The support workforce within the allied health division of labour

Abstract

This chapter draws on the examples of occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) and podiatry assistants to examine the development and growth of the support workforce in allied health, and the considerations for the allied health professions. Allied health professionals have successfully devolved several aspects of their work to a growing support workforce, such as allied health assistants. These roles are becoming increasingly standardised in terms of training, titles, recognition and regulation. These occupations are often seen as transitional roles rather than aspiring professions in their own right, and may occupy an interdisciplinary space; however, there is evidence of growth and extended scope within these disciplines, such as the expansion of OTA roles into assistant practitioners.