Our projects stem directly from our 2005 goals. We are doing the most we can with the resources available. If you would like to partner or assist us with any of the projects below we would welcome you with arms wide open.

Recruitment
The association is currently working with NGO’s and the government to raise awareness of the need to recruit qualified occupational therapists to fill vacant posts. We provide tangible assistance in advertising the existing needs and screening eligible candidates internationally and writing funding grants.
We have been working with a local school for children with special needs for the past 5 months facilitating the recruitment of a pediatric occupational therapist from the US. And now we are now eagerly looking forward to her arrival in April for a 2 year stay!

We also anticipate formalizing our involvement in recruitment for at least two hospital-based positions in the near future.

Participation at (ACOT) 7th Biannual Scientific Conference in Barbados July 7th – 9th 2005.
We are working on active participation of a delegation from TTOTA at the Conference. We are looking forward to making new friends and expanding horizons with our Caribbean colleagues.
July 7 - 9, 2005
The Association of Caribbean Occupational Therapists (ACOT) is holding their 7th Scientific Conference, in Barbados, West Indies.
This Biannual regional event hosts both Caribbean and International Occupational Therapists. Paper presentations will be made in the areas of Mental Health, Paediatrics, and Physical Occupational Therapy, as well as Research and Education in Occupational Therapy.

A professional workshop on Constraint Induced Movement Therapy will also be conducted.

Venue: Almond Bay Conference Centre, Barbados, West Indies
Cost: 2½ day Fee
ACOT Members US $ 90 BDS $ 175
NON ACOT US $150 BDS $ 300
Daily Rate : Allied Health Professionals US $ 50 BDS $ 100
For further information, please contact Christine Kumchy, ACOT Conference Planning Committee, at ckumchy@hotmail.com, Tel: (246) 425-7209, Fax: (246) 425-7347

Website

One of our main projects is this website! It is our main vehicle for communicating with OT’s locally and around the world. We’d like this communication to be 2-way so please feel free to send us your feedback and contributions (news, articles etc.) to build this site.

Newsletter

We want to promote occupational therapy as well as provide consumer information that will enhance the quality of lives of older adults and people living with chronic disabling conditions. Thus, we plan to produce a newsletter which will be distributed to doctors’ offices and vendor sites. The goal is to improve consumer safety in the use of assistive technology and durable medical equipment and to give the public information that will help them have satisfying lifestyles. We are seeking corporate sponsors and contributing writers for the newsletter and lots of feedback.

EDUCATION:

Schools Information Pack

The purpose of this pack is to introduce you to the profession of Occupational Therapy (O.T), and to give you some useful information and links on how to go about the process of training to become an O.T.

Your schools career advisor will be able to guide you through the process if necessary, but for further details, the Trinidad and Tobago Occupational Therapy Association (TTOTA) contact number and e-mail contact is included for you to contact us with your questions, and we will help however we can.

Content of Pack

1. What is Occupational Therapy?

2. Who is TTOTA? Who are our local Occupational Therapists?

3. List of useful links to help with your search on how to become an O.T.

4. List of contacts/information here in T&T to support with grants/scholarship information

What is Occupational Therapy?

Simply, Occupational Therapy is an integral component of all health care, educational, welfare, wellness, and social systems that support those with disabling conditions and the poor and disenfranchised members of our society. O.T.'s provide skilled treatment that help individuals of all ages achieve and maintain the lifestyles they aspire to and engage in occupations of their choice.

Services typically include:

• Individualised treatment programmes to improve one's ability to perform daily activities
• Comprehensive home and job site evaluations with adaptation recommendations
• Performance skills assessments and treatment
• Adaptive equipment recommendations and usage training
• Training and guidence to family members, teachers and caregivers
  
  We work in teams with one or all of the following: Doctors, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Psychologist, Social Workers and Support Workers (and other health related professionals, depending on the area of work). Naturally some of these roles overlap, but the thing that makes O.T.'s different is our use of ACTIVITY within treatment.

We work from a philosophy that ACTIVITY is integral and central to the well being of every individual, whether that is being able to brush your teeth, walk the dog or return to work. Activity is used as the primary therapeutic tool within O.T., and the nature of the activity is determined by the patient (or client's) disability/dysfunction, their identified needs and their personal goals. We call this a CLIENT-CENTRED approach using MEANINGFUL ACTIVITY. Each person is different, so the activity used therapeutically also differs from person to person. As O.T.'s we believe strongly that the client is the most important person when it comes to their rehabilitation and recovery, and therefore we work with the client at their pace to achieve the set goals, never racing ahead or jeopardizing the process.

Occupational Therapists are located in hospitals, clinics, community settings, day centres and schools.

At present there are only 5 O.T's working in government funded jobs, the others are working privately. This is why we need more O.T.'s in T&T, to reform the face of health care and to provide a 21st Century, quality service to every individual who requires health or social care. Proper delivery of quality health care cannot be achieved with such few

O.T.'s in Trinidad and Tobago.

What examples are there of people who benefit from O.T.?

