ABSTRACT

Objective : The purpose of this study is to analyze the supply and status of occupational therapists and graspthe demand accurately, to estimate the appropriate supply-demand of occupational therapists in the futureand to contribute to accomplishment of appropriate occupational therapists. For this purpose, I will examinethe training and increase status of occupational therapists, the professional activities and employment statusof occupational therapists, and appropriate supply estimation of occupational therapists.Methods : I utilized secondary data for all materials used for manpower estimation and found the sum total andaverage through a technical statistical analysis for the collected data.Results : As a result of the analysis of the status of supply and manpower of occupational therapists in Korea,it is seen that occupational therapists have been trained at 19 4-year colleges and 27 3-year technicalcolleges. The average passing rate of applicants for the national examination for occupational therapists is78%, with currently 4395 occupational therapists having been produced. The employment ratio in 2008 was79%, while in 2009 it was 83%. 54.9% of occupational therapists are members of the Korean Association ofOccupational Therapists. Occupational therapists are mainly employed in rehabilitation hospitals, followed bygeneral hospitals and other hospitals and clinics. Compared to other countries, the level of supply ofoccupational therapists is very lacking; however, it is expected that the number of trained occupationaltherapists will be equal to that of advanced countries by 2020.Conclusion : 57.9% of occupational therapists are employed in medical institutions. The number ofoccupational therapists per 100,000 persons after 2020 will be 37 persons, which is the similar to thequantitative growth of advanced countries. It is urgent to change the Korean legal systems to an advancedstate so that occupational therapists can provide occupational treatment services to the chronically disabledand aged in communities, other than at medical institutions in the future.