Unraveling the “Greener Pastures” Concept: The Phenomenology of Internationally Educated Occupational Therapists

• Published in: OTJR (Thorofare, N.J.) N.J.), 2024-10, Vol.44 (4), p.661-670
• Main Authors: Pineda, Roi Charles, Abad-Pinlac, Brenda, Yao, Daryl Patrick G., Toribio, Fides Nadine Raya B., Josephsson, Staffan, Sy, Michael Palapal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Data analysis; Emigration and Immigration; Female; Foreign Professional Personnel - psychology; Humans; Labor; Male; Medical personnel; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; Occupational Therapists - psychology; Occupational Therapy; Pasture; Phenomenology; Philippines; Qualitative analysis; Qualitative Research; Transients and Migrants - psychology
• ISSN: 1539-4492; 1938-2383; 1938-2383
• DOI: 10.1177/15394492231205885

The Philippines is one of the major labor exporters for health care workers in the world and occupational therapists are the second most likely professionals behind nurses to work in “greener pastures” overseas. This phenomenological study describes the migration experiences of Philippine-trained occupational therapists working in high-income, Anglophone countries. Researchers conducted online interview for 15 participants who were previously/currently unemployed/underemployed. Following an inductive approach to qualitative data analysis, themes were drawn from the migrant therapists’ lived experiences. Four themes describe the migration experiences of Filipino occupational therapists: (a) realities of being an occupational therapist in the Philippines, (b) contradictions faced by Filipino occupational therapists upon migration, (c) when the pastures overseas are not greener, and (d) when the pastures overseas are indeed greener. The study contributes to the labor migration discourse in occupational therapy and the critical examination of the idea of “greener pastures.” Plain Language Summary The Migration and Deskilling of Filipino Occupational Therapists This study provides stories of Filipino occupational therapists who were underemployed as they migrated to developed and English-speaking countries. We interviewed 15 people online to explore their experiences of migration, being underemployed, and working in a foreign country with a different culture of working. Results of the study revealed four ideas: (a) reality of being an occupational therapist in the Philippines, (b) contradictions faced by Filipino occupational therapists upon migration, (c) barriers faced by migrant occupational therapists, and (d) successes experienced by migrant occupational therapists. This study contributes to the ongoing research on occupational therapy, labor migration, and overseas Filipino workers.