Warrnambool campus to address community healthcare needs with new Bachelor of Occupational Therapy

This onsite addition will complement the existing Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Social Work introduced this year, and work to fill the average 60 Occupational Therapist positions on offer at any one time across the Warrnambool region. (www.seek.com.au)

"Southwest Victoria is in dire need of healthcare workers across every stream," said Occupational Therapy Lecturer Lucinda Watson. "In the past five years, there has been a 38% increase in Occupational Therapy jobs nationally, and we've also seen very strong growth in Victoria's regional areas, with Warrnambool and the Southwest up by 70%. (*NERO Dashboard, Jobs and Skills Australia, Australian Government, May 2023).

We want to provide local school leavers with a one-stop-shop for those wanting to study healthcare and, importantly, then use those skills to serve their own community."

Currently, local Year 12 students wanting to study occupational therapy make the move to Deakin’s Geelong Waterfront campus to undertake the four-year Bachelor of Occupational Therapy.

"Not every student is ready to pack up and leave home when they finish high school," said Ms Watson. "I grew up in Warrnambool and didn't want to leave my family, but I didn't have a choice back then. I have since moved back to be able to educate our local students. Regional areas are often made up of generations of families, and moving to another region can be quite daunting. Plus, we lose that skillset."

Occupational therapy is a client-centred profession focussed on helping to promote independence for individuals with health issues or disabilities to engage in activities (occupations) that are meaningful to them. The course will prepare students to identify people's strengths and limitations, environmental and social supports and barriers, and the role these play in people's ability to participate in occupations meaningful to them.

Students gain the expertise needed to develop personalised, evidence-based intervention plans with people whose health and wellbeing is affected by issues including injury, illness, disability, or environmental barriers.

Occupations might include: succeeding at school, planning and cooking a meal, gaining or returning to work, re-engaging in hobbies, sport and other activities a person may want or need to do.

To address health workforce shortages in regional and remote areas of Australia, Deakin offers a range of entry pathways into courses at the Geelong and Warrnambool Campuses for occupational therapy. ​

Eligible applicants may receive up to a 10 aggregate point adjustment towards their entry. ​

Students enrolled at Deakin’s Occupational Therapy course can look forward to:

• More practice education opportunities (Students will undertake eight different placements throughout their degree from the first year, more than the minimum requirement of 1000 hours of placement)
• Links with the healthcare system and occupational therapists from the start of year one until the end of year four​

Director of Deakin Warrnambool Campus, Alistair McCosh:

"Deakin's Warrnambool campus is proud to be able to offer meaningful courses that correlate directly with what our community needs. The introduction of the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy here in Warrnambool will round out our considerable rural health study options."

For more information on the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, the OT team will be available at the Warrnambool campus Open Day on August 6, or visit: Bachelor of Occupational Therapy | Deakin