See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/332876253

Occupational Therapy (OT): the Profession

Presentation · April 2019

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.22147.76322

CITATIONS READS

0 79

1 author:

Hassan Izzeddin Sarsak

Batterjee Medical College for Health Sciences and Technology
77 PUBLICATIONS   10 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Pharmacognosy View project

Measuring Self-Perceived Satisfaction and Functional Independence of Wheelchair users View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Hassan Izzeddin Sarsak on 06 May 2019.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Occupational Therapy (OT)

Dr. Hassan Sarsak, PhD, OT

April 2019
April is OT Month!
 Acknowledgment

BMC Dean BMC FAST

Dr. Osama Kensara Dr. Ikhlas Sindi
Prep. Students
 Outline
 Occupational Therapy (OT): The Profession

 OT Resources

 BMC OT Program and Prospective Students

 OT Job Outlook and Future Impact

 Take Home Message

History: Looking back …
 OT origins since 18th and 19th centuries

 The formal birth of the profession:

– In March, 15,1917: William Dunton, George Barton, Eleanor Clark
Slagle, Susan Cox Johnson, Thomas Kidner, and Isabel Newton

– All gathered and incorporated the National Society for the

Promotion of Occupational Therapy, in Clifton Springs, New York.

– In 1921 the name was changed to the AOTA.

 WFOT
 OT is represented by the World Federation
of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) (Krug, & Cieza,
2017).

 The WFOT was established in 1952 and is

the official international organization that
supports and promotes occupational therapy
profession.
(WFOT, 2018)
WFOT Member Organizations

(WFOT, 2018)
(WFOT, 2018)
The Growth of the Profession Worldwide

(WFOT, 2018)
So… What is occupation?!
 Occupation = Activity in which one engages
 Occupation = “Organized activities of
everyday life that give value and meaning to
individuals and cultures.

 Occupation is everything people do to

occupy themselves, including looking after
themselves…enjoying life…and contributing
to the social and economic fabric of their
communities.…” (Law, Polatajko, Baptiste, & Townsend,
1997, p. 34). (AOTA, 2002)
Occupation
 What kind of activities used by the
OT practitioner in treatment?
 Purposeful/Meaningful/Functional Activity:

• ADLs (bADLs, iADLs)

• Self-care, eating, bathing, mobility, transfers, cooking, laundry, etc.
• Fine motor skills
• Sensory motor diet
• Strength and endurance
• Cognitive perceptual
• Psychosocial
• Often a variety of specially designed equipment and
activities are found in setting, but OT also uses
(OT Media):
 games, toys, dressing or self-care activities, work
activities, art, crafts, computers, industrial activities,
sports, music and dance, role-playing and theater
crafts, gardening, homemaking activities, magic,
clowning, pet care, and creative writing.
So…What is Occupational
Therapy (OT)?
Occupational Therapy …
 In its simplest terms,

• occupational therapists and occupational

therapy assistants help people across the
lifespan participate in the things they want and
need to do through the therapeutic use of
everyday activities (occupations)
(AOTA, 2014)
 Occupational therapy is a health care
profession that focuses on helping people of
all ages regain, develop, or master everyday
skills in order to live independent,
productive, and satisfying lives.
 Comprehensive / holistic approach

 Humanistic
• Client-centered

 Integrated model
• NO single cause for a disability
• NO single treatment for a disability
What qualities or traits are
useful in practicing
occupational therapy?
 Personal Qualities or Traits
 Enjoy helping people
 Strong communication skills
 Strong interpersonal skills
 Good problem solver
 Enjoy working with others
 Creative
 Flexible
 Core Values of OT Practice
 Altruism
 Equality
 Freedom
 Justice
 Dignity
 Truth
 Prudence

AOTA, 1993
 Are there different levels for OT?
 An OT practitioner is commonly referred to as
either
– a Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR) or
– a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA)
– Not eligible for certification/licensure (OT Aide)
 The OTR has more extensive education than the
COTA
 The COTA works under the supervision of an OTR
 OT Educational Levels

 Entry-level Baccalaureate Degree (BS)

 Postbaccalaureate Degrees

– Master’s Degree (MS, or MOT)

– Doctoral Degrees
 Doctor of OT (OTD)
 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Because of
Occupational
Therapy,
I can!!!
Because of OT, I can!!!
 Functional Performance & Capacity

 Function = Action for which a person is fitted.

