Exploring professionalism: the professional values of Australian occupational therapists.
OBJECTIVE
There has been limited research into the values of the Australian occupational therapy profession and as such, the values have not been made explicit. Explicit values provide insight into what professionalism means to a profession. They can be used by practitioners for self-reflection purposes, shaping the future practice of individuals. Clear values can also enable the recognition and management of value conflicts between health professions. This study aimed to make a preliminary identification of the values of the profession, by exploring the professional values of 15 Australian occupational therapists.


METHODS
A naturalistic approach and constructivist paradigm guided this study. Purposive sampling was employed to identify Australian occupational therapists who could contribute rich information to the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews that were recorded and analysed using an inductive data analysis method.


RESULTS
The professional values identified encompassed three main areas: the client and the client-therapist partnership; occupational therapy knowledge, skills and practice; and selfless values. The emerging values guided everyday practice, professional relationships and the responsibilities of being a professional.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides insight into the professional values of Australian occupational therapists and contributes to research orientated towards identifying the values of the profession. The results also contribute to the understanding of what professionalism means to the Australian occupational therapy profession.
School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. aguae001@mymail.unisa.edu.au
Alejandra
A
Aguilar
Ieva
I
Stupans
Sheila
S
Scutter
Sharron
S
King
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards*; D011340:Problem Solving; D024382:Professional Role; D012933:Social Identification; D012945:Social Values; D035502:Trust; D055815:Young Adult