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Hi, I am in my last year completing my OT degree and am contemplating doing my dissertation around OT interventions to support health and wellness in young emerging adults, especially since Covid 19. It is not an area I am familiar with but it does interest me as my own son has suffered with his mental health since the pandemic, and he has received little to no support due to his age. Does anyone work in this field or are able to point me to good research around OT interventions that can help this age group find their purpose , build resilience and manage their depression and anxieties. Or ways to increase social connectedness so their feel less isolated. Thank you.

Hi there. I currently am employed by a mental health trust doing an apprenticeship and found out that my first placement is at another mental health hospital within the same trust. I didnt expect to be given a placement within the same setting that I currently work in. Would this limit my scope of practice once qualifying as an OT? TIA😊

Hi all, I wondered if you could share what your average day as a mental health occupational therapist looks like. Thank you in advance

Hi I am about to finish my counselling degree and I would like to complete my msc OT 2 year course to work as a mental health Ot. Has anyone done this? I am also a trained advocate in my other role. Any advice welcomed. I am hoping to apply to Essex University

Hi, I am currently studying for my MSc in Occupational Therapy and am completing a dissertation looking at caregivers' burden from OTs' perspectives. Please get in touch if you are interested in engaging or please share the word to anyone who may be :)

Excellent condition (2nd edition, 2000). Location London, UK. Please DM what you'd pay as well as your location so we can calculate postage and packaging.

Condition as shown. Location Liverpool, UK - please DM with you’d pay for the item and your location so that I can calculate postage. Thanks

Hi I am in the United States and I'm looking to pursue a college degree in occupational therapy. What are some classes I should take or textbooks I should read.

Hi everyone, I've met a lady with MS who is looking to add some assistive technology to her home. Cheep or expensive, doesn't matter. Her most prominent symptom is fatigue, so anything that would assist with this would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks.

Hello everyone! I'm a fellow OT Student from Vienna. While browsing the forums I came across a couple concepts that I couldn't quite figure out. Can somebody please explain what a degree apprenticeship is? What's the difference to a regular degree program ? And also what does an OT Assistant do? In Austria we don't have this role as far as I'm aware. Looking forward to any insights :) Thanks a lot, Julia

Hi. I'm at that moment in my life that I finally found courage to follow my dream and passion. I'm not even sure if I'm in the right place to ask, but I'm reaching out. I'm 44 years old, done loads of different jobs through my entire life but just recently my path led me to a role as a carer. And I've found myself for the first time in my life. I've been caring for a gentleman with MND and had an opportunity to take him to his hospital appointment with wheelchair services. What I saw there, how his new wheelchair is being tailored and built from scratch to suit his needs, that was absolutely amazing . All that problem solving and thinking outside the box. And of course being able to help another human being. Problem is I'm from Poland. I have absolutely no knowledge about education in UK and don't have any idea where and how to start. If anyone would be able to share some knowledge or their experience I would be forever grateful. Kind regards Bartek

Hello ☺️ My name is Jacqueline and I am currently in my first year of studying occupational therapy. Since I started studying and our field of work has often become a topic of conversation, I have noticed that there are many people who know someone who has done occupational therapy or even they themselves. I was very pleasantly surprised by this. Now I would be very interested to know what your experiences are in other countries? ☺️ Do you have the feeling that occupational therapy is becoming better known and what our goal is? In our country, occupational therapy is relatively expensive and often has to be financed privately, which is a shame as it is often not used even though it is needed. How is it handled in other countries, is occupational therapy also cost-intensive in your country and do clients have to bear the costs themselves? I look forward to your feedback! Kind regards From Vienna ☺️

Hey I'm studying Ot in Vienna since September 2023. Since I'm pretty new to University and studying OT, I'm not pretty sure how to explain our future profession in a few sentences especially in englisch. I know it's such a broad field but I'd love to summarize it in just a few sentences. Something that make it easy to understand but catch peoples interest with just a few words. Thanks in advance!

