Attrition and Retention of Rehabilitation Professionals: A Scoping Review

Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (03/31/23) Mak, Susanne; Hunt, Matthew; Riccio, Serena Speranza; et al.

A scoping review of 59 articles sought to define the attrition and retention of rehabilitation professionals. The authors mined various medical literature databases from 2010 to April 2021 for attrition and retention concepts in occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology. They categorized data as attrition and retention descriptions, professional experiences and institutional experiences. Seven factors influenced attrition across the individual, work and environment levels. The authors found occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology differ depending on the literature's focus. "Push, pull and stay factors would benefit from further empirical investigation to develop targeted retention strategies," they note. The researchers also suggest the literature review's findings may enhance the development of resources for retaining rehab professionals by healthcare institutions, professional regulatory bodies and associations and professional education programs.

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