Views of practice owners on intraprofessional cooperation in teams of professionally trained and academic therapists / Sichtweisen von Praxisinhabern/-innen auf die intraprofessionelle Zusammenarbeit in Teams von berufsfachschulisch ausgebildeten und akademisierten Therapeuten/-innen

Abstract

Abstract Background The academisation of the therapy professions occupational therapy, speech therapy and physiotherapy in Germany has created new challenging constellations. Tensions can be seen in the intraprofessional cooperation of professionally qualified employers and academic employees due to identical work contents and equal pay. Question How do professionally trained leaders experience the intraprofessional cooperation of professionally trained and academic employees? Aim The study describes from the point of view of professionally trained therapists their experiences in their daily work with academic employees in order to derive opportunities, challenges and success factors in intraprofessional cooperation. Method A qualitative content analysis with computer support in MAXQDA of n=9 semi-structured focussed interviews from a two-arm cross-sectional study with extern method triangulation is presented. The data are supplemented by n=85 free text entries of two online surveys. Results The interviewed leaders welcome academisation because of the promotion of professional stability, social recognition and the advancement of research. In the intradisciplinary cooperation with their academic colleagues there is a predominantly friendly and equal working atmosphere. However, interviewees report a limited creativity of academic employees in practical work, as well as fluctuations with unsatisfying practical commitment due to a low occupational perspective and poor remuneration. Discussion While academic employees are eager to expand their practical work, this can only be achieved by providing time and financial resources from practice management. Structural incentives must be provided by more responsibility, extended fields of activity or qualification and performance-related remuneration models in order to retain academic employees in practice.While academic employees are eager to expand their practical work, this can only be achieved by providing time and financial resources from practice management. Structural incentives must be provided by more responsibility, extended fields of activity or qualification and performance-related remuneration models in order to retain academic employees in practice.