strategy will sequentially work through each of the strategic directions ( see page 18 ).
The Global Strategy is purposively not prescriptive . Although it describes seven strategic directions , it is assumed that groups will conduct their own situational analyses to determine which strategies are relevant to their needs and use the suggested goals and tasks , as needed , to guide their work .
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How do you hope the strategy will promote equitable access to occupational therapy services across diverse regions and socio-economic backgrounds ?
Workforce planning is a complex issue , involving many different groups . Given this challenge , it is necessary to break down the work into manageable components to understand what needs to be done .
The Global Strategy is designed to provide this guidance . It serves as a starting point to inform users of the broad array of strategies and tasks
January 2025 OTnews 17