Professional competencies in occupational therapy work practice: What are they and how should these be developed?

Following the acceptance of South Africa’s first democratic constitution and subsequent Disability Equity legislation, publications in South African occupational therapy literature, although very limited, indicate that occupational therapists are ideally placed and uniquely skilled to deal with the implementation of legislation and to be key role players in the work place by facilitating employment for people with disabilities [1–4]. Occupational therapists are ready to seize opportunities for service delivery in the work place. After the implementation of Disability Equity legislation which has a direct impact on work practice service delivery, there was a flurry of activity in South Africa. Occupational therapists anticipated great changes in the field of work practice, and many workshops were presented in this field. Interest groups were established in many of the country’s provinces and a multi-disciplinary society was formed focussing on collaboration in the field of work practice. The University of Pretoria developed the first and only postgraduate diploma in Vocational Rehabilitation in South Africa. There was also a clear move from using “work preparation” to using the term “vocational rehabilitation”. Occupational therapists were being employed in non traditional employment settings, such as insurance companies, with an explosion of therapists entering private practices with emphasis on work practice service delivery. No longer did occupational therapists feel the need to explain who they were and what they did. Recognized experts in the field are frequently asked to address employers on the implementation of disability related legislation with guidelines on how to align work place services for people with disabilities. Occupational therapists flourish in the field of work practice and passionately share knowledge, skills and experiences. When I started out on my journey as an occupational therapist and was given the privileged opportunity of student training in vocational rehabilitation, I implemented strategies and course content based on my, at that stage, very limited experience. Experience was context based, so I extended my basis by working in various hospitals and entered into private practice networking with the “sisterhood” in work practice. Where at all possible, role models in the field where invited to address students, not only to share their knowledge, but to increase the network amongst occupational therapists and to encourage mentorship. One of my philosophies in teaching was to create a passion for the field of work practice as this would cultivate a life long learning approach to professional development and a hunger to improve knowledge and skills. And then the burning question? Perhaps rebellion? What do we as teaching staff need to teach? What does the practice demand of occupational therapists?