In-service training for hospitals and rehabilitation centers

On May 11, 2023, as part of the UKROTHE project, an all-Ukrainian webinar "Involvement of occupational therapy student interns into the organizations that provide educational, social-medical, rehabilitation and psychological support services" was held for student internships places. The event was held with the financial support of the European Commission under the Erasmus+ program.

The webinar was attended by organizations, practice bases for students, from various regions of Ukraine, which are interested in involving occupational therapist students in their activities. Among the participants were both practicing occupational therapists and professionals working in educational, social-medical, rehabilitation institutions and psychological support institutions, and so far had no experience of cooperation with occupational therapy specialists.

The speakers of the webinar were occupational therapists from the "Modrychi" Medical Rehabilitation Center, Veronika Tokmakova and Vira Koval, Sr. Onufria Bachynska, as well as Anna Kilas, project manager and facilitator of the practice base at the Charitable Foundation Caritas of Sambir-Drohobych Diocese, and Halyna Yadzhak, project manager of the Charitable Foundation "Caritas of Sambir-Drohobych Diocese". During the webinar speakers had presented information and their experience in implementation of the occupational therapy.

The partner universities of the Ukrothe Project presented their activities on the development of an occupational therapy educational program in Ukraine: Ivan Franko Drogobytsk State Pedagogical University (Natalia Zakalyak, associate professor of the department of physical therapy, occupational therapy and health), Khmelnytskyi National University (Inna Soltyk, associate professor of the department of physical therapy, occupational therapy) and the Dnipro State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports (Serhiy Rokutov, head of the department of physical therapy, occupational therapy).

The participants had the opportunity to be better informed about the occupational therapy specialty, the areas of involvement of occupational therapists, and a detailed list of institutions that can accept students of this specialty for practice.