Hello! I am a first year OT student from Austria and I am wondering how the OT training in other countries looks like, so maybe you want to exchange your experiences with me :-) In Austria you have to study Occupational Therapy at university, it takes you 3 years and you finish with a bachelors degree. Before you can study you have to do two tests. First a written test where you have to answere some anatomical basic questions (in latin) and learn anatomical vocabulary before. They also check your logical thinking (like folding some dices in your head, finishing some templates, etc.), language skills and some social skills (i.e. there is a multiple choice test where they describe a situation like "another student starts crying, how do you react?" and you have to choose an answer like "a. I ask what's wrong and try to calm them down" "b. I tell them to stop" etc.) When you pass this first test you are invited to a talk with a teacher from university. They ask you why you want to study OT, check if you actually know what OT is about and explain what the education looks like (so you do not start to study something that turns out to be completely different from what you expected). If everything went fine you are one out of a few lucky ones to be able to start OT. Where are you from? How long takes your training and what do you have to do to study OT?

Hi all! I'm about to start an OTD hybrid program in less than a month (January2024) and I would love any advice on how to be successful in school or even some words of encouragement! Thanks!

Hi everyone. I wonder if anyone has had experience of fitting slings for children sleeping in a sleep system, such as the Symmetrisleep? It seems impossible to roll to fit the sling so the only option seems to be to remove the system and replace it when putting the child back to bed. This might happen several times a night so would be too unsettling. If anyone has any suggestions or experience I'd be most grateful, Thank you, Helena

Hello, I am looking to source a bike suitable for a child who does not have any fingers to grip handlebars or pull brake leavers. Struggling to find a supplier that offers a solution, so any advice would be appreciated!

Excellent, near new condition. $50 the lot or $15 each. Based in South Australia.

My name is María N Gomez, and I'm excited to share that I will be visiting Miami. As part of this trip, I am keen to connect with local occupational therapists for academic and professional exchange. I am the director of the Instituto de Higiene Postural, part of the company Healthy and Independent, with over 20 years of experience in training and advising on Moving and Handling. During my visit, I would love the opportunity to: 1. Spend some hours at your workplace to observe and learn from your practices. 2. Discuss potential collaboration opportunities, including the possibility for you to visit and experience our work in Spain or the UK. This exchange is a fantastic opportunity for mutual learning and sharing of best practices in occupational therapy. If you are interested in connecting, please feel free to reach out to me. I am looking forward to meeting fellow professionals and expanding our horizons together.

My name is María N Gomez, and I'm excited to share that I will be visiting Clombia. As part of this trip, I am keen to connect with local occupational therapists for academic and professional exchange. I am the director of the Instituto de Higiene Postural, part of the company Healthy and Independent, with over 20 years of experience in training and advising on Moving and Handling. During my visit, I would love the opportunity to: 1. Spend some hours at your workplace to observe and learn from your practices. 2. Discuss potential collaboration opportunities, including the possibility for you to visit and experience our work in Spain or the UK. This exchange is a fantastic opportunity for mutual learning and sharing of best practices in occupational therapy. If you are interested in connecting, please feel free to reach out to me. I am looking forward to meeting fellow professionals and expanding our horizons together.

I wondered if you could offer some advice. I am an OT working in the Acute setting, we complete hoist assessments with patients on the inpatient wards using the deluxe hammock slings (CA701) from Care Ability (which is the manufacturer used by our equipment company), with the Arjo midi mobile hoist. Previously the hospital offered the service of washing the slings so we could use them again for further assessments. However, due to a change in their machines they can no longer provide this service. I am looking to see if there are any disposable slings which are an exact match to the Care Ability slings so that we can accurately measure and risk assess the patient for the correct sling to be prescribed for using in the community. As an interim measure we are ordering slings for next day delivery to the hospital however this is costly, especially if it is not the correct sling and has to then be returned and also delays our assessments. I have enquired with Prism Medical and they advised they don’t offer the CA701 in a disposable fabric and their universal disposable slings are not an exact match. Any advice or ideas as to how you go about assessing for hoist slings in the acute setting would be great

Hi Im about to do a Case Based Oral exam and i want to use the Creek OT process, i am finding it difficult to find evidence to critically discuss why i am chosing this over say OTIPM or Kawa model. Any advive/guidance really appreciated :)

Hello! I am currently a second-year student in the U.S. I was assigned acute care and school-based OT for my level-II fieldwork sites. Any advice or resources to look at for either setting? Thank you!

