It was opened in 2009 as the first occupational therapy undergraduate department in Turkey, within the body of Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences, with the aim of training "ergotherapists".
Occupational therapist, sensory, motor, cognitive, psychological and psychosocial performance of the person; is a health personnel with professional autonomy who makes occupational therapy evaluations for the activities performed by people and their environment, plans and implements occupational therapy interventions person-centered and evaluates the results.
Occupational therapists work to improve health and well-being through meaningful and purposeful activities, and to ensure independence and social participation in daily life activities, for people of all age groups with physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, developmental or emotional problems, and for disadvantaged people excluded from society.
While preparing the training program of the department, the standards of the European Occupational Therapy Higher Education Network (ENOTHE) and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) were taken into consideration.
Accreditation studies of the undergraduate program started in 2009 and the training program was approved by the World Occupational Therapy Federation to cover the years 2012-2016. Member of ENOTHE since 1996 and WFOT since 2012.
The purpose of the occupational therapy undergraduate program,
Objective 1. Graduates of Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy, gain knowledge, skills, experience and awareness during their undergraduate education in order to gain independence, quality of life and social participation of disabled, elderly and all disadvantaged individuals through participation in activities. Graduates are involved in community-based health and rehabilitation services such as community mental health centers, community health centers, wellness centers, municipalities, schools, workplaces, as well as institutional health services such as hospitals, special education and rehabilitation centers, palliative care centers, nursing homes, vocational rehabilitation centers. , or they can be employed in various fields at universities or they can work as entrepreneurs in their own institution. Factories, workplaces, schools, etc., by applying protective approaches to prevent mental health and musculoskeletal disorders in healthy people. They receive training so that they can work in the fields.
Aim 2. Graduates of Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy gain life-long education skills in addition to the education they receive within the scope of the program. They provide continuity in their professional development through graduate studies in various fields, participation in congresses, workshops or conferences, or training certificates in different fields.
Purpose 3. Graduates of Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Occupational Therapy, can work in national and/or international institutions and organizations in Turkey with individuals and groups of all ages, different cultures, and different disadvantaged groups. For this purpose, the training program is organized in order to be continuously developed, to be measurable, to have it approved and to ensure the continuity of the approvals obtained through the connections established with international professional organizations.
The Department of Occupational Therapy has also been providing postgraduate training in Occupational Therapy at the master's and doctorate levels since 1996.
In order to enter the Occupational Therapy Department, after completing high school education, it is necessary to get enough points in the MF 3 score type in the National LYS (undergraduate placement) exam.
It is necessary to complete a total of 240 ECTS course credits during the four-year undergraduate education.
Department students, sensory integration, oncological rehabilitation, pediatric rehabilitation, vocational rehabilitation, low vision rehabilitation, geriatric rehabilitation, ergotherapy in psychiatry, community mental health, driver rehabilitation, home rehabilitation, public health practices, ergotherapy in schools, ergonomics, back and neck health, virtual reality etc. education, research and application units, drama, music, animation, dance and movement therapy workshops and different field studies, they have the opportunity to practice the theoretical education they received in the 2nd and 3rd year summer internships and final year internships.
Students carry out their professional practices related to the comprehensive education they have received under the supervision of assigned instructors. Students who continue their master's and doctoral programs in the programs of the department can also benefit from all laboratory facilities and take part in research and projects.
Under the leadership of the Occupational Therapy Department, many national and international congresses, seminars and courses were attended, research projects were carried out, books and research articles were published. The 2006 organization of the European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education meeting, which is one of the most important scientific events in the field of occupational therapy, was held at Hacettepe University by the academic staff of the Department of Occupational Therapy.