title: Occupational therapy students' perceptions of occupational therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An understanding of students' perceptions of occupational therapy on entry is required to recognise how professional socialisation occurs through curriculum. Findings pertain to a qualitative study investigating students' perceptions of occupational therapy upon entry to two occupational therapy programmes in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students commencing Bachelor of Occupational Therapy and Masters of Occupational Therapy Studies programmes participated in the study (n = 462). A purpose-designed questionnaire was distributed to students in the first lecture of each programme. Preliminary analysis comprised identification of keywords/phrases and coding categories were generated from patterns of keywords. Frequency counts and percentages of keywords/phrases within categories were completed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students' responses were categorised as 'what' occupational therapists do; 'how' they do it; 'why' they do it; and 'who' they work with. In 'what' occupational therapists do students frequently described 'helping' people. Both undergraduate and graduate entry masters students used the term 'rehabilitation' to describe how occupational therapy is done, with graduate entry students occasionally responding with 'through occupation' and 'modifying the environment'. Students perceived the 'why' of occupational therapy as getting back to 'everyday activities', with some students emphasising returning to 'normal' activities or life. Regarding the 'who' category, students also thought occupational therapists worked with people with an 'injury' or 'disability'.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Students entered their occupational therapy programmes with perceptions consistent with the general public's views of occupational therapy. However, graduate entry students exposed to a pre-reading package prior to entry had more advanced occupational therapy concepts than undergraduate students.
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia. m.turpin@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Merrill June
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Turpin
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rodger
authors.forename: Anna R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004500:Education, Graduate; D005260:Female; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D010465:Perception; D024382:Professional Role; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011793:Queensland; D012933:Social Identification; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult