Occupational therapy in Sweden and our member association

Occupational therapy in Sweden and our member association

Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists, 2011 Graphical design: Gelinda Jonasson Photo: Colourbox

Our member association The Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists (FSA) is an independent, non-political and non-denominational association of occupational therapists. FSA, which is both a professional organisation and a trade union, handles professional and training issues, monitors political developments, salaries, collective agreements, and questions related to professional development and formation of public opinion. FSA is a member of the Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations (Saco) (www.saco.se). FSA has almost 10 000 members, whereof more than 120 have been awarded their PhD degree, about 10 are Professors, about 60 are doctoral students, about 50 are council certified specialists, 600 are in leading positions, and about 1 000 are students at the entry level training. Only 4 % are male, meaning there is a strong female overrepresentation. 90 % of Sweden s Occupational Therapists are members of the Association, perhaps because the strength of FSA is based upon professional fellowship and the competent representation of its members. The General Council, which is the top FSA decision-making body, meets every other year. Between General Council meetings, the Association Board is responsible for managing the running of the Association. The Board consists of the president and eleven delegates, of whom one is a student representative. FSA has a local substructure consisting of 28 local branches, each with its own board. The Student organisation has its own board as well. Our association also has different councils, groups and committees representing members from different working areas. 3

Short OT history of Sweden In the 19th century occupational therapy, as it was later to be called, was used mainly in mental institutions. By and by it came to be applied in most hospitals and for most clients. In 1940 occupational therapy began being used for clients with war injuries. In 1944 the first course in occupational therapy was started by the Red Cross hospital at the initiative of Countess Estelle Bernadotte, who was herself an OT. The first Swedish Association for Occupational Therapists was formed at the end of this course. In 1952 the World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) was inaugurated in Liverpool and Sweden became a member. In 1965 the first three-year OT education, initiated by the Swedish Parliament, was started. In 1977 the education was elevated to institutes of higher education, and in 1993 university studies were introduced. In 1989 FSA became a member of the Council of Occupational Therapists for the European Countries (COTEC). The combined association and union of today, was created in 1979 and is playing an important role in the decisions made by the ministries and Government regarding the occupational therapy profession in Sweden. Education & research Swedish occupational therapists receive their training at eight universities and institutes of higher education; Luleå, Umeå, Örebro, Stockholm, Göteborg, Jönköping, Linköping och Lund. Annually, about 370 occupational therapists qualify. Most schools offer master and research programmes. All programmes are approved by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT). FSA offers a specialist training course for occupational therapists. FSA publishes a member journal called Arbetsterapeuten. Our association also arranges courses and studie circles for our profession. FSA together with the other Nordic occupational therapy associations, publish the scientific and international journal Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy (SJOT) (www.informahealthcare.com/sjot). 4

Inga-Britt Lindström grant award In 2010 FSA established a Grant award in the name of Inga-Britt Lindström, who has been the president of the FSA in 1970-2008. The grant is offered to individuals or teams from countries where occupational therapy is under development. Application guideline and form is available on our website. The subject We have defined the subject Occupational Therapy (in May 2002) as follows: The subject of occupational therapy concerns the doings of humans as they are expressed in the context of socially and culturally defined activities. The subject of occupational therapy is the knowledge and science of how resources in the individual, the environment, and activities interact and promote participation in life situations. The knowledge and science also includes applying preventive and therapeutic measures with the aim of promoting daily life satisfaction. Professional issues Nine out of ten occupational therapists in Sweden, work for health and hospital services. They work in a variety of settings including geriatric care, disability, and physical illness hospital care with the County Councils, in primary care, in regional hospital care, with social services caring for those with learning disabilities, in adult and paediatric rehabilitation, in psychiatric in-patient and out-patient care, assistive technology centres, penal institutions and at the Labour Market Institute. Occupational therapists base their work on scientific and proven methods and a large store of clinical experience to promote their clients ability to lead a meaningful and purposeful life in accordance with their occupational needs and wishes, and in relation to the demands of the environment where they live. From general point of view, the client does not need any referral for meeting an occupational therapist within primary care in Sweden. The client can take direct contact with an OT or the client can also be prescribed by a physician or other colleague in the team. However, at some clinics there are local rules for this. 5

Professional duties Occupational therapists must attempt to combine professional duties in an ethical and discerning manner with respect for the rights of the people concerned. Occupational therapists exercising their profession are placed under the supervision of the National Board of Health and Welfare. The purpose of this supervision is to superintend quality and safety of medical care and to prevent the risk of injury to clients. FSA has aided the National Board of Health and Welfare in preparing Descriptions of professional requirements of Occupational Therapists (2003)*, detailing the tasks that occupational therapists are expected to perform (can be downloaded from our website). The purpose of the descriptions of professional requirements is to establish the fundamental demands of professional skills that the Board requires of an occupational therapist. The members of FSA are, in reference to the statues of our association, obligied to work according to our Code of ethics (2004, will be revised in 2012)*. Further, support regarding work related ethical issues might be obtained from our ethical council. The Quality policy of FSA (2011)* is the base of continuing improvement of the occupational therapy field. In this policy the quality council is instructed to initiate and develop methods to describe, measure and improve the quality of the work area. These both documents constitute important support for occupational therapists during education and competence development. To apply for license Occupational therapist is a protected professional title in Sweden (registered occupational therapist). To work as an occupational therapist you must apply for a Swedish professional license (registration) at the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) (www.socialstyrelsen.se). * The documents can be downloaded from our website: http://www.fsa.akademikerhuset.se/om-forbundet/other-languages/ 6

International co-operation FSA is a member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) and the Council of Occupational Therapists for the European Countries (COTEC). FSA also collaborates closely with the other Scandinavian occupational therapist associations. 7

Planiavägen 13, Box 760, 131 24 Nacka, Sweden, + 46 8 466 24 40, www.fsa.akademikerhuset.se