Occupational Therapists are in high demand in Ireland and across the world and September 2024 will see students enrolling in a new Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy programme at the University of Limerick. This brings the number of professional qualification programmes in the Republic of Ireland to five – showing the demand and need for occupational therapists in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. Details of this new programme are available at Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy | University of Limerick (ul.ie)
One growth area is that of Occupational Therapy within school settings. AOTI, and in particular, our Children and Young Persons Advisory Group, has been advocating for the advancement of occupational therapy services within schools in Ireland and in June, we received the positive news that the Department of Education will establish the Educational Therapy Support Service. This service will include the appointment of occupational therapists and speech and language therapists to the National Council for Special Education. This new development will see a therapy advisor appointed to assist with the development of this new role within Irish schools and importantly, a funding pathway for occupational therapy service delivery. More details about the Educational Therapy Support Service are available at gov - Ministers Foley and Naughton announce the establishment of an Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS) (www.gov.ie)
Celebrating the great work of occupational therapists in paediatric settings, AOTI awards the Eva Duggan Award to projects that demonstrate innovative and life-changing paediatric occupational therapy practice in Ireland. The 2024 award has been won by Miriam Crennan, Senior Occupational Therapist in Kilkenny, for her coaching intervention for parents and caregivers to use supportive strategies to support children with sensory processing difficulties to accept oral hygiene activities and attain skills in this important life domain.
The AOTI Seating and Posture in Occupational Therapy Advisory Group also achieved great success in the publication of their publication: a Position Paper on Wheeled Mobility and Seating Devices. This paper outlines the importance of equitable access to wheeled mobility and seating services and how these services are vital to supporting and enhancing the active and equal participation of all people in society. The paper also provides recommendations on the establishment of high-quality services in this clinical area. Please contact the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland if you would like to see this paper.
Finally, we would like to encourage WFOT members from across the world to contribute original research to the Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy. The IJOT is an Open Access journal, indexed on CrossRef, DOAJ, EBSCO, ProQuest and SCOPUS. The Editorial Team is seeking submissions of original articles that will add to the knowledge base of occupational therapy and enhance evidence-based practice. Papers relating to research, education, theory, practice or professional developments using qualitative, quantative or mixed methods are welcome. Submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process and should not have been submitted for publication elsewhere. Please see Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy | Emerald Publishing (emeraldgrouppublishing.com) for the Author Guidelines and submission links.