Study’s full title: Exploring the experience of early career occupational therapists transitioning to specialty areas of practice.

University affiliation: Griffith University

Ethics approval/reference number: HREC/2026/0165

Principal researcher: Cara Henderson

Authors:

• Cara Henderson
• Jessica Holding (OTA Member)
• Matthew Molineux

Supervisors:

• Jessica Holding
• Matthew Molineux

Purpose of study: While much research has been conducted exploring the experiences of new graduate occupational therapists transitioning from university to the workforce, little is known about the transition that occurs when an occupational therapist who has been working for a few years decides to move into a new area of practice — specifically, those considered ‘specialty’ areas of practice.

Anecdotal evidence suggests this is a growing concern for early career occupational therapists, their employers, and supervisors. Experienced occupational therapists working in these specialty areas perceive that early career occupational therapists lack the requisite skills, knowledge, and attitudes to practice there. Employers report that additional time and resources are required to facilitate effective transition into these areas.

This study seeks to explore transitions by early career occupational therapists into areas of specialty practice, from the perspectives of both early career and experienced occupational therapists.

Participation criteria: You are eligible to participate if you are an early career occupational therapist or experienced occupational therapist working in one of the identified practice areas, including assistive technology, hand therapy, home modifications, mental health, paediatrics, or neurorehabilitation.

You must meet the inclusion criteria outlined below:

Early career occupational therapist

• practising as an occupational therapist for between 2–5 years
• registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
• practises in Australia

Experienced occupational therapists

• practising as an occupational therapist in one of the identified practice areas for 5+ years
• registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
• practises in Australia

Survey link: https://www151.griffith.edu.au/redcap/surveys/?s=A4A3TXA8HR4F3K7M

End date for survey: TBD

Contact details: Cara Henderson cara.henderson@griffithuni.edu.au | Jessica Holding j.holding@griffith.edu.au (07) 3735 4912 | Matthew Molineux m.molineux@griffith.edu.au (07) 5552 7835