Hello, I am a student in an MSOT program, and I’m taking an advocacy class and would like some help from the community with an assignment regarding integrated healthcare. My group and I have done some research and noticed that our local government has an integrated health strategy, however it doesn’t have much momentum in our state as not many primary care offices have OTS in our area. We understand that as an OT, we can provide services to educate patients, work on symptom reduction strategies by helping manage various I/ADLs, work, leisure, sleep, and med management skills. These skilled OT services can help prevent/manage many chronic conditions, promote health, and increase independence for many people. Despite the potential benefits, we have not seen many ( or any) PCP offices that focus on integrated healthcare that include OT services in our area. We would love to gather the perspectives of OTs who are practicing (and aspiring to practice) in a PCP office to learn more about the pros/cons of integrated healthcare, the demand for integrated healthcare in your state, your experiences in the field, and what can be done to increase awareness to incorporate OTs in the integrated healthcare model

Does anyone know what "Treatment Diagnosis" your setting uses when treating psychiatric conditions. The question was raised by our organizations leadership whether "Psychological Impairment" actually implies that the OT is diagnosing a Psychological Issue. They posed other wording such as "Social" or "Coping" Impairment." Any thoughts?

Hello, I'm an occupational therapy student in Georgia (country) and I'm planning to focus on working with a community struggling with addiction for my final project. I'm seeking advice from experienced individuals who have expertise in this area. I believe that occupational therapy can make a significant impact on the lives of those dealing with addiction, and I'm eager to learn from those with practical experience. Whether you've worked in clinical settings, community outreach programs, or any other context, your insights would be invaluable to me. I have a few questions I'd love to hear your thoughts on: 1. What strategies or interventions have you found most effective when working with individuals facing addiction challenges? 2. Are there any unique challenges or considerations specific to this population that I should be aware of? 3. How do you go about building trust and rapport with these individuals and their families? 4. Do you have any recommendations for essential resources, tools, or training that have been particularly helpful in this field? I truly appreciate your time and expertise in advance. Your contributions can help me make a meaningful impact during my final project and, in the future, in the lives of those we aim to assist.

I am researching the different types of outcome measures occupational therapists use in learning disability services and want to consider the strengths/ weaknesses of implementing different outcome measures. Would be great to hear from anyone on what outcomes measures they use in LD services. Thank you

I am an OT working in a newly created virtual ward post in the UK (NHS). Has anyone got any experience working in virtual wards? How is it for you? I would love to hear your experiences and feedback.

I have just started working as an OT is the newly formed Social Care Autim Team. A real gap in provision has been identified for young people aged 18-25 who have Autism or autistic traits but no learning disability. Just wondering if anyone else is working in this area, or is aware of contacts in your area so that we can share practice?

Hello! I'm an OT who has worked for many companies and different populations. And I feel I'm ready to start things on my own and pick up some private patients. However I'm terrified and have no clue to where to start! My biggest fear is doing something improperly and not having the proper policies/procedures in place to protect me. As I'm aware some families can be unhappy no matter how hard you try. Looking for ANY advice or even a mentor who is willing to meet with me ( which I would be eternally grateful for). I'm very confident working with geriatric patients in manual handling, Neuro/stroke, positioning and adaptations. Hand and splinting. Major trauma and spinal. And also have just started working with children with ASD/ADHD. SO I'm hoping to help a wide range of patients. Yet again, happy with any advice on where to start. Thank you all 😊

