OTBA, OTA and OTC Flashcards
Summarise the key distinctions between OTA, OTBA and OTC.
Occupational Therapy Australia’s (OTA) core mission is to deal with leading the profession, guiding standards of practice and knowledge dissemination.
Objectives include raising the standards of education and practice, promoting the profession to key stakeholders and developing competencies which underpin practice.
OTA provides a range of services to its members and especially welcomes membership from students across all years and new graduates.
OTA networks with other national occupational therapy professional associations both in Australia and internationally with strong national links to Indigenous Allied Health Australia, Allied Health Professionals Australia, Speech Pathology Australia, Australian Physiotherapy Association, Australian Hand Therapy Association and Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Associations.
Occupational Therapy Board of Australia (OTBA) functions include:
1. Registering Occupational Therapy practitioners and students
2. Deciding requirements for registration
3. Developing standards, codes and guidelines for the profession
4. Approving accreditation standards and accredited programs of study
5. Overseeing the assessment of overseas trained practitioners who apply for occupational therapy registration.
6. Considering and making decisions on notifications (complaints) made against registered practitioners.
Occupational Therapy Council of Australia (OTC)
OTC develops and reviews accredited standards for occupational therapy education. These standards outline what is expect of educational providers (University’s) that deliver occupational therapy education and are regularly reviewed through extensive consultations to ensure they reflect contemporary practice.
The second core role of the OTC is to conduct assessments of internationally qualified practitioners to ensure they meet competencies relevant to practice as an occupational therapist in Australia.
Why do OTA, OTBA and OTC each have distinct roles?
OTC OTBA OTA
OTC focuses on what is taught to students in places of study such as University. They also compare overseas qualified OT’s in order to asses whether or not their competencies are relevant to practice in Australia.
OTBA serves as the middle man by registering OT’s domestically and internationally. They also deal with any complaints against registered practitioners. Ensures current practitioners engage in professional development activities throughout their career to ensure they maintain their competence and provide safe and effective health services. Practitioners are expected to participate in interactive learning with others along with recording and reflections of professional development activities.
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OTA connects AU OT’s internationally and domestically along with playing a role paying attention to current education, raising the standards and promoting the practice.
The OTA shares knowledge and informationwith student members by providing each member with access to the journal and magazine, regular updates via online e-news and access to the member only section of their website where professional resources can be obtained. Other member services include but are not limited to mentoring programs for qualified occupational therapists.
