For new occupational therapists, finding balance between the demands of work and their personal lives is challenging. The transition from student to practitioner is filled with uncertainty as new therapists try to meet the demands of working in a continuously changing environment. Research describing how new therapists define and experience balance in their own daily lives is currently missing in the literature. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of novice occupational therapists in creating occupational balance while working in the healthcare system. Six novice therapists in their first year of practice were recruited for this study via convenience sampling. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews that were audio-recorded and lasted between 20-30 minutes. Recorded data was transcribed and emergent coding was completed. Eighteen codes were identified and narrowed into two overall themes: achieving occupational balance and developing as an occupational therapist. The implications of this research could be useful in providing better support for novice therapists to promote health, quality of life, and occupational balance.
","abstract_html":"<p>For new occupational therapists, finding balance between the demands of work and their personal lives is challenging. The transition from student to practitioner is filled with uncertainty as new therapists try to meet the demands of working in a continuously changing environment. Research describing how new therapists define and experience balance in their own daily lives is currently missing in the literature. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of novice occupational therapists in creating occupational balance while working in the healthcare system. Six novice therapists in their first year of practice were recruited for this study via convenience sampling. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews that were audio-recorded and lasted between 20-30 minutes. Recorded data was transcribed and emergent coding was completed. Eighteen codes were identified and narrowed into two overall themes: achieving occupational balance and developing as an occupational therapist. The implications of this research could be useful in providing better support for novice therapists to promote health, quality of life, and occupational balance. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wagner, Mary Nell"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2018-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:47Z","subjects":["first year practice","novice occupational therapists","occupational balance","Occupational Therapy","Work, Economy and Organizations"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2018 Mary Nell Wagner"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/587","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wagner, Mary Nell"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["first year practice","novice occupational therapists","occupational balance","Occupational Therapy","Work, Economy and Organizations"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2018 Mary Nell Wagner"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/587"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["For new occupational therapists, finding balance between the demands of work and their personal lives is challenging. The transition from student to practitioner is filled with uncertainty as new therapists try to meet the demands of working in a continuously changing environment. Research describing how new therapists define and experience balance in their own daily lives is currently missing in the literature. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of novice occupational therapists in creating occupational balance while working in the healthcare system. Six novice therapists in their first year of practice were recruited for this study via convenience sampling. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews that were audio-recorded and lasted between 20-30 minutes. Recorded data was transcribed and emergent coding was completed. Eighteen codes were identified and narrowed into two overall themes: achieving occupational balance and developing as an occupational therapist. The implications of this research could be useful in providing better support for novice therapists to promote health, quality of life, and occupational balance.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/PDF"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Experiences of Balance Among Novice Occupational Therapists"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Wagner, Mary Nell"],"dc:description.abstract":["For new occupational therapists, finding balance between the demands of work and their personal lives is challenging. The transition from student to practitioner is filled with uncertainty as new therapists try to meet the demands of working in a continuously changing environment. Research describing how new therapists define and experience balance in their own daily lives is currently missing in the literature. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of novice occupational therapists in creating occupational balance while working in the healthcare system. Six novice therapists in their first year of practice were recruited for this study via convenience sampling. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews that were audio-recorded and lasted between 20-30 minutes. Recorded data was transcribed and emergent coding was completed. Eighteen codes were identified and narrowed into two overall themes: achieving occupational balance and developing as an occupational therapist. The implications of this research could be useful in providing better support for novice therapists to promote health, quality of life, and occupational balance.
"],"dc:format":["application/PDF"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/587"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2018 Mary Nell Wagner"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["first year practice","novice occupational therapists","occupational balance","Occupational Therapy","Work, Economy and Organizations"],"dc:title":["Experiences of Balance Among Novice Occupational Therapists"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:47Z"}