ABSTRACT

Objective: This study examined job importance and educational needs among occupational therapists working at rehabilitation hospitals in Busan and Gyeongnam, South Korea, and identified differences based on participants’ careers. Methods: During seven weeks, from October 23 to December 4, 2023, a survey was administered to 120 occupational therapists working at various rehabilitation hospitals in Busan and Gyeongnam. The researcher measured job importance and educational needs using a questionnaire based on Lee et al.’s (2014) study, scored using the Likert scale. Results: Counseling had the highest level of importance for each duty, and intervention planning and counseling had the highest level of education. The highest level of importance and education needs for each task was attributed to training for activities of daily living, followed by selfmanagement. There was no significant difference in the importance and education needs of each task according to career, and there was a significant difference in the importance and education needs of each task. Conclusion: This study can be used as basic data for the education and training process of occupational therapists.