It is a couple of years since the profession of occupational therapy was
established. But the aspect of professional development and networking has
dragged behind.
In this 2007 edition Newsletter we would like to portray the
need for development of the occupational therapy profession and
Networking.
We hope when you read and get the message eventually it is
anticipated you will act rightly.
From all of us from the editorial team, lets meet in Zanzibar and enjoy your reading
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The past decade has seen indigenous Ugandan trained OTs struggle
like their sister professionals to join one of the most enviable
ministries in the land as service providers. Although the rate at which
OTs have been joining ministry of health as workers has not been very
impressive I still appreciate the various stake holders for their efforts
in the growth of the profession. The purpose of this article however, is not to enumerate the numbers of
Occupational Therapists who have found their way into Public Service or
any other service for that matter. Many challenges do face new innovations
world over with no exception to emerging professions. I would like to address myself to the fact that we as OTs need to map out a way(s) of establishing mechanisms that will see us a limb ladders in our profession. It is devaluing for someone to remain a junior OT for over 10 years. OTs most realize that nobody can spearhead the struggle for professional development but its OTs themselves. There is an old adage that nothing for us without us. Indeed we have been reminded time and again by ministry of health through disability and rehabilitation desk of how much they are on our side and busy doing everything humanly possible for our progress.This however remains to be seen especially now that we do not have any of our own at the desk representing our interest from an informed point of view. In Uganda, it is said that no woman worth her name can fight for the betterment of her co-wife. profession. |
I know this is bound to raise a lot of uproar
but for the sake of debate it should be known that many of our
“representatives” at the desk are actually people who have taken it upon
themselves to think that occupational therapy is their rival.
This article can never be complete without thoughts on mechanisms that I think will see OTs progress in professional hierarchies first and foremost OTs must not only do what they are trained to do but also be seen to do it. Whatever we do should be documented. This will help us argue our case even where we are not. Secondly, we need to form partnerships both within and out side our ranks. This may mean addressing our issues with colleagues, NGOs, Politicians and anybody influential. Like any other profession, those OTs who have managed to serve as OTs without necessarily seeking greener pastures else where or in other fields of their newly acquired qualifications should be appreciated. Last but not least UAOT should press ministry of health to streamline the process of establishing more senior posts of OTs especially in Regional Referral Hospitals and National Referral Hospitals. This will go a long way in enhancing professional development. By Samuel Ouma Occupational Therapist Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital Email: Samuel _ [email protected] |
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Occupational therapy school is one of the 12 Mulago Paramedical Schools. It is one of the five JAB (Joint Admission Board) Schools in Mulago Paramedical. This means that its admission criterion is based on JAB, selection. That is after one has obtained 2 good principal passes at A-level in Science subjects like Biology, Physics and Chemistry. The OT school staff has been undergoing hectic time in reorganizing school curriculum to fit semester regulations. This was a prerequisite for the OT school to be affiliated to Makerere University. I am happy to report that affiliation of OT school and other 6 Mulago paramedical schools to Makerere University was done last year in August 2006.Other schools are Medical Radiography, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory Technology, physiotherapy Anaesthesia and Ear Nose & Throat. This means that the admissions and examinations will be approved by Makerere University. Furthermore Makerere University will be responsible for awarding diplomas to the graduates in the affiliated schools. The remaining challenge is to get the OT school staff who have a minimum of bachelors of Science in OT as a basic qualification to teach in school. OT school has been undergoing regular discussions with the University of Cape Town South Africa on modalities of future collaboration. The University of Cape Town (UCT) is to help OT school in Uganda start a bachelors of Science degree in Occupational therapy or having a masters programme at UCT that will cater for a diploma graduate from OT school in Uganda. Collaboration is in the area of research. The UTC staff will identify areas of interest that will be communicated to Occupational Therapists in Uganda. Then UCT will provide resources that will facilitate those who will be engaged in research work. The collaboration is aimed at promoting evidence based practice and cordial relationship between the two institutions.
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Occupational Therapy school is receiving 2 teachers for teacher/student exchange programme with Karolinska Institutet of Sweden. The planning visit by Swedish teachers took place late year October – November 2006. A reciprocal planning visit was carried out by the principal of OT school in Uganda during spring (April 2006). The first turn of teacher exchange will be carried out by 2 teachers from Karolinska Institutet during January and February 2007 for 3 weeks. The teacher from OT school in Uganda is scheduled to go to Sweden for three weeks during May – June 2007. After that period students exchange will begin. Many thanks to Linnaeus-Palme exchange programe through SIDA for funding the activities. OT school currently has the following number of students: 3rd year 19 students including one Foreign student – 4 females – 15 males, 2nd years students are 14 students comprising of 3 females – 11 males, 1st year students are 13 and all are males. The total number of OT students for three years is 46. Those who graduated last year were 8 out of the 11 comprising of only one female. One of the graduates was a Kenyan. Staff in the School There are 3 full time teaching staff in the school; Mr. Kamwesiga Julius Ag Principal Mr. Mubangizi Andrew-Tutor Mr. Beene Richard –Tutor One of the staff – Mr. Bamusubire Kennedy is in Health Tutors College for pedagogical training. He is destined to complete his studies this year October. We unfortunately lost one of the staff who died last year in March, late Moses Owere Katek (RIP). By: Julius Kamwesiga [email protected] |
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This Article is intended to emphasise the relevancy of networking in professional development. For quiet some while some occupational Therapists in Uganda work in “isolation.” This trend in a relative way limits the development of the profession, job opportunities and exposure for present and future occupational therapists (OTs). In today’s world all roads are pointing to wards having a global village that means oneness in all what is happening and thus OTS should not miss any opportunity to that effect. What are the benefits of networking? When occupational therapists open up and let other practitioners especially in the private sector know what we can offer, a variety of benefits are in stock, which include the following: ♦ Marketing the profession, where other partners in Disability and Rehabilitation work will get to know what OTS offer hence attracting more opportunities. ♦Tapping of potential job opportunities will also be on the agenda. More enrolment of students to OT school will also be possible . ♦Establishing new national and international linkages and partnership will be boosted |
♦ Sharing information will also be availed hence improving awareness, data and documentation of Good practices.
