Master of Occupational Therapy Practice

Core requirement

Students must be able to manage their own responses and behaviour to work effectively in a range of learning environments with diverse people and tasks. This includes the capacity to be receptive and respond appropriately to constructive feedback. Students should also be able to work with others in a team or group environment and make and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of individuals in order to complete tasks or for professional practice.

See also Student behaviours policy for more information.

Course-specific requirement

Occupational therapy students will be exposed to health care and human service contexts in which they will encounter diversity and adversity and will be required to draw upon behavioural and relational skills to manage these situations in a professional manner. Occupational therapy students require the capacity to cope with their own emotions and behaviour effectively when working with peers and individuals in practice settings. Effective verbal and non-verbal communication is fundamental to occupational therapy practice and needs to be respectful, culturally appropriate, clear, attentive, empathetic, honest and non-judgemental. The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships; Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships; Being sensitive to individual differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships; The ability to observe and understand verbal and non -verbal cues is essential for safe and effective observation, recording and reporting of client symptoms and reactions to facilitate occupational therapy assessment and treatment.

Core requirement

Students must be able to locate, acquire, retain and apply knowledge as part of their learning and for assessment. They must have the ability to sustain their attention over a designated period, maintain their focus in a variety of learning environments and remember information long enough to complete tasks in a reasonable and safe timeframe.

Course-specific requirement

Safe and effective delivery of occupational therapy practice is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately, this includes conceptualising and using appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items. It also includes appropriately applying knowledge of theory, research evidence, policies and procedures in the class and practice settings.

Literacy skills are required to: convey spoken and written messages accurately and effectively in a practice setting; paraphrase, summarise and reference in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments. Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in occupational therapy to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of occupational therapy care. Examples include recording accurate measurements in client notes; Prescribing adaptive equipment that correctly meets client measurement requirements e.g. wheelchair prescription.

Additionally, sufficient cognitive endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective occupational therapy care. Examples include participating in tutorials and lectures throughout the day; Providing consistent occupational therapy management over a negotiated time frame while on placement.

Core requirement

Students should possess the ability to interact with visual, auditory or tactile inputs sufficiently to manage their learning environment and to meet professional performance needs.

Course-specific requirement

Occupational therapy students require sufficient visual acuity to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks and assessments to maintain consistent, accurate and safe care to self and others. Visual observations, examinations and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective occupational therapy practice. Examples include observing and detecting subtle changes in posture, movement and the ability to perform functional activities during assessment and treatment. Safely operating electronic equipment e.g. splinting equipment – heat guns and splinting pans.

Sufficient auditory ability is necessary to monitor, assess and manage individual health needs consistently and accurately. Auditory assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective occupational therapy practice. Examples from occupational therapy practice relevant during placements include: Detecting care requests by calls for help or activation of a call bell; Engaging appropriately to a client's responses during an assessment.

Sufficient tactile ability is necessary to monitor, assess and detect clients' physical characteristics and act on any abnormalities detected to provide appropriate occupational therapy management. Tactile assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective occupational therapy practice. Examples include: Detecting changes in circulation, e.g. temperature. Palpating joints, muscles, and soft tissues, and detecting anatomical or movement abnormalities.

Core requirement

Gross motor skills: Students should possess the strength, range of motion, coordination and mobility sufficient to manage their learning environment and ultimately, professional performance needs.

Fine motor skills: Students should possess the manual dexterity and fine motor skills sufficient to manage their learning environment and ultimately, professional performance needs.

Course-specific requirement

Occupational therapy students require sufficient gross and fine motor skills to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, twisting and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

Examples of gross motor skills that are important for occupational therapy include: Maintaining own and client's balance while providing client support, when transferring and mobilising individuals in a safe manner; Evaluating clients in a safe and effective manner, who have varying physical capacity, who are positioned on plinths and hospital beds, on mats on the floor, on chairs and when standing.

Fine motor skills are required for a range of tasks including: Performing assessment techniques, e.g. evaluation of hand sensation and joint movement; Performing treatment techniques, e.g. fabricating splints, demonstrating use of adaptive equipment, demonstrating fine motor tasks during activities of daily living.

Occupational therapy practice requires physical performance at a consistent and sustained level to meet individual needs over time to ensure safe and effective occupational therapy care. Examples include participating in tutorials and lectures throughout the day; Providing consistent occupational therapy management over a negotiated time frame while on placement.