 Functional Outcomes:
• Independence = State or condition of being independent
(self-reliant).
 Independence = “Having adequate resources to accomplish
everyday tasks” (Christiansen & Baum, 1997, p. 597)
 “The profession views independence as the ability to self-
determine activity performance, regardless of who actually
performs the activity” (AOTA, 1994, p. 1051). (AOTA, 2002)

• Safety
• Quality
Approaches / Goals
 Remedial (restorative approach)
 Compensatory (adaptive approach)

 Functional performance and capacity

 Promotion of recovery
 Mobilization of total assets of the patient
 Prevention of hospitalization
 Creation of good habits of work and leisure
 Enhance the patient to regain self-confidence
 Targeted Populations
 OT has been approved to be effective and useful
for a variety of populations and diagnoses.
• Children, adolescents, adults and elderly patients
• Neurological and physical
• Developmental
• Psychosocial and emotional (mental health)
• Cognitive perceptual
• Sensory motor
Productive Aging
Children and Youth (Pediatrics)
Health and Wellness
Rehabilitation, Disability, and Participation
Work and Industry
Mental Health
Settings: Where you can find us /
where an OT works
 Rehabilitation centers
 Psychiatric and mental health hospitals
 Community-based centers
 Nursing homes
 School-based rehabilitation
 Learning difficulties centers
 Halfway homes and de-addiction
 CATs
 Academic and research institutions
The Many Faces of OT
 As an OT practitioner, I could
work in specialty areas such as…
 Hand therapy
 Driver rehabilitation
 Low vision rehabilitation
 Wheelchair seating
 Assistive technology
 Design & accessibility consultation
OT International Ceremonies
Resources
 Other OT Programs in KSA

 East Region -- Riyadh

 KSU
 PNU
 OT integrated into Rehabilitation department
 KSAU-HS
 Adopted as it is from American university!
 SOTA

 West Region – Jeddah

 KAU
Entry-level (BSc.)
Occupational Therapy
Program
 OT Program: Rationale
 Need

 Provide Saudi Arabia and the Arab region

with unique, qualified, and competent
occupational therapists

 Serve the increasing health, psychosocial,

developmental, and cultural needs of the
community
 OT Program: Vision

 The Department of Occupational Therapy at

Batterjee Medical College will be nationally
and internationally recognized as a leader in
occupational therapy education, a pioneer in
occupational therapy research, and a
partner in regional practice and
development.
 OT Program: Mission

 Our mission is to prepare graduates who are

creative, competent, compassionate and
committed to their profession and their
country.
 OT Program: Objectives
 Educate students to practice ethical evidenced-
based occupational therapy in a variety of
healthcare, community, and educational settings

 Provide customized courses of study for students,

designed to meet their individual learning needs
and to enhance their ability to assume leadership
roles in practice, education, and research
 Objectives (cont’d)
 Provide continuing education for practicing
therapists to facilitate their continued competence

 Plan and engage in research to advance

occupational therapy and rehabilitation practice
and education
 Objectives (cont’d)
 Serve our Islamic culture, college and public and
professional communities through participation in
college and community service and professional
associations.

 Provide the Arab region with unique, qualified, and

competent therapists who can serve the needs of
the population especially in the rural and
underserved areas where occupational therapy is
much needed.
Why Choose BMC OT

 Innovation is what Makes Us Distinctive!

 First OT program in Saudi private sector higher

education
 BMC OT

Curriculum Design
&
External Review
 BMC: OT Educational Program
 Program area priorities
• Research priorities

 Curriculum design

 Minimum Standards for the Education of

Occupational Therapists (MSEOT)

 Importance of MSEOT
Minimum Standards for the Education of
Occupational Therapists (MSEOT)

 Since 1958

 Shape the global curriculum development of

OT entry-level programs
BMC: Program Area Priorities

WFOT, 2018
 Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes for
Competent OT Practice

 The person-occupation-environment relationships

 Relationship of occupation to health and well-being
 Therapeutic and professional relationships
 The occupational therapy process
 Professional reasoning and behavior
 The local and global contexts of professional
practice
 Factors of the local context

 The students ability to complete the program

successfully
 Saudi health and social needs
 Saudi health, societal, disability educational
and legal systems
 Saudi beliefs, Islamic values, and meaning
of occupations in the local context
 Saudi occupational therapy history
OT Graduation Requirements at BMC
 OT External Review
 Curriculum Validation External Reviewer
Report

 Positive feedback from accredited

international OT programs by the WFOT
 Canada
 USA
 Jordan
Reviewer # 1:
Highlights: “Program Strengths”
Reviewer # 1: Strengths (cont’d)
Reviewer # 2:
Highlights: “Program Strengths”
 Program Future Plan / Impact
 Program approval by WFOT
 Develop a more holistic approach and
comprehensive care to clients
 Enhance functional performance for PWD
 Foster collaboration and integrated
intervention planning into existing
interdisciplinary medical and rehabilitation
team
 Positive significant impact on clients
So…
Would you
Consider
A career in OT
And Becoming
An Occupational Therapist?!!!
 Career Talk!

