La Trobe University Master of Occupational Therapy Practice Overview

La Trobe University’s Master of Occupational Therapy Practice program in Australia aims to give graduates from another discipline a professional qualification in occupational therapy.  Students will develop knowledge and skills in assessment and intervention, the therapeutic use of occupation and the adaptation of environments.

Students are expected to demonstrate by the end of a course that they can:

• Critically analyse and apply occupational, biopsychosocial and cultural understandings in order to plan, implement and evaluate occupational therapy practice in diverse and changing contexts.
• Integrate and apply diverse understandings and strategies to support occupational participation, health and wellbeing among individuals and communities.
• Critically analyse research evidence to enable knowledge translation for ethically informed and evidence based occupational therapy practice.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with professional and non-professional stakeholders using advanced verbal, non-verbal and written skills.
• Exercise personal autonomy and collaborative decision making in the application of professional knowledge and skills in a range of health related contexts.
• Critically reflect on learning and practice using digital literacies and appropriate technologies to support continued personal and professional development.

The course comprises 70 weeks of coursework (35 weeks per year). You will enrol into 120 credit points per year.

Clinical Work Experience

Whilst studying Occupational Therapy, you will complete a total of approximately 1000 hours of placement and service learning throughout your course.  Your first placement will be in the second semester of Year 1 when you will undertake one four week placement.  This is followed by one eight week placement in each semester of Year 2 as well as a ten week project placement.  La Trobe’s professional practice placements occur in contexts such as mental health services, busy acute hospitals, custodial environments, community agencies, schools and rehabilitation centres. Students will experience working with people of different ages, recently acquired and long-standing health needs, and interventions that focus on the person, their occupation and the environment.

Entry Requirements

Applicants require a bachelor’s degree with an overall grade average of 65%.  Applicants will also need to prove that they have completed the following pre-requisites:

• Human Anatomy
• Human Physiology

**Successful applicants without prior study in anatomy and physiology at an appropriate level must successfully complete the La Trobe University-approved anatomy and physiology bridging course.

Professional Recognition

La Trobe University’s Master of Occupational Therapy Practice course is accredited by Occupational Therapy Australia and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.  Graduates  of the Master of Occupational Therapy Practice at La Trobe University may be eligible for membership of the Australian Association of Occupational Therapists (AAOT).

Students wishing to register in Canada should contact the Canadian Association for Occupational Therapists.  The CAOT helps those who want to work in Canada to understand the requirements for registration.

KOM Consultants understand the process and requirements needed to enter the profession in Canada. Contact KOM Consultants for more information

All students applying directly through KOM Consultants will be supported with the latest information on the accreditation process.