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It ’ s all academic
New research suggests we could soon face a shortage of allied health professions academics . Making sure there are enough in occupational therapy is going to require us all to think differently about academic careers , hears Andrew Mickel
Dorothea Baltruks
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Where will we find enough academics to train the next generation of occupational therapists and research where the profession will go next ?
It ’ s a question facing many of the nursing , midwifery and allied health professions in the coming years , with an ageing workforce and strong competition from other career routes putting pressure on the supply of teaching staff and researchers .
That ’ s the conclusion of research carried out by the Council of Deans of Health , which brings together 92 member institutions , which at any point will be training 110,000 future registered healthcare professionals .
While many respondents to a major survey said they had no problems recruiting to advertised positions , those who did described particular difficulties in recruiting to lecturer and senior lecturer positions in the nursing , midwifery and allied health professions , which make up around two thirds of the workforce .
And the risks for the future could be serious , with the Council warning that some smaller courses could be at risk – although there are no immediate signs that would apply to occupational therapy courses .
What about occupational therapy ? Stripping out what this new research means for
26 OTnews February 2021