Occupational Therapy Health Article

Definition

Occupational therapy is a holistic, patient-centered, occupation-based approach to life skill development. This health profession helps people whose lives have been altered by physical or mental disease, injury, or other health problems. People of any age can benefit from occupational therapy to prevent injury and improve skills needed to perform everyday tasks or "occupations" at home, work, or school. Examples include activities of daily living such as dialing a phone, using a computer, writing a check, and driving a car.

Description

Occupational therapists first came onto the scene during World War I, when practitioners worked with soldiers suffering from shell shock, amputations, and other injuries. Also in the early 20th century, occupational therapists treated persons with tuberculosis and polio.

Today, the role of occupational therapists is varied and broad. For the last several decades, occupational therapists have treated patients suffering from physical and developmental disabilities such as brain injury, spinal cord injury, repetitive stress injury, stroke, Alzheimer's, diabetes, attention deficit disorder, mental retardation, and Parkinson's, among others. At the turn of the new millennium, however, practitioners began to prove their worth in areas such as vision treatment, mental health, ergonomics consulting, and home modification.

Through activities of daily living (ADL) evaluations, it is determined by the practitioner how independent a client is in performing his or her daily tasks at home, at work, and within his or her social environment. After evaluation, an occupational therapist may implement an intervention to facilitate a more independent lifestyle. The goal of occupational therapy practitioners is to facilitate the patients physical independence. One way that they do this is by implementing exercises that aid in mobility. When a patient has impaired vision, a therapist might analyze lighting and contrast needs in the home, and equip the patient with tools to make the home and work environment more functional. Such tools might include a magnifying glass, or auxiliary lighting. In ergonomics consulting, a therapist might advise businesses and industries about functional and comfortable work stations that minimize repetitive stress injuries caused by repetitive movements, such as typing or assembly line work. Interventions that help patients—such as those with developmental disabilities, or those in mental health settings—to function on a daily basis, such as stress management and communication skills, might also be facilitated by occupational therapists.

Work settings

Occupational therapy practitioners may work in a variety of settings; the scope of their practice may be vast. Traditional work settings are long-term-care (LTC) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), outpatient clinics, and other nursing homes, in which practitioners provide direct care to patients with physical and developmental problems (e.g., arthritis, hand injuries, and dementia). Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants have found their place in mental health facilities, home health agencies, and, more recently, communitybased settings and private practice. No matter what the setting in which a practitioner practices, the approach is patient-centered; the patient's needs and the environment

in which the patient lives are considered when developing a treatment plan.

Many occupational therapy practitioners work with children in the school systems. The focus of a therapist in an educational environment may be to implement a handwriting intervention program, with the goal of improving finger dexterity in young children. According to a compensation survey of its members that the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) conducted in 2000, nearly a quarter of members who responded are employed by school systems. Practitioners reported that they are also finding more opportunities in communitybased settings, such as workplace ergonomics consulting and work rehabilitation programs.

Education and training

Current practitioners are credentialed as either occupational therapists, considered professionals after completing an accredited bachelor's degree program, or as occupational therapy assistants, who are considered at the technical level after completing a two-year associate program.

Prior to graduation, students must complete a supervised fieldwork program through their college or university program, and pass a national certification exam administered by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). The NBCOT is currently developing a recertification program.

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), following a resolution by the AOTA's Representative Assembly, moved to require a master's degree upon entry into the field of occupational therapy. By the year 2007, all educational institutions offering occupational therapy programs must do so under the standards of ACOTE's post-baccalaureate requirements. However, there are many practitioners in the field who have already earned master's and doctorate degrees. As of 2001, the number of practitioners with advanced degrees had nearly doubled (since 1990).