Occupational therapy jobs and courses. Occupational therapist jobs, career opportunities, news, articles and events.

Australian researchers are investigating the role occupational therapists play in providing dietary advice to mental health clients.

University of Canberra and University of Newcastle researchers are examining whether occupational therapists have enough support to provide diet and lifestyle advice, and will explore the types of advice provided and the limits to their advice.

With poor diet a contributing factor to high rates of obesity and related disorders in people with severe mental illness, occupational therapists work to provide healthy lifestyle interventions, including dietary change, to mental health clients. Read more…

Occupational therapist Alison Hardman was walking the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea with a colleague when a discussion came up about a not-for-profit organisation that works to repair bodies and rebuild lives.

Six years later, the Melbourne OT, who specialises in hand therapy, has visited Bangladesh four times, where she has volunteered her time to train local occupational therapists to assist patients in the aftermath of reconstructive surgery. Read more…

When occupational therapist Brooke Taylor saw a gap in the market for experienced allied health professionals to provide health consulting services, she decided to take the leap.

Eight years later, Brooke heads up one of Australia’s leading injury treatment management companies, employing 110 allied health professionals, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists, across the eastern seaboard of Australia.

Brooke’s venture Injury Treatment assists organisations to prevent and manage injuries and illnesses and also works to rehabilitate and return injured workers to the workforce. Read more…

The Central Gippsland Health Service (CGHS) has embarked on an innovative traineeship model to boost its allied healthcare team while increasing Koori representation within its workforce.

Faced with a skills shortage for qualified allied health professionals, CGHS is supporting 6 Aboriginal people with Allied Health Assistant (AHA) traineeships, covering disciplines such as occupational therapy, social health, dietetics, physiotherapy, speech pathology and podiatry.

The 18-month traineeship project for Indigenous people, which is supported by the Victorian Department of Health’s Closing the Gap Fund, has been heralded a success. Read more…

When can a person recovering from a stroke get behind the wheel of a vehicle?

New South Wales OT Janet Frith knows the answer and wants to gauge the knowledge of other health professionals on the issue.

The Maitland Hospital OT and University of Newcastle Masters student is conducting an anonymous online survey as part of her research titled – Shifting Gears: Returning to Driving After Stroke.

It comes after her earlier research found only around 50% of stroke survivors were receiving information about when they could return to driving, in compliance with nationally legislated and recommended clinical guidelines. Read more…

The roles of psychologists, speech pathologists, audiologists, occupational therapists and other allied health professionals who provide services to autistic children could be threatened following changes to the criteria for diagnosing the condition.

Following the release of the 5th edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a guide used by psychiatrists worldwide, a new test may find many children, who previously may have been diagnosed as autistic, now classified under the new “Social Communication Disorder” diagnostic category. Read more…

Vivienne Williams is an occupational therapist that loves helping kids reach their potential.

Working as an OT for the past 14 years, Vivienne has her own private practice, Kids Matters OT in Brisbane. The practice is dedicated to working with children with special needs, including sensory processing disorders, autism, behavioural, motor coordination issues and emotional problems. Read more…

Most people wouldn’t know that ‘hand therapy’ is a specialised field of occupational therapy until they themselves are injured.

Then again, Alison Bennett, a Perth occupational therapist, believes most people have little knowledge or understanding of occupational therapy.

“I think the biggest challenge that faces OTs is the lack of awareness of who we are and what we do,” Alison said. Read more…

A book designed to help occupational therapists, speech pathologists and other allied health professionals better assist families with members diagnosed as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder has just been released.

The book, titled Working with Parents of a Newly Diagnosed Child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Guide for Professionals is the product of University of Queensland Professor Sylvia Rodger and Australian Catholic University Professor Deb Keen. Read more…

Brisbane occupational therapist Jody Mills has returned to her homeland of Africa to serve four months as a volunteer OT aboard the worlds largest private hospital ship, the African Mercy, assisting burn patients from the nation of Togo.

Jody’s role as a hand therapist involves assisting in the rehabilitation of plastic surgery victims recovering from severe or functioning burns contractures, through exercises, splinting, compression garments and scar management. Read more…