An Occupation Focused Curriculum For Having an Occupation Based Curriculum is it Necessary to Teach Activities?

Background The current curriculum of the Occupational Therapy Program of FH JOANNEUM in Austria uses a therapeutic bottom-up approach. This method corresponds with the occupational therapy process performed in many... [ view full abstract ]

Background
The current curriculum of the Occupational Therapy Program of FH JOANNEUM in Austria uses a therapeutic bottom-up approach. This method corresponds with the occupational therapy process performed in many institutions. Viewing the macro, meso and micro level influencing the professional tasks of Occupational Therapists as well as the paradigm shift the necessity of an occupation-based approach in education is shown.

Educational Philosophy
Based on the lifespan of humans as “occupational beings” and the client-centred philosophy, the new curriculum is based on CMOP-E (Townsend & Polotajko, 2013) and additional frameworks. To unleash the therapeutic potential of occupations, students have to discover and identify this potential by “doing, being, becoming and belonging” (Wilcock, 1999).

Educational Approach Used
Occupational therapists have to be able to create new ways of performing occupations – with and without adaptions. Theoretical input about meaningful occupation and principles of occupation-based interventions are the foundation. In addition, our students view themselves as occupational beings, they perform, analyse and adapt typical and age-appropriate (Austrian) occupations. They assume diverse personas – the role of a scholar, a teacher and a researcher by using different medias or doing projects in different settings.

Application to Education/Practices
The practical implementation, concerning the course work and the placement will be the real challenge of the program. Further we are looking forward to an intensive discussion with the members of the profession about the changed content and the educational approach. The new curriculum will start in 2017.