Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)

Occupational therapy is a client-centred health profession concerned with promoting people's health and wellbeing by enabling people to participate in their daily occupations and activities of everyday life. Daily occupations include self-care, work, education, play, leisure, social participation and sleep. As the World Federation of Occupational Therapists explains, this is achieved by working with people, families, organisations and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the daily occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their occupational engagement.

This internationally-recognised course uses a combination of traditional and scenario-based learning methods and teaching techniques. You will develop expertise in working cooperatively to seek out information and apply your learning to situations relevant to occupational therapy practice. Your studies will draw from the disciplines of occupational science (the study of humans as occupational beings), as well as the biomedical, behavioural and social sciences.

You will begin your study with foundation units in occupational science, anatomy, physiology, psychology, inter-professional education, understanding health and occupational therapy practice. You will then develop and apply this knowledge to the assessment and intervention processes used by occupational therapists when working with clients, families and groups. Fieldwork education in various practice settings will provide further opportunities to apply your knowledge and skills, while appreciating the relevance of ongoing learning in the context of supervised health service delivery.

You will also undertake fieldwork placements in second, third and fourth year of the course, and some inter-professional education during the course. The latter involves working with students enrolled in other health science courses around structured academic content focused on mutual understanding, collaboration and teamwork. In the final years of the course you will undertake either an honours research project or a participatory community practice project.

The course is located on the Monash Peninsula campus where the teaching, research and community focus of the campus is on health and well being. Your clinical and professional skills will be further developed through time spent working with students enrolled in other health science courses (i. e. nursing, physiotherapy) enabling you to experience interdisciplinary service delivery and inter-professional education.