Every year, we’re learning more and more about the barriers people face when performing day-to-day tasks. Often, the research is performed by an expert in occupational therapy. What is occupational therapy? What does the field entail? What is a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy? You should find the answers to all of these questions (and more) below!
Occupational therapy is a field considering the problems that people face performing daily tasks, whether mental or physical. By studying cognitive, physical, and sensory issues, the idea is to provide patients with the independence they desire once again. With this in mind, occupational therapists can work with people of all ages.
What’s Occupational Therapy?
For example, some occupational therapists work with children who suffer from autism, sensory processing disorders, learning issues, birth defects, developmental delays, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. As you can see, some problems are physical while others are psychological.
On the physical side, occupational therapy is used to help patients with strength, pain, endurance, range of motion in joints, and motor skills. As mentioned, the ultimate goal is to allow patients more independence by learning to cope without extensive help. On the cognitive side, occupational therapy is used to help with thinking skills, sensory processing skills, fine motor skills, and visual perception skills.
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
In Australia, it’s possible to earn JCU’s bachelor of occupational therapy and this is normally an undergraduate degree from the university. Across the course, you’ll learn how to help patients to live productive, independent, active, and healthy lives. You’ll be prepared for this career and for dealing with patients with varying problems.
For some courses, they have students completing several different placements in the first year. As you gain experience with different health problems, these hours will be invaluable by the time it comes to actually enter this field of work.
Deakin University is among the top ten universities in Australia, and their degree for occupational therapy is made up of 32 credit points. It’s broken down as follows:
- 29 core units
- 2 elective units
- 1 selective unit
As well as the theory and time in the classroom, you will need evidence-based occupational therapy practice to earn the qualification. Level 1 topics include Understanding Health, Communication and Diversity, Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology, and Integrated Human Physiology. Level 2 studies include Occupations in Childhood Development, Occupation Across the Lifespan, and Analysis of Occupational Performance. Level 3 subjects include Collaborative Practice in Healthcare, Professional Practice Education, and Psychosocial Influences on Occupational Performance.
Therefore, an occupational therapy degree sets you up with everything you need to know to enter this career path. As well as the issues and solutions themselves, you’ll learn how to deal with patients and how to become a true professional.
Why Choose Occupational Therapy?
Why should you become a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy? For some, it’s a personal reason. After seeing an occupational therapist help a relative, or maybe even themselves, they feel motivated to help others in a similar position. For others, it’s a desire to help people to become independent. Although sometimes tiring and draining, occupational therapy has the potential to be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. Elsewhere, it could be an interest in the human mind or a desire to help a certain age group. Maybe you want to help older generations with cognitive problems to retain their independence for as long as possible. Alternatively, it might be a need to help young people overcome barriers and live the life they deserve
