Occupational therapy
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Occupational therapy (OT) is a healthcare profession that involves the use of assessment, intervention, consultation, and coaching to develop, recover, or maintain meaningful occupations of individuals, groups, or communities. The field of OT consists of health care practitioners trained and educated to support mental health and physical performance. Occupational therapists specialize in teaching, educating, and supporting participation in activities that occupy an individual's time. It is an independent health profession sometimes categorized as an allied health profession and consists of occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs). OTs and OTAs have different roles, with OTs licensed to complete comprehensive occupational therapy evaluations. Both professionals work with people who want to improve their ability to participate in meaningful occupations.
The World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) defines occupational therapy as ‘a client-centred health profession concerned with promoting health and wellbeing through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by working with people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their occupational engagement'.
Common interventions include:
- Helping disabled children to participate in meaningful activities at home, school, and within the community (independent mobility is often a central concern)
- Training in assistive device technology, meaningful and purposeful activities, and life skills.
- Physical injury rehabilitation
- Mental dysfunction rehabilitation
- Support of individuals across the age spectrum experiencing physical and cognitive changes
- Assessing ergonomics and assistive seating options to maximize independent function, while alleviating the risk of pressure injury
- Education in the disease and rehabilitation process
- Advocating for patient health
- Exploring vocational activities with clients
Occupational therapists are university-educated professionals and must pass a licensing exam to practice. Currently, entry level occupational therapists must have a master's degree while certified occupational therapy assistants require a two-year associate degree to practice in the United States. Individuals must pass a national board certification and apply for a state license in most states. Occupational therapists often work closely with professionals in physical therapy, speech–language pathology, audiology, nursing, nutrition, social work, psychology, medicine, and assistive technology.
History
[change | change source]In 1915, Slagle worked at the first occupational therapy training program, the Henry B. Favill School of Occupations at Hull House in Chicago.
British-Canadian teacher and architect Thomas B. Kidner was appointed vocational secretary of the Canadian Military Hospitals Commission in January 1916. He was given the duty of preparing soldiers returning from World War I to return to their former vocational duties or retrain soldiers no longer able to perform their previous duties. He developed a program that engaged soldiers recovering from wartime injuries or tuberculosis in occupations even while they were still bedridden. Once the soldiers were sufficiently recovered they would work in a curative workshop and eventually progress to an industrial workshop before being placed in an appropriate work setting. He used occupations (daily activities) as a medium for manual training and helping injured individuals to return to productive duties such as work.
Other Websites
[change | change source]https://www.aota.org/about/what-is-ot
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/occupational-therapy
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-therapists.htm