Guinihin Kyla Gielyne D, Aloya Princess Margaret M, Marañon Sharmilaein S, Soria Kimberly Addie C, Tuibeo-Estanislao Karen Kae, Delos Reyes Rod Charlie R
College of Allied Medical Sciences, University of Batangas.
Acta Med Philipp. 2025 Jun 13;59(7):33-44. doi: 10.47895/amp.vi0.9937. eCollection 2025.
The Philippines was renowned for its reputation as one of the leading countries in the world, holding notable contributions for supplying the global laborers including occupational therapists alongside other healthcare professionals. The importance of occupational therapists in the healthcare industry was progressively being acknowledged, as they offer rehabilitative care to Filipinos in need within the country. With the continual advancement of knowledge, occupational therapists were fast becoming in-demand professionals locally. However, there appeared to be a dearth of practicing registered occupational therapists in the Philippines, owing to their inclination towards overseas employment as seen by their migration to affluent countries driven by push factors, which are unfavorable circumstances in the place of origin that reinforce migration, and pull factors, which are things that attract the migrant to move to the destination country.
This study explored the factors influencing the Filipino occupational therapists towards selecting a working environment, prevailing factors that contributed to the decision of Filipino occupational therapists to work overseas, and significant differences between the working conditions domestically and internationally.
The study utilized a qualitative descriptive study to conduct a comprehensive exploration, studying the subtleties and complex nature of Filipino occupational therapists' migration. Researchers conducted semi-structured online interviews with 10 participants currently working as occupational therapists abroad across four countries including Australia, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and United States of America. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data, resulting in the identification of seven themes that described the factors on why Filipino occupational therapists went beyond the borders.
There are seven themes that describe factors why occupational therapists work abroad. These factors include (a) Labor Provisions, (b) Financial Motivations, (c) Organizational Camaraderie, (d) Presence of Career Progression, (e) Vast Resource Modalities, (f) Individualized Gains, and (g) Political Apathy.
The study stipulated the parameters aimed at improving occupational therapy working conditions and encouraging proactive initiatives to alleviate the shortage and reverse the brain drain among occupational therapists in the Philippines' healthcare system.
菲律宾曾以作为世界主要国家之一而闻名，在为全球提供包括职业治疗师及其他医疗保健专业人员在内的劳动力方面做出了显著贡献。职业治疗师在医疗保健行业中的重要性正逐渐得到认可，因为他们在国内为有需要的菲律宾人提供康复护理。随着知识的不断进步，职业治疗师在当地迅速成为热门专业人才。然而，菲律宾似乎缺乏执业注册职业治疗师，这是因为他们受推动因素（即原籍国不利于发展从而促使移民的不利环境）和拉动因素（即吸引移民前往目的国的因素）的驱使，倾向于海外就业，比如移民到富裕国家。
本研究探讨了影响菲律宾职业治疗师选择工作环境的因素、促使菲律宾职业治疗师决定在海外工作的主要因素，以及国内外工作条件的显著差异。
本研究采用定性描述性研究进行全面探索，研究菲律宾职业治疗师移民的细微之处和复杂性质。研究人员对目前在澳大利亚、英国、阿拉伯联合酋长国和美国这四个国家从事职业治疗师工作的10名参与者进行了半结构化在线访谈。采用主题分析法对定性数据进行分析，确定了七个主题，这些主题描述了菲律宾职业治疗师出国工作的原因。
有七个主题描述了职业治疗师在国外工作的原因。这些因素包括：（a）劳动条款；（b）经济动机；（c）团队情谊；（d）职业发展机会；（e）丰富的资源模式；（f）个人收获；（g）政治冷漠。
该研究规定了旨在改善职业治疗工作条件的参数，并鼓励采取积极举措，以缓解菲律宾医疗保健系统中职业治疗师短缺的问题并扭转人才外流的局面。
