Frequently Asked Questions about the Master of Occupational Therapy

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The Students view (unofficial) about our course (from all of us, MOT 2000) - This would be published (hopefully in AAOT newsletter soon)

"As students of the Masters of Occupational Therapy (MOT) course we are faced with the prospect of having to justify our level of competence to fellow health professionals and clients. Many of us have experienced the curiosity and skepticism form the OT community who questions both the duration and content of the course. This is a large challenge that must be addressed.

Although we entered this course with a degree that was 40% relevant to occupational therapy we felt there was a lot of pressure to cover a large amount of information into a short space of time. However, as the course progressed we quickly realised that there was no intention to fit three or four years of learning into two. Instead the course uses the maturity, diverse educational background and life experiences of the students to develop the individual skills and values, which are critical to occupational therapy.

Based on a problem based learning approach the course incorporates case studies, electives and fieldwork experiences in which we have the opportunity to develop realistic perspectives of the occupational therapy practice, to explore theoretical approaches and formulate specific management/intervention plans. As a result, the course includes a good balance of theory, practical skills and fieldwork (1000 hours), so that we as students can develop effective problem solving and clinical reasoning skills.

As a result of this learning approach we are a class of students who think critically about theory and treatment approaches. Enhancing this critical philosophy is our diverse educational backgrounds, which are no doubt as diverse as the field of occupational therapy. The independent learning component of the course has taught us to value the opportunity of utilising resources, to value our learning experiences in terms of occupational therapy capabilities and most importantly to develop a team work approach to problem solving.

Therefore, from this course will come practitioners who understand the importance of clinical reasoning and are well prepared to justify the value of what they do and why they do it, which is essential in any health care setting. The field of occupational therapy can only benefit from a course that applies such a dynamic educational approach to students who are focused to learn, resourceful and determined to improve their capabilities in becoming competent occupational therapists."

The above comments was made available through your contributions (you guys out there). Thank you once again for putting the efforts into this!

Frequently Asked Questions (The Official answers) about the Master of Occupational Therapy - Professional Entry Degree

Here are the answers!

1. Why is the Uni. of Sydney MOT a Master degree rather than a Bachelor degree?

	A Master degree requires advanced and critical use of theory
	The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) meets university requirements for Master level study

2. How do you get from a Bachelor of Arts to become an OT via the MOT?

	To enroll, the student would need to have completed 40% of BA subjects in areas relevant to OT e.g. may have studied psychology, sociology, anthropology, research methods. They would also take electives an anatomy and physiology during MOT studies.
	If the application does not meet the 40% relevance criteria, they can complete 1st year of the BAppSc(OT) & then transfer to the MOT.

3. How do MOT students and graduates use their first degree?

	40% of the subjects from the first degree are directly relevant to OT
	All problem-based cases in year 1 require students to consider their previous studies and to answer: "what do you know already that will help you to deal with this PBL case?". This requires active use of prior learning by students & graduates.
	Students have developed sophisticated study skills during their first degree, which are built on in the MOT.

4. How can 4 years become 2 years of professional education to become an OT?

	Students begin the MOT with 40% relevant content knowledge - equivalent to at least 1 year of study
	The MOT course has been reconceptualised to account for advanced study abilities & information search & critique skills
	Focus is on course outcomes and on necessary professional practice abilities required by all OTs

5. How much theory and what kind of theory do MOT student learn?

	OT theory and theory relevant to health, is included in every PBL case (case studies)
	Broad coverage of many OT theories including OPM (Australia), COPM, MoHO, Occupational Science, and others specific to different disability and ability groups, contexts, problem areas
	As Master students, theory is required to be used appropriately, critically, and the reasons for its use explained clearly

6. Do MOT students think they get enough fieldwork? How do Fridays on campus during fieldwork contribute?

	Yes, there is enough fieldwork. The course incorporates the required fieldwork to meet WFOT standards
	On-campus days are used to attend fieldwork-related seminars, use the library, consult with lecturers about fieldwork related case study assignments, and to de-brief about fieldwork learning experiences, integrating theory with fieldwork

7. What do MOT students think about their course?

	"This course teaches you that when you come across a client that has a problem that you may not have dealt with before, that you will have the skills to know how to deal with this as well as how to access the information that will help us to deal with this problem?"
	"we learn to delve deeper and learn the process behind it, so that later on, the process becomes more automatic when practicing [occupational therapy]".

8. Will MOT students be ready and competent to practice after their 2 years course? Will they be different from graduates with a Bachelor degree?

	Yes, graduates are ready to practice as the end of the MOT, which is accredited by AAOT & WFOT
	All students complete the fieldwork required by WFOT and AAOT
	To successfully complete the course students must demonstrate OT professional competencies (AAOT, 1994)
	MOT graduates have sophisticated abilities in the critical use of theory to underpin their practice, in team work, in program evaluation and research, in information searching, and in understanding factors affecting delivery of services.

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