Occupational Therapy Day

22 September 2000

An open afternoon is taking place at the West Suffolk Hospital on Thursday 5 October to mark National Occupational Therapy Day.

The theme this year is ‘Occupational Therapy as a career’. The Occupational Therapy Department will be open between 2pm and 4pm. There will be manned display stands from various physical and mental health clinical areas, including a careers stand. Invitations have been extended to local schools and colleges. Members of the general public, interested in pursuing a career in occupational therapy, will also be welcome.

The OTs will be targeting shoppers on Wednesday 4 October when they leave the hospital to man an exhibition stand in Cornhill Walk in the town centre, between 9.00am and 5.30pm.

There is a severe shortage of occupational therapists at the moment, estimated at around 23 per cent nationally yet the profession offers enormous opportunities for career development and endless variety. Occupational therapy welcomes career changes and more mature people as well as school leavers.

“As Occupational Therapists, we’re all looking forwards to explaining to visitors to the exhibition what we do”, said Pam Foreman, Senior Occupational Therapist.

“We are fortunate that we currently do not have a recruitment problem at the hospital. However, we still need to raise the profile of the profession to ensure there are enough OTs in the future to fulfil any new posts which are developed”, she said.

Editor’ notes

OTs work closely with other professionals such as social workers, physiotherapists, nurses and speech therapists. They treat people of all ages with mental and physical problems to improve everyday function and prevent disability. From adapting household products so the elderly can use them, to re-teaching people who have had strokes how to perform daily tasks. OTs are problem solvers who empower people to take control of their lives.