♦ Establishment of more referral points for clients will be an added advantage. When you work with other people, they get to know what you offer hence benefiting your clients
♦ Access to skills development opportunities shall also be in place; here you can have the chance to attend workshops of others hence expanding your capacity and efficiency. Therefore when the above benefits are in place surely the development of the profession will be certain and more avenues for upcoming occupational therapists shall open up.
My appeal therefore ladies and gentle men, its time to open up lets stop working in cocoons. When we let the outside world know our work, then “what we do shall market us better than what we merely say “
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Graduation of Mulago Paramedical Schools took place last year August. Occupational Therapy saw 20 Occupational Therapists getting their Diplomas. Most of these grandaunts are well employed in both private and public health units. To the profession this is a happy moment seeing students graduating and joining a force of Enthnastic professionals. Each year the OT profession is growing stronger both in terms of numbers and capacity. We need to effectively use these two important variables to develop our profession. By requesting OT, Physiotherapy Board to increase OT representation on Board, to promote professional awareness in many foras, support our profession association, increase our representation to many multi-disciplinary teams in various hospitals and to work hand in hand with Ministry of health disability section to create promotional service structure at National, and regional referral hospitals. The Ministry of health restructuring report 1997 puts OT services at health centre IV which is a district hospital. This means OTs need to create awareness and lobbying Districts for employment. Some active graduates of OT schools have used different lobbying strategies that have created employment for themselves in their home Districts, a case in point is Lira and Kiboga Districts. |
Others have started as volunteers in organizations that deal with people with disabilities (PWD) and have created a sustaining need in those organizations that they have provided free of charge services and eventually earning themselves formal employment. As OTs we are encouraged to use occupational therapy skills of being creative and innovative not only in client interventions but also in sustaining our lives too and developing the profession. We have seen many OTs enrolling in different universities as undergraduate different programmes. This is an opportunity for us and we argue them to use the new skills and knowledge acquired in their under graduate studies to enrich OT services in their respective work places and not to jump from the OT profession. The future of OT profession is bright and I would like to use these few examples to highlight them. As the world becomes a global village, these are many issues associated with it. Many developing countries are coping the life style of the western world. For Instance people no longer want to walk but drive, sit behind a desk and look at computer screen, take a escalators or lifts rather that steps , move around the office on a wheeled comfortable chair, shop in supermarkets than traditional open markets with fresh food. As a result of all this disability has increases due to RTA, high blood pressure CVA/stroke, heart diseases, cancers, Diabetes and all this is a fertile ground for medical rehabilitation in which OTs and other rehabilitation workers will take part. The medical model seems to be reducing superiority as infections reduce in the majority of elite population.
By
Julius Kamwesiga
OT school |
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Occupational Therapy is one of the multidisciplinary professions under the Allied Health professional’s council in the ministry of health. OT plays a big role in the rehabilitation of patients and their families with disabilities. OT as a profession is diverse and deals with the person’s physical, social, mental wellbeing by maximizing on their independence. OTs work with patients using locally available resources and activities that are meaningful to the patient and the family in order to improve on their quality of life. There is great need for OTS all over Uganda as a nation that is being diver stated by war, HIV/AIDS, road traffic accidents, malaria and so many other factors. From the last census in 2000 it showed that 10% of the 26million people in Uganda had disabilities caused by disease, war, HIV/AIDS etc. OT as one of the rehabilitation specialist plays a great role in aiding persons living with disability. The most common one being professional development, all OTs in Uganda carry a Diploma and not more than that, from the tutors in the school to the OTs in the field. This has lead to stagnancy of the profession and has caused demoralization among the OTs hence leading to diversion from the profession. |
There are so many hindrances to professional development and one of which is lack of funding. It has been realized that there are no organizations that support OT as a profession including government which gives scholarship, but none are given for the development of this profession. Uganda association of OTs as a body supporting OTs also lacks the funding to actually be able to support them in terms of support supervision, starting projects and even running meetings. OTs in the district and other organizations are not supported by the government and the organizations they are working in. Another reason for poor professional development is unknown grading of Occupational therapy according to the Ministry of health. Many OTs have been working for more than five years but, still just hold the title of just an OT. There is need for the Ministry to review the positions of OTs and grade them according to the grades of the ministry and have to expose the grading to various Districts regional hospitals, OT school, and the Uganda Association of OTs. The grading should be clearly drawn with the terms. It should also made clear whether the grades are just for OTs working in the government and were does that leave the OTs working in Non governmental organizations. There is also poor networking of OT with disability organizations and other organizations, so this also slows professional development because, the profession is not recognized and the need for the service. There is great need to have networking and collaboration with other organization, not just for professional development but, especially for the benefit of the patients and their families. The future of OT in Uganda is at stake and there is need for the OTs, government and other stake holders to wake up and fight for the good cause of this very relevant profession in Disability and rehabilitation. |
Just as any other profession OT also does face challenges.