A Labour Market Study of Occupational Therapists in Saskatchewan - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
A Labour Market Study of Occupational Therapists in Saskatchewan Summary prepared for the: Saskatchewan Society of Occupational Therapists Annual General Meeting Doug Elliott May 6, 2017 Sask Trends Monitor 444 19th Avenue Regina,
Doug Elliott Sask Trends Monitor 444 19th Avenue Regina, Saskatchewan S4N 1H1 306-522-5515 sasktrends@sasktel.net www.sasktrends.ca
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CIHI uses information from the provincial regulatory agencies to calculate the number of
practising in Canada. To calculate the supply of OTs, CIHI includes occupational therapists who were registered and either employed as
leave from an occupational therapist position. The profession has expanded rapidly in Saskatchewan, growing from 211 OTs in 2007 to 339 in 2014. The number of other health professions (e.g. nurses, physiotherapists) was not growing as quickly.
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2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
definitional change
The OT workforce of 339 in 2014 works out to 30
100,000 population. The workforce is the smallest among the provinces. To reach the national average of 42 per 100,000, we would need 137 more OTs working in the province.
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51 49 47 45 43 43 37 35 34 30 42 Que Man NS Alta NB B.C. Ont Nfld PEI Sask Canada 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
This rapid growth rate of nearly 4% per year was highlighted by provincial officials as evidence that the supply was increasing. In fact, the growth was probably a by-product of the general migration into the province during the economic boom. Data released since the report was released shows that the number of occupational therapists fell from 339 in 2014 to 330 in 2015 as the economy slowed. Saskatchewan was one of only two provinces to show a decline in 2015 – Nova Scotia was the
On a per capita basis, there were 29 occupational therapists per 100,000 population in 2015.
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4.2% 3.9% 3.4% 3.1% 2.8% 2.6% 2.2% 2.1% 1.7% 0.3% 2.7% Alta Sask Man B.C. Nfld Ont Que PEI NS NB Canada 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% average annual increase from 2010 to 2014
As in other provinces, the vast majority of OTs (88% in 2014) are women. Occupational therapists in Saskatchewan tend to be younger than those in other
under thirty years of age compared with the national average of 18%. The loss of OTs to retirement is not a major issue in the province; inter-provincial migration is. Four out of ten
living alone or with a spouse and no children and so will be quite mobile. Temporary exits for maternity leave are also common.
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19% 26% 20% 18% 58% 56% 61% 62% 23% 18% 18% 20% Man Sask Alta Canada 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
In 2013, the universities in Canada had a training capacity for occupational therapists of 968 seats. The University of Alberta, where Saskatchewan currently purchases fifteen seats, has a capacity of 112 per year. In recent years, the enrolment has been at the maximum of thirty students (15 in each of two years) and all have graduated. Staff from the Ministry of Advanced Education used a list
program with registration at SSOT to estimate that about
come to practise in Saskatchewan.
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Nova Scotia (Dalhousie) Quebec (5 programs) Ontario (5 programs) Manitoba U of M) Alberta (U of A) B.C. (UBC) 60 120 180 240 300 360 number of seats
The majority of occupational therapists working in Saskatchewan graduated from the University of Alberta. In the survey of occupational therapists, we found that the most common training path (among OTs working in Saskatchewan) was directly from a Saskatchewan high school to the U of A program.
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University of Alberta 56% University of Manitoba 25% Other Canadian University 13% Foreign 6%
Compared with other provinces, Saskatchewan has a relatively high turnover rate among occupational
position as an OT.
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8.9% 10.7% 12.8% 10.5% 10.7% Ont Man Sask Alta B.C. 0% 3% 6% 9% 12% 15%
Figure 3.18: New Registrations as a Percentage of Supply, Five Year Average (2010-2014)
6.1% 8.5% 8.9% 6.3% 7.0% Ont Man Sask Alta B.C. 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12%
Figure 3.19: Exits as a Percentage of Supply, Five Year Average (2010-2014)
In the survey of occupational therapists conducted for the report, workload issues were mentioned by more than one- half of respondents as a factor that could make them leave the profession. Pay and benefits were also an issue and were mentioned even more often as a possible reason for moving to another province. Respondents were also asked about the best and worst parts
results are shown on the next two pages.
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Workload prevents quality care/Burnout Pay and benefits Scope of practice Nothing/Retirement only Family/personal reasons Advancement opportunities Other 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% percent of respondents (multiple responses permitted)
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Helping clients (general) Variety of work/scope of practice/being a generalist Colleagues (general) Sense of community among occupational therapists Opportunities/can specialize Work schedules, pay, or benefits Good employer or work environment Available equipment Can work near family, nice place to live Helping children (specifically) Travel Negative comments Other 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% percent of respondents (multiple responses allowed)
Figure 3.25: Best Thing about Working as an Occupational Therapist in Saskatchewan
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Workload/caseload/staff shortage/funding shortage Being underappreciated or undervalued (general) Being underappreciated by colleagues or employer Pay or benefits or working conditions Poor educational or other opportunities for advancement No school/teaching opportunities Not enough occupational therapists in mental health Poor service to certain client groups Limited scope of practice Being underappreciated by the public or clients Weather, travel, driving Other 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% percent of respondents (multiple responses allowed)
Figure 3.26: Worst Thing about Working as an Occupational Therapist in Saskatchewan
In 2014, more than one-half of the occupational therapists worked in a hospital setting. Compared with other provinces, Saskatchewan occupational therapists are:
the community; and
professional practice.
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Hospital 53% Community 27% Professional Practice 10% Other 10%
CIHI captures the area of practice from the registration forms. In 2014, more than one-half of
in physical health. Compared with other provinces, Saskatchewan OTs are much less likely to be working in mental health – 3% compared with the national average of 11%.
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Mental Health 3% Physical Health 56% Additional direct service areas 15% Other/ Unknown 26%
All of the growth since 2009 has been among occupational therapists working in full-time positions. Saskatchewan occupational therapists are more likely to be working full-time than
provinces - 73% do so compared with the national average of 64%. This explains some of the difference in per capita counts
Those in Saskatchewan tend to work longer hours than those in
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2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 50 100 150 200 250 300
full-time part-time number of OTs
Occupational therapists in Saskatchewan have wage rates that are:
and
The 3.5% reduction proposed by the provincial government will increase the economic incentive for Saskatchewan
to other provinces.
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min max midpoint B.C. (Apr 2014) Alta (Apr 2014) Sask (Apr 2012) Man (Apr 2013) $25 $30 $35 $40 $45 $50
Vacancy rates are the normal measure of unmet demand in the labour market. SAHO conducted a survey of vacancy rates in the health professions as part of the review of the market supplement committee. According to that survey, there were no vacancies in Regina but a 20% vacancy rate in rural Saskatchewan. Vacancy rates are not a particularly useful measure of demand because:
to advertise for an
they feel there are none available; and
may not even feel that they need occupational therapy services.
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Regina Saskatoon Other Total 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
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