Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy?

The main goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in meaningful activities of everyday living, such as, self-care, work and leisure activities. By enabling people to engage in activities that hold meaning for them, occupational therapists aim to empower people to improve their day-to-day quality of life.

Occupational therapists work in a variety of settings, including communities, hospitals, rehabilitation units, schools, universities and reform centres. Examples of what occupational therapists do include:

• Adapting the home of an elderly person to make it easier and safer for them to use.
• Working with people with depression and schizophrenia using activities such as cooking a meal to foster a sense of achievement, develop personal skills, and facilitate successful experiences.
• Using play activities to improve the play and movement skills of children with cerebral palsy.
• Running life-skills programmes that enable people with intellectual disabilities to develop skills such as budgeting so that they can live more independently in the community.
• Empowering people to select and effectively use equipment and appliances, including wheelchairs, dressing aids, computers and other assistive technology, to increase their independence.
• Assessing the ability of someone with acquired brain injury to return to work and then modify that person’s work either the job itself or the workplace.
• Assessing the independent living needs of a homeless person so that they may be provided appropriate accommodation and support.

Occupational therapy interventions consider:

• The individual person – improving or maintaining their level of physical, cognitive (thinking), affective (emotional) and social ability.
• The occupation – examining the self-care, leisure and work-related activities that people value in their daily lives and making changes to these activities so that they better meet the individual’s abilities.
• The environment - Adapting or adjusting the physical environment so that it does not impede but where possible enhances the occupational performance of individuals. It is also about influencing the social, cultural and institutional environment in ways that enhances people's ability to live independently and reach their full potential.

Leaving Certificate:

H4 in one of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics/Chemistry or Agricultural Science

Advanced GCE (A Level):

Grade C in one of Physics, Chemistry, or Biology

International Baccalaureate:

HL Grade 5 in one of Physics, Chemistry, or Biology

Entrants will have to pass Trinity's health screening requirements, you can learn more here.

Students will also be required to undergo Garda Vetting, you can learn more here.

There is an additional cost for a uniform for practice education of approximately €120. Additionally, Practice Education placements are a mandatory component of the programme, and some of these placements may be located outside of the greater Dublin area. This may incur additional travel and accommodation costs that need to be borne by the student.

English Language Requirements

All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language. Applicants to this course are required to meet Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements. For more details of qualifications that meet Band B, see the English Language Requirements page here.

Applicants for the Trinity International Foundation Programme require IELTS 5.0 overall, with 5.0 in Writing and no band below 4.5.

Applicants for all Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes must present one of the following English language qualifications.

As a qualified occupational therapist from Trinity, you will be well equipped to pursue a very rewarding career working with people of all age groups in a wide range of service settings. The course is regulated by CORU, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council, and upon successful completion of the programme you will be eligible to apply for registration to practice as an Occupational Therapist in Ireland. In addition, the course has professional validation from the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI) on behalf of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (www.wfot.org), meaning the qualification has international recognition that may enable you to work as an occupational therapist abroad. Many graduates from the programme are working in all parts of the world. Most occupational therapists, over time, develop specialised expertise in areas such as physical rehabilitation, mental health, hand therapy, intellectual disability, paediatrics, services for the elderly, and community occupational therapy.