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2005 SSO:USA Member Surveys. Malcolm Cutchin, PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Introduction. Collaborative effort of Research Ctte, Communications Ctte and Board Goal was to obtain and assess cross-sectional data from members to shape activities and direction of SSO:USA
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2005 SSO:USA Member Surveys Malcolm Cutchin, PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Introduction • Collaborative effort of Research Ctte, Communications Ctte and Board • Goal was to obtain and assess cross-sectional data from members to shape activities and direction of SSO:USA • This is a brief synopsis of what we did and what we learned 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Background • SSO:USA strategic plan includes survey • Learning about issues beyond annual conference evaluation was goal • Information deemed important for board decision-making and responsiveness to membership 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Methods • Areas investigated • Conference, Research, Communications, Vision, Direction, Member Benefits • Research committee drafted survey with input from board • Board provided feedback; revisions made • Survey split into two parts • Communications committee chair (Bilics) piloted and implemented via the web 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Methods • Domains covered in each survey: • Survey 1: Conference, Research, Communications • Survey 2: Vision, Direction, Member Benefits • Quantitative and qualitative data collected in each • 103 past and current members invited to take survey (93% of respondents are current) • Response rates = 56% and 53% 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Survey 1: Conference, Research, Communications 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Survey on Conference, Research, and Communication Issues Items Rated Most Important (1=unimportant, 5=very important)N = 58 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Survey on Conference, Research, and Communication Issues Items Rated Most Important (1=unimportant, 5=very important) N = 58 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Survey on Conference, Research, and Communication Issues Items Rated Most Important (1=unimportant, 5=very important)N = 58 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
What conferences other than this one and AOTA are attended by our members? • Qualitative responses • 27 of the 42 valid responses include a meeting/conference other than any OT/OS • Many of the other meetings/conferences were interdisciplinary in nature • A relatively large subset of occupational scientists engage with members of other disciplines at other meetings 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
What journals outside of OT and OS do SSO:USA members read? • Qualitative responses • Many members (39) reported reading more than 1 journal outside of OT/OS • Many of those (28) read multiple journals from different disciplines • A large subset of members draw information from many fields (medicine, social sciences…) 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Survey 2: Vision, Direction, Member Benefits 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Top direction issues(scores = sum of products, reverse rank*frequency) 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Top member benefits issues (scores = sum of products, reverse rank*frequency) 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Focusing SSO:USA development toward more non-OT disciplines and what effects that might have for the organization and OS (open-ended item) • Strong support, and of 42 responses, only 3 stated this was not important to them • Advantages suggested in terms of cross-fertilization, enrichment, etc. • Although not always stated, the word choices of many responses indicated a perception that this was not happening now • Some wrote of “becoming more open,” or “welcoming in,” or “reaching out to” 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Focusing SSO:USA development toward more OT-oriented efforts and what effects at might have for the organization and OS (open-ended item) • 20 of 42 responses saw this as undesirable although responses were nuanced • An often mentioned concern is that OT needs OS, and to strengthen SSO:USA ties to OT benefits OT practice • For those opposed to focusing on OT-oriented efforts, there was concern that it would insulate occupational science from what is going on in other fields 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Qualitative Summary • Putting these 2 groups of responses together… • There seems to be a strong sense that occupational therapy needs the research that SSO: USA promotes • But the survival of SSO: USA might be threatened if the society does not attend to developing its non-OT base. 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Conclusions • Limitations to survey data (response rate) • Members want information about research via SSO:USA (web site) • Members want surplus funds to be used for long-term organization goals • Some ambivalence about SSO:USA vis-à-vis OT and other academic disciplines • Evidence tends toward the non-OT orientation as more important goal 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference
Conclusions • Surveys not comprehensive, but provide some evidence of members’ views • Future SSO:USA boards and committees should use this information • Periodic re-survey needed using some of same items • Covering new ground in future surveys also worthy 2005 SSO:USA Research Conference