Program Overview

Occupational Therapy

The main goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in meaningful activities of everyday living, such as self-care, work, and leisure activities. By enabling people to engage in activities that hold meaning for them, occupational therapists aim to enable people to improve their day-to-day quality of life.

Overview of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists work in a variety of settings, including communities, hospitals, rehabilitation units, schools, universities, and reform centers. Examples of what occupational therapists do include:

• Adapting the home of an elderly person to make it easier and safer for them to use.
• Working with people with depression and schizophrenia using activities such as cooking a meal to foster a sense of achievement, develop personal skills, and facilitate successful experiences.
• Using play activities to improve the play and movement skills of children with cerebral palsy.
• Running life-skills programs that enable people with intellectual disabilities to develop skills such as budgeting so that they can live more independently in the community.
• Enabling people to select and effectively use equipment and appliances, including wheelchairs, dressing aids, computers, and other assistive technology, to increase their independence.
• Assessing the ability of someone with acquired brain injury to return to work and then modify that person’s work (the job itself and the workplace) to enable this, where possible, to happen.

Occupational Therapy Interventions

Occupational therapy interventions consider:

• The individual person – improving or maintaining their level of physical, cognitive (thinking), affective (emotional), and social ability.
• The occupation – examining the self-care, leisure, and work-related activities that people value in their daily lives and making changes to these activities so that they better meet the individual’s abilities.
• The environment – manipulating or adapting the physical environment so that it does not impede but, if possible, enhances performance; and influencing the social, cultural, and institutional environment in ways that enable people to live as independent a life as possible and reach their full potential.

Course Details

Awards

• B.Sc. (Cur. Occ.) Honours Bachelor Degree (NFQ Level 8)

CAO Information

• CAO Points: 543 (2024)
• CAO Code: TR054

Number of Places

• 40 Places

Admission Requirements

Leaving Certificate:

• H4 in one of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics/Chemistry, or Agricultural Science

Advanced GCE (A Level):

• Grade C in one of Physics, Chemistry, or Biology

International Baccalaureate:

• HL Grade 5 in one of Physics, Chemistry, or Biology

Additional Requirements

• Entrants will have to pass Trinity's health screening requirements.
• Students will also be required to undergo Garda Vetting.
• There is an additional cost for a uniform for practice education of approximately €120.
• Practice Education placements are a mandatory component of the program, and some of these placements may be located outside of the greater Dublin area, which may incur additional travel and accommodation costs that need to be borne by the student.

English Language Requirements

• All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language.
• Applicants to this course are required to meet Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements.

Course Structure

First and Second Years

The subjects studied in the first and second years include:

• The study of occupation
• Occupational therapy theories and interventions with people from children to older adults
• Anatomy
• Psychology
• Disability studies
• Research methods and statistics
• You will be required to be an active participant in your learning and to engage in both theoretical learning as well as practical-based learning as required for modules covering professional behavior and technical skills of the profession.

Third and Fourth Years

During the third and fourth years, you will further develop your knowledge of the theories, principles, and practice of occupational therapy; gain an understanding of health/social care systems and policies and of the importance of practicing in an evidenced-informed manner. In the fourth year, you will complete an occupation-centered project and modules incorporating leadership and critical reasoning.

Career Opportunities

As a qualified occupational therapist from Trinity, you will be well-equipped to pursue a very rewarding career working with people of all age groups in a wide range of service settings. The course is regulated by CORU, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council, and upon successful completion of the program, you will be eligible to apply for registration to practice as an Occupational Therapist in Ireland. In addition, the course has professional validation from the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI) on behalf of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, meaning the qualification has international recognition that may enable you to work as an occupational therapist abroad. Many graduates from the program are working in all parts of the world. Most occupational therapists, over time, develop specialized expertise in areas such as physical rehabilitation, mental health, hand therapy, intellectual disability, pediatrics, services for the elderly, and community occupational therapy.

Fees

For a full list of undergraduate fees, please refer to the relevant section of the university's website.