 Interested in OT?!!!

 Then, you should know …

 What are the educational
requirements for a career in
occupational therapy?
 Prerequisite Requirements
 Biology
 Human Anatomy & Physiology
 Abnormal Psychology
 Sociology or Anthropology
 Childhood Development
 Statistics
 Medical Terminology
 Related Volunteer Experience
 Related Work Experience
What is the job outlook for
occupational therapy?
 Job Outlook:
Occupational Therapists
 Employment of occupational therapists is expected to
increase 29% between 2012 and 2022, therefore
growth is expected to be much faster than the
average for all occupations.
 Reasons for growth & the need for more occupational
therapists:
– Baby-boom generation’s movement into middle age
– Aging of the population age 75 and older
– Increasing numbers of individuals living with chronic
disabilities or limited function
– Improving technologic and medical advances
Bureau of Labor Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos078.htm
 Earnings:
Occupational Therapists
How Much do Occupational
Therapists Make?

Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-

therapists.htm#tab-5
Occupational Therapists Salary Rank
Successful Stories
 Client’s Perspective
“OT was one of
the few therapies
that produced an
immediate calm.
It was something
he looked "I enjoyed OT because it was
like recess, art, and a massage
forward to.” combined together."
 Client’s Perspective
“I began working with an
occupational therapist first as an
inpatient and then as an outpatient
following a hemorrhagic stroke in
October 2008…the occupational
therapists focused on my arm/hand
movements and my activities of
daily living (ADLs) like getting
dressed, brushing my teeth,
bathing, etc…occupational therapy
has played (and continues to play)
a critical role in my stroke
recovery.”
 Client’s Perspective
“The therapist tried
to customize the
program so that in
her professional
judgment would help
me while still
incorporating my
personal goals and
interests.”
What does an occupational
therapy practitioner’s day
actually look like?
A glance into the everyday
tasks of a few practitioners
 A day in the life of…
OT Practitioner in
School-based Pediatrics

This OT uses these

types of activities for
treatment:

 Sensory motor
 ADLs and self-care
 Grasp and handwriting
 Classroom modifications
 A day in the life of…
OT Practitioner in
Adult Neuro-Physical Disabilities

This OT uses these types of

activities for treatment:
 Transfers techniques
 ADLs, self care skills such as
dressing or bathing
 Splinting
 A day in the life of…
OT Practitioner in
Older Adult

This OT uses these types of

activities for treatment:
 Self care skills (i.e., feeding)
 Exercises to improve strength
and movement
 Adaptive equipment
 Safety evaluations in the
home
 A day in the life of…
OT Practitioner in
Mental Health
This OT uses these
types of groups for
treatment:

 Relapse prevention
 Positive communication
 Relaxation techniques
 Anger management
 Stress management
 A day in the life of…
OT Practitioner in
Education and Research

This OT is involved in these

types of tasks:
 Developing training programs
 Delivering lectures
 Writing journal articles or book
chapters
 Research for classes or grants
 Interventions for research
subjects
 A day in the life of…
OT Practitioner in
Community-based Rehabilitation

This OT is involved in these

types of tasks:
 Community service
 Awareness campaigns
 Assessments and interventions
 What is the future of
occupational therapy?
21st Century:
A Century of Occupational Therapy
 AOTA’s Centennial Vision
"We envision that occupational therapy is a powerful,
widely recognized, science-driven, and evidence-based
profession with a globally connected and diverse
workforce meeting society's occupational needs."
Take home message …
Thank you…
If you have any question, please don’t
hesitate to contact:

Dr. Hassan I. Sarsak, PhD, OT

Head of Occupational Therapy Program
Assistant Professor
Batterjee Medical College
PO Box 6231 Jeddah 21442 KSA
E-mail: hassan.sarsak@bmc.edu.sa
sarsakhassan@gmail.com
 OT Awareness Survey

View publication stats