ABSTRACT

Objective: The explosive increase in occupational therapy education programs calls for a reliable national accreditation system in Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of faculty members on the necessity for a national accreditation system, in addition to the minimum standards of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) for an occupational therapy education program. Method: A survey questionnaire was distributed to all faculty members of occupational therapy programs in Korea through e-mail between January 20 and April 25. A total of 103 responses were collected, and with the exception of eight incomplete responses, 95 of them were analyzed. Results: Eighty (84.2%) respondents agreed with the necessity of WFOT approval, and 73 (76.8%) people replied that a national accreditation system is necessary. Seventy-two (75.8%) respondents stated that they had the intention to be evaluated based on the national accreditation system. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the development of a national accreditation system is in great need in order to ensure the quality of occupational therapy education and consumer satisfaction in Korea. By establishing appropriate and reasonable standards for an occupational therapy education program, we can expect an improvement in the quality of occupational therapy education programs and more competent occupational therapists nationwide.