Tommy is a clumsy little four year old with limited play skills. He is very sensitive to sound and touch, does not mix with peers at school and often throws tantrums. He is a picky eater and resists change in routine, yet, he has a lovely smile, seeking hugs and cuddles from familiar adults.

Tommy is just one example of the vast array of children occupational therapists can help lead a more fulfilled life in areas of education, play and self-care through family-centred practice and using various therapeutic approaches. Paediatric occupational therapists have expertise in a child’s growth and development, such as appropriate physical and cognitive milestones, neuro-motor development and behaviour management.

With post-graduate training in sensory processing theory, occupational therapists are the experts in diagnosing and treating sensory processing disorders and conditions such as dyspraxia (difficulty performing new skills that require motor planning, smoothly and automatically such as handwriting).

Occupational therapists work collaboratively with parents, and with school teams, to help students access, progress and participate in the curriculum, and participate successfully in daily life activities, both academically and socially. Occupational therapists help young children to develop fine motor, pre-writing and sensory motor skills and older children to develop writing skills and to learn strategies that enhance their attention. They also promote social, life and vocational skills.

Occupational therapists are able to work in different fields of practice and with different age groups in hospitals, schools, in the workplace and in the community. Occupational therapy enables people to live life to its fullest by helping them prevent disability or to live better after injury or disease. In addition, occupational therapy encourages wellness through a balance of healthy and meaningful life activities.

The Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Malta provides a four-year B.Sc. occupational therapy course leading to an honours degree during which students attend classes in anatomy, physiology, psychology, theory of physical and psychosocial dysfunction as well as advanced theory of paediatric practice. They participate in community projects and experiences and have clinical skills laboratories that provide valuable hands-on practice in a structured and guided environment. Students’ teaching includes lectures by local as well as foreign experts in different fields.

Following completion of an undergraduate degree one can go on to read for a Master’s degree and eventually a Ph.D. in different areas of study, some of which are paediatrics, geriatrics, mental health, work rehabilitation, drug abuse, hand therapy, oncology, assistive technology and many others.

Occupational therapists are a unique group of professionals who, as therapists, analyse each client’s strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan of action to ensure a functional and meaningful life for each individual. This degree is not one for the weak-hearted but for intelligent, smart, flexible and perseverant people. These will be tomorrow’s future therapists who will start and lead novel services and make a difference in other persons’ lives.

Being an occupational therapist gives me not only a very fulfilling profession and career but has given me numerous life skills that have helped me face life’s challenges. In a nutshell, becoming an occupational therapist means becoming an enriched and self-fulfilled person and a well-groomed professional. Occupational therapy is definitely the career to go for, a career worthwhile.

Occupational therapy is one of the major rehabilitation professions providing an invaluable service to various settings of health care provision. The aim of this profession is to enable persons of any age to achieve the abilities necessary to participate in all aspects of their life, which may include work, school, leisure time and the capability to take care of oneself, especially after having sustained an injury, disease or experienced mental health problems.

The four-year undergraduate degree in occupational therapy includes practical and theoretical courses spanning the biomedical sciences, medicine, psychology, health promotion, research skills, occupational therapy theory and practice. It is a degree programme that combines traditional science-based knowledge and humanistic disciplines with the aim of helping students develop skills to understand individuals holistically and be in the best position to meet the challenges provided by the various populations and client groups served.

The course programme reflects the broad range of concerns that the occupational therapy discipline covers and brings together a wide variety of interests from physical and medical rehabilitation, work with children in schools, community services, mental health and health promotion with individuals at risk.

Occupational therapy is a profession ideal for anyone who is interested in empowering others to achieve independence, competence, balance and self-fulfillment in their daily activities for a better quality of life.

Those interested can apply for course programmes online at www.um.edu.mt by Friday. For further information visit www.um.edu.mt/registrar/prospective/admissions/application_instructions_oct, www.um.edu.mt/courses/ or e-mail rene.mifsud@um.edu.mt or joanna.bellia@um.edu.mt.

The author is assistant lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences, the University of Malta.

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