Occupational Therapy

This statement should be no longer than one page and should outline your reasons for applying to study occupational therapy, what you hope to gain from it, and should include a brief statement concerning your suitability for the program.

You’re welcome to send in as many course outlines you feel are applicable to your occupational therapy program application.

Reference letters are not required, although Monash University does require referee contacts for its occupational therapy program.

Anything above a 75% cGPA is considered competitive for OzTREKK’s listed occupational therapy programs. If you have lower than a 65% cGPA, we would not recommend applying.

The national professional body is the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) OzTREKK encourages all students to connect with the regulatory body of their province. Generally, students need to accumulate 1,000 hours of fieldwork as a part of their program. Most programs are also generally recognized by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. If students don’t have the 1,000 hours, they can still apply but will need to go through an additional process called an “Academic Equivalency Review.”

Students must apply to the Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations (ACOTRO) to have their credentials assessed by a process called “Substantial Equivalency Assessment System” (SEAS). The assessment is designed to confirm coursework quality and includes a competency-based assessment to ensure applicants can practice occupational therapy. The assessment includes four sections:

• Academic Credential Review (done by a third party) – WES does a Credential Evaluation Report
• Profession-specific Credential Assessment – transcripts and curriculum
• Jurisprudence Admissions Test – knowledge of the Canadian health care system and other legal aspects of practicing
• Competency Assessment – a day-long “interview” similar to an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)

Once complete, SEAS sends a report to the province in which the candidate wants to study and when successful, the student will write the National exam (required in all provinces except Quebec).

The cost is approximately $3,100 (and may vary depending on a student’s situation) + $200 to $300 for the Credential Review. The Ontario registration can take up to 30 days and everything before registering in a province would vary, depending on a student’s preparedness.