Is occupational therapy for you?

Do you enjoy helping people? Are you motivated, patient and creative? If so, then occupational therapy could be for you. Read more ...

Why study occupational therapy?

Occupational therapists work with people who have physical, mental and/or social needs either from birth or as a result of illness, accident, or ageing. Read more ...

Graduating with Honours

With increasing competition in all sectors of employment, students who graduate with Honours have a distinct advantage. It is often considered by employers as an added skill and has been used by previous graduates to pursue higher positions and salaries. Read more ...

Occupational therapy is a growing profession

Demand for occupational therapists is strong in Australia and overseas. Occupational therapy is a health profession with a wide focus working in health and community settings. Read more ...

Occupational therapy is a growing profession

Demand for occupational therapists is strong in Australia and overseas. Occupational therapy is a health profession with a wide focus working in health and community settings.

Occupational therapists work in a broad range of settings, including but not limited to:

• hospitals
• specialised rehabilitation centres
• mental health facilities
• community health centres
• schools and educational facilities
• independent living and respite centres
• people's homes
• workplaces
• private practice.

Occupational therapy is a broad thinking profession focusing on daily "occupational" needs or the things people do in their usual everyday life.

This work includes considering these occupations from a mixture of physical, psychological, psycho-social, medical, environmental and cultural perspectives.

Occupational therapists can work within an interprofessional team of other professionals including physiotherapists, doctors, social workers, speech pathologists, teachers, builders, rehabilitation assistants, and others, while some occupational therapists work alone.

Occupational therapists work with people of all ages and so, one of the most important factors is to be a patient "people person", to like people and to be a good communicator.

Why study occupational therapy?

Occupational therapists work with people who have physical, mental and/or social needs either from birth or as a result of illness, accident, or ageing. They see a broad range of  types of people. For example, occupational therapists can work with children who may not be developing typically, or who have conditions such as autism or hyperactivity. They can also work in industrial settings helping to return people to work after injury or in hospitals including for example cardiac, rehabilitation or palliative care units, or with people in their homes.

“Occupational therapy is basically what we call making the everyday "special". So, it's not until you lose these everyday abilities that you realise how important they are to you. For instance, you may have a client who has had a stroke and needs to get their previous life occupations back if they can. But if they can't do it alone, an occupational therapist can support them in achieving this.”

Susan Ryan,
Professor in Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists aim to help people who have a variety of needs, to achieve the best quality of life possible. They do this by using special equipment to adjust the way they do their daily tasks. By modifying the environment, you will assist the person in performing everyday tasks to improve independence and quality of life.

What you will learn

As an occupational therapy student, you are given a broad education to equip you with the knowledge and skills to work with individuals, groups or populations of people who have a restriction in their occupational functions that decreases their ability to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Areas of study include:

• anatomy and physiology
• psychology
• sociology
• population health
• community development
• mental health
• occupational therapy practice
• occupational science.

1000 (plus) hours of clinical experience

The Bachelor of Occupational Therapy degree includes a minimum of 1,000 hours of practice experience in various places throughout NSW and further afield, to ensure adequate preparation for the workplace.

Practical experiences:

The University coordinates practice experiences with occupational therapy practice educators, who help educate students while they are "on the job".

The time spent in practice experiences increases in complexity and you will have the opportunity to work with greater autonomy over each year of the degree. This development culminates in fourth year, where you will be expected to work independently and carry a case load under supervision.

As well as providing a strong professional understanding, the practice experiences allow you to sample a small range of the many career possibilities available to you.

Graduating with Honours

With increasing competition in all sectors of employment, students who graduate with Honours have a distinct advantage. It is often considered by employers as an added skill and has been used by previous graduates to pursue higher positions and salaries. You can develop and carry out research on a topic of interest, potentially leading to further academic study such as a PhD.

The Bachelor of Occupational Therapy provides an embedded Honours stream of study. If you achieve a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.5 or more throughout the degree (years one, two and three), you may elect to undertake a research project. If your Research Project outcomes meet a sufficient standard, your degree may be awarded with Honours.

Your Honours year will involve undertaking an individual supervised research project, incorporating self-directed learning, with assistance from your supervisor.

To successfully complete this course, you will need to:

• develop a relevant research question with direction from your supervisor
• critically evaluate it using appropriate research strategies
• collect analyse and interpret data
• demonstrate advanced oral and written communication skills including the presentation of a research report.

If your performance is of a sufficient standard, your degree may be awarded with Honours.

Calculate your GPA.

This degree is currently under review.

Occupational therapy is a growing profession

Demand for occupational therapists is strong in Australia and overseas.

Occupational therapy is a health profession with a wide focus working between the health and community sectors. Occupational therapists work in a broad range of settings, including but not limited to:

• Hospitals
• Specialised rehabilitation centres
• Mental health facilities
• Community health centres
• Schools and educational facilities
• Independent living and respite centres
• People's homes
• Workplaces, as well as
• Private practice

Occupational therapy is a broad thinking profession that focuses on people's daily "occupational" needs, concentrating on things that people do in their usual everyday life.

This work includes seeing these occupations from a mixture of physical, psychological, psycho-social, medical, environmental and cultural perspectives, when working with clients.

You usually work within an inter-disciplinary team of other professionals such as physiotherapists, social workers, speech and language therapists, teachers and rehabilitation assistants. Some occupational therapists work alone.

Occupational therapists work with people of all ages and so, one of the most important factors is to be a "people person", to like people and to be a good communicator in many different ways.

Graduates will be eligible to apply for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Please be aware that the current standard English Language Competency for registration as a practitioner in your chosen health discipline in most states of Australia is an IELTS of 7.0.