Hello! My name is Yi-Lin, and I am searching for Occupational Therapists from around the world who are currently in a coaching/mentoring/educator role. I am wanting to build a network of like-minded clinicians so that we can discuss current practice, any new articles or research of interest, and also what is currently working in their setting or what has not worked in the past! For some context - I am an Occupational Therapist in New Zealand. I have recently commenced a newly established role at a rehabilitation hospital here (mainly with older adults but there are exceptions). My role is developing and implementing a coaching environment - particularly supporting new graduate Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapists returning to practice after a break in their career, and any international Occupational Therapists coming to work at this particular hospital. The other part of this role is with supporting our Allied Health Assisants and ensuring that they're working to the best of their potential. It's just me doing this role, so I would love to have some other contacts, and even better if people are from around the world as we can easily get stuck in our own little bubble here in New Zealand! I would love to hear from you if you are or have been in a similar education role or if you are keen to find out more, even if it's a general chat about Occupational Therapy here in New Zealand. Thank you! Yi-Lin

A Community Forum for sharing practice experiences, advice and support, in a time of change and occupational adjustment... As the global community reacts to the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians, service users and the public are having to adjust to new ways of living and working. In an uncertain climate, occupational balance, engagement and participation will be inevitably affected. Whilst fundamental to slowing the spread of the virus, social distancing and isolation are also likely to impact on physical and mental health and well-being... Occupational Therapy Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic - WFOT Public Statement: 'The COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on the lives, health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities worldwide... As a profession, we recognise the consequences and changes that are occurring in how people access and undertake their occupations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include, but are not limited to: accessing resources, activities of daily living, communication, mobility, social isolation, displacement, mental health and wellbeing. Occupational therapists understand the vital need to access and use infection control measures, combined with the need to sustain good psychological, mental health and stamina in order to stay safe and healthy. Occupational therapists will be working with people to develop strategies to facilitate continued access to their occupations. These will include, but will not be limited to: individual, family, community, social and environmental adaptation, mental health, assistive technology and telehealth.' > Read more from the World Federation of Occupational Therapists In the spirit of care and collaboration, The Occupational Therapy Hub offers you this dedicated space for open dialogue, on themes such as (but not limited to): Adapting occupational therapy practice Adapting occupational therapy education and studies Supporting specific client groups Coping strategies, to offer fellow colleagues or those you support We invite you to engage below, in discussions that have the potential to support you and others, worldwide. All the best, The Occupational Therapy Hub Team hubteam@theOThub.com

Online journal clubs in medical field have been active for quite some time now (medicine, radiology and nursing to name a few). However, only a couple of regional online Occupational therapy journal clubs have been active. We at The OT hub with the privilege of having a global community , are pleased to introduce an Open Access Online Journal Club . For those who don’t know what a Journal club is or how it functions, here is a short description about it. The WHAT, HOW and WHY A traditional journal club is a group of individuals who meet regularly to discuss critically the clinical applicability of articles in current medical journals . They were usually facilitated by a leader who selects a relevant article, prepares some learning points for discussions ahead of the meeting and guided face to face discussions with the participants There is an over hundred years of unrecorded history for journal clubs in medical education. With a history of over a century, Journal clubs have acted as a powerful education tool. Traditional journal clubs evolved in healthcare to encourage scholarly activity and research awareness through reading and discussion of journal articles. Traditional Journal clubs however face challenges of scheduling participants and facilitators, recruiting local experts and having a limited local impact. As Occupational therapist or perhaps this applies to any healthcare professionals, we are faced with the problem of keeping abreast with the rapidly enlarging volume of contemporary medical literature. With the advent of modern digital technologies, online education and learning is proving a boon for us as we are constantly pressed against time. Also not to forget, the need of the hour for our profession right know is incorporating Evidence Based Practices. Research has proven that Journal clubs are an effective method for improving the evidence based practice knowledge and skills. HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT An open access article will be selected once every two months. The topic and article would be of the host's/facilitator's choice, details about the reviewed article will be posted in the Journal club section of our community forum’s page. The club will then be open for discussions , learning and participation. If you are interested in becoming a facilitator,reviewing an article and leading discussions in the club feel free to contact us. Also if you wish for us for include your research papers/articles in the club. Send us a link /pdf ( It should be an open access article if published in any journals). Or simply leave a comment below and we will get back to you. Stay tuned and Namaste for now. Charmi Shah Community forum lead from Mumbai ,India The OT Hub team