1. Work-related injuries including lower back problems or repetitive stress injuries

2. Limitations following a stroke or heart attack

3. Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, or other serious chronic conditions

4. Birth injuries, learning and behavioural problems, or developmental disabilities

5. Mental Health problems, including Alzheimer's disease, Schizophrenia, and post traumatic stress

6. Substance misuse and eating disorders

7. Burns, Spinal Cord injuries, or amputations

8. broken bones or other injuries from falls, sports injuries or accidents

Who is the Trinidad and Tobago Occupational Therapy Association (TTOTA)

There are currently 5 O.T's working for the government in the country. There are 4 four working in hospitals (St. Ann’s Hospital, San Fernando General Hospital, and Scarborough General Hospital) and one (1) working at Princess Elizabeth School for Handicapped Children. There are two O.T's who work in private practice and one volunteer O.T assistant. We are therefore a very small group at present, but we are hoping that through the work we are doing to promote the profession, we will encourage young people to enter this exciting and vital profession. We aim to develop the local workforce of occupational therapists and thereby help to meet the health care needs of the wider population.

To get in touch with us at the association please call:
(868) 783-6179,
or
e-mail: nojar@hotmail.com or lesleygarcia@yahoo.com

We would like to offer support to any students who are particularly interested in becoming an O.T, and will endeavour to answer any questions you may have, if this information pack fails to answer.

How to become an O.T?

There are currently no programmes available to train as an O.T in the Caribbean (yet!). We therefore recommend that students who are interested in qualifying as an occupational therapist consider the following countries as viable options to train as an O.T:

United States
In the US the practice degree currently offered is at the Bachelors or Master’s level. By 2007 the entry-level practice degree will be the MS, Master’s of Science or MOT, Master’s of Occupational Therapy.
Individuals may also study at the doctorate level leading to OTD Occupational Therapy Doctorate in focused clinical practice areas, or leading to Ph.D in Occupational Science focusing on research/academia.
American College of Occupational Therapy: www.aota.org (click on "students" then go to "prospective students").

Write to: accred@aota.org or educate@aota.org for more information.

There is no centralised system for applying to study O.T in the U.S. Entry requirements and courses offered differ from state to state, and school to school. Please refer to the web site and e-mail specific questions about U.S courses to the AOTA.

Canada
In Canada the practice degree currently offered is at the Bachelors and Master’s level. By 2010 the entry-level practice degree will be the MS, Master’s of Science or MOT, Master’s of Occupational Therapy.
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy: www.caot.ca (click on 'contacts' and then onto university programmes')

There is no centralised system for applying for O.T training in Canada. Applications, courses offered and entry requirements differ from province to province. To apply, prospective students are required to contact the university directly (you will find this information on the web site on the pages highlighted above). The page on 'how to become an O.T' on the web site will also give some information about studying in Canada.

United Kingdom
College of Occupational Therapy:
www.cot.org.uk, app.req@ucas.ac.uk, +44 (0)845 60 60 655

Universities and Colleges Admission Service: www.ucas.com +44 (0)870 11 222 11

(All applications to U.K universities are made through UCAS)

Courses are 3 & 4 years full time, 2 years accelerated (for those with relevant first degree), or 4 years part time. A lot of students who study part time also work as an Occupational Therapy assistant, gaining more experience and assisting with finances along the way. Courses differ from each other in the nature of degree they offer, but generally the qualification offered is BSc (hons) Occupational Therapy. Requirements for each course and university/college will differ slightly, so it is better to check with the specific institution. Generally there is a requirement for 5 CXE's, grade C or above, and 3 'A' Levels, reaching 160 UCAS points minimum (please check the UCAS web site for details).

At the association we have O.T’s who have trained in both the U.S and the U.K, and we also have strong links with O.T's in Canada. Occupational Therapy courses are also offered in Australia, New Zeland, and various other places in the world. For further information on these courses, and on specific countries, please check www.wfot.org (World Federation of Occupational Therapy), and click on 'country profiles' for details.

Local information

Although no programmes exist in the Caribbean, there is a WFOT Caribbean representative, and a Caribbean Association of O.T who can be contacted via the following information:

Association Caribbean Occupational Therapists
c/o OTAJ
P.O. Box 8677
CSO
Kingston, Jamaica,
Caribbean
E: ckumchy@hotmail.com

President: Pauline Watson
Contact Person: Christine Kumchy

WFOT Delegate
Christine Kumchy

Occupational Therapist
Psychiatric Hospital
Black Rock
St Michael
BARBADOS, West Indies,
Caribbean
T: +246 425-7209
T: +246 425-7347

We have compiled here a list of useful links that may help with your personal search of any questions you may have about O.T:

For local information regarding studying in the U.K, please try the following contacts:
www.britishcouncil.org/tt

British council Education Corner,

Adults Library

1st Floor,National Library,

P.O.S

Also e-mail Jenny Atherton on enquiries@ukesc.co.uk who is the local representative for U.K training.

For local information regarding studying in Canada, please try contacting the Canadian embassy based in P.O.S. They have a library which can be accessed by members of the general public, and they will support you with any questions you have. The National Library in P.O.S on the first floor (adults library) also has information on studying in Canada, ask at the front reception for assistance.

For local information regarding studying in the U.S, please try the U.S education and library facility in P.O.S (opposite the U.S embassy). They are open between 1.30 and 4pm daily and will provide information required regarding studying in the U.S.

Grant and Scholarship information

There are a number of routes to access funding to study at home, and abroad. Here are a few options which may be fruitful. You may want to investigate elsewhere as well, as there are new grants and scholarships emerging all the time, and so the following list is by no means exhaustive:

www.dfid.gov.uk (for shared scholarship schemes)

www.rhodes-caribbean.com (for Rhodes scholarship)

www.studentmoney.org

www.scholarship-search.org.uk

www.scholarships.com

www.fastweb.com

www.guaranteed-scholarships.com

www.college-scholarships.com

The list really is exhaustive, so it is better to get advice specific to your needs and search from there.