High School Students of Color and Knowledge of Occupational Therapy as a Career Choice

• In Event: 34.095 - MTCC Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 34.095-4 - Continued Efforts to Diversify the Health Professions: From Educational Pipelines to Professional Practice

Abstract

U.S. enrollments for OT and OTA programs have been steadily increasing however, even with the increase in number of OT students at the four and two year college levels there has not been an increase in the number of students of color (AOTA, 2015a). In 2014 there were 18,550 students enrolled in graduate OT programs and 10,048 students enrolled in OTA programs. Of the students enrolled in all OT programs over 75% were white (AOTA, 2015a). To better understand the reasons for the under-representation of minorities in the OT workforce this study addressed the following questions:
1. How are students of color influenced when making career and educational decisions?
2. How are high school students of color exposed to careers in healthcare?
3. How high school students of color are provided information about educational requirements and pathways for healthcare careers?
4. What supports/barriers influence high school students of color with their decision making processes?

A critical ethnographic methodology was used to explore issues that influence secondary to post-secondary pipeline decisions for urban, high school students in a non-profit College Bound program. Six participants secured through purposive convenience sampling included: 5 females and 1 male; 3 students identified as Black; 1 identified as White; 1 identified as Black/White/Mexican; and 1 identified as Asian. Student ages ranged from 15 to 18 years.

Three categories representing student experiences with making post-secondary decisions emerged from the study: (a) navigating the system, (b) making choices, and (c) no interest in healthcare. Students reported that in-and outside-the-classroom relationships have profound influence on student decision-making related to higher education access. With minimal knowledge of OT, five of six students reported having no interest in a healthcare career because of a dislike for science courses and all students saw science as a necessary pathway to a career in OT.

This study found that while a few students have knowledge of OT they also spoke about not liking science and math classes that are perceived as a pathway to earning a degree in a healthcare related field. Additionally, students indicated that personal relationships are a driving factor in considering career and college choices. OT programs as well as other allied healthcare programs can benefit from this knowledge and work toward increasing a personal presence with secondary school programs and community based programs where students of color are likely to reside.

Author

• Kirsten Wilbur, University of Puget Sound