Episode 7: The Petition that Predicted the Pipeline Crisis

In this episode of Outspoken OT, host Michelle Eliason, MS, OTR/L unpacks the data behind the 2023 OT Petition and National Survey — a grassroots effort that captured thousands of voices from across the profession. Practicing OTs, OTAs, students, educators, and even those who have left the field all said the same thing: the system designed to produce and protect competent occupational therapy practitioners is breaking down. Michelle explains what experts would call a pipeline crisis — when the sequence from education to employment to retention begins to fail. From inconsistent curriculum and unpaid fieldwork to unsafe productivity demands and loss of medical identity, she traces the threads connecting burnout, inequity, and professional erosion. This isn’t a rant — it’s workforce data and lived experience combined. It’s about accountability, reform, and refusing to normalize dysfunction as “the way it is.” In this episode: What the 2023 petition and survey revealed about the OT workforce Why “pipeline crisis” isn’t a buzzword — it’s a system diagnosis Michelle’s hard take on complacency and silence in the profession Practical ways we can defend, rebuild, and realign occupational therapy Key message: We don’t have a talent problem. We have a structure problem — and the only way to fix it is to start talking about it out loud. As always, stay outspoken about the things that matter.