What Attracts Mature Students to Occupational Therapy?

Over the past 36 years, there have been many studies in North America on the factors that attract recruits to occupational therapy, but often they are combined with similar professions and do not distinguish the characteristics of mature recruits. There is no similar literature in the United Kingdom.

A semi-structured postal questionnaire gathered data from students aged 30 and over in their second and third year at Brunel University, London. Thirty-seven mature students responded and Identified previous occupational therapy experiences and the role of practitioners in encouraging recruitment. The three most important reasons for choosing occupational therapy as a career were job satisfaction, helping people and job security.

A third of respondents would not have been ready emotionally to commence their education straight from school, while a quarter felt that maturity would make them better therapists. Promotion prospects were seen as similar or better than those of younger colleagues, but financial constraints would deter future mature students from considering the profession. This study, although small, may have implications for the recruitment and education of similar students and adds to the body of knowledge about the profession.