Occupational Therapy

Hi, my name is Clarrie and I have just finished my first term in the Master of Occupational Therapy (OT). I was accepted into this program through the undergraduate Bachelor of Health Sciences/ Master of Occupational Therapy program.

So far, I have really enjoyed my time in the Masters program! It has been really satisfying being able to utilise all my work in my undergraduate degree whilst being able to use all I learnt through the practical learning we do in our topics. I feel that studying the undergraduate program has definitely helped prepare me for postgraduate study. I think its because I was exposed to lots of the  information we are now revisiting in Masters. The placements were also quite valuable and allowed me to underpin that knowledge in an applied learning style. I believe this is absolutely a critical component to the course.

Placement Experience

This year my favourite experience has been the observational placement completed at the Flinders Medical Centre. In the placement you shadow a current practicing OT and get exposed to what a day would usually look like.

This placement experience was invaluable to me, I got to learn so much about how an acute OT workplace functions. Some key things I learnt include:

• The different roles an OT can have within a hospital
• How an OT interacts with clients
• Managing caseloads, and prioritising
• Clinical knowledge around assessments

One of my favourite experiences of the placement was the afternoon I got to spend in the hand therapy ward. OT’s would work with clients who have experienced trauma related to their wrist and hand, helping to get them back to full function. I got to help make splints for clients to help keep their hands in certain position and was also allowed to interact with the clients during their sessions. Apart of this meant I was able to help them with passive movements in the hand to maintain range of motion and promote muscle recovery.

The Future

Going forward I’m excited to continue my learning in the Masters Program. Future placements are especially exciting where I’ll be given even more responsibility and be allowed to perform my own assessments and therapy sessions with clients. I have applied to do my placements in either Darwin or the Northern Territory. Getting chosen would be an incredible experience because it would provide exposure to a completely different side of  the OT practice from my time at Flinders Medical Centre.