Occupational Therapy
Emerging Areas of Occupational Therapy
Directed by Sinead Vine and Margaret McGrath
Occupational Therapy is a relatively newly emerging area. Particularly in the western region of Ireland, there is a limit in numbers, and yet there is a lot that Occupational Therapy can contribute to rising services in the area.
In the third year of its first run, the Occupational Therapy course at NUI Galway has decided to take their current placement module and combine it with a service learning feature, moulding the two aspects into one in order to put the theory of Occupational Therapy into active use in the community. This community in turn becomes a tool for the student, placing academic theory into a practical context.
In the third year of its first run, the Occupational Therapy course at NUI Galway has decided to take their current placement module and combine it with a service learning feature, moulding the two aspects into one in order to put the theory of Occupational Therapy into active use in the community. This community in turn becomes a tool for the student, placing academic theory into a practical context.
Under the title ‘Emerging areas of practice in Occupational Therapy,’ this service learning module will have third year students undertake a series of visits assessing and evaluating the need for Occupational Therapy services in their community. The students will investigate the area, its current services and its population in relation to Occupational Therapy needs.
“This module will expand their knowledge and experience of social awareness and assist them in determining the needs of clients and agencies and help identify how these needs can best be met,” Sinead Vine, Practice Educator in Occupational Therapy said.With the first group of students about to embark on their journey in service learning in January 2006, this is a relatively new concept. But although the service learning aspect was already in place, the module was already a mandatory part of the course.
“We felt that it tied in very much with the philosophy of service learning and the principles of service learning so we married the two together,” Vine said. “What’s nice about it is that when I looked at service learning and applying it to that module it was very appropriate to Occupational Therapy.”
Originally the module would have been short visits and with very little contribution to a service, yet now the module looks at how the students could contribute to those services, and in turn how they could give something back. “So we just changed the philosophy of the module and combined it with what we already had,” Vine said.
Students are not only raising the profile of Occupational Therapy, they are also contributing to organisations that wouldn’t have benefited in the past in the western region. Rather than just volunteering their services for a short time, the service learning module in Occupational Therapy helps students that are giving the services something that they can use in the future.
“So the students will have done the groundwork and looked at where their role would fit in,” Vine said.
“So the students will have done the groundwork and looked at where their role would fit in,” Vine said.
Traditionally Occupational Therapists have worked in particular services like physical health, mental health, paediatrics, but there are many new areas that Occupational Therapists roles can be applied. Areas such as AIDS West, Refugees and Asylum Seekers, a Women’s Travelling Group, or a Homeless Hostel are just a few that would benefit form the module of service learning.
“These organisations will have had no Occupational Therapy input before, but having said that, they’ve been fighting for a long time to have that service because the philosophy of Occupational Therapy looks at promoting independence,” Vine said.
At the end of the twelve weeks, students will produce a published paper that will be used by the service as an evidence base for the role of the Occupational Therapist within their service. Additionally, the course is hosting a conference and inviting the services that participated in the project as a way to show what the students have learned within their community during the service learning module.
“I think it will expand their knowledge and experience of social awareness and determine the needs of clients in those organisations,” Vine said. “It’s a very important part of the learning process and we expect it to go well.”
Written by: Christina McDonald Legg