Many OT vacancies unfilled

AS head occupational therapist in the psychiatric section of the Eastern Health Board, Orla O'Duinn's work involves the assessment of psycho-social functions. She looks at how an individual functions in everyday life.

A person's self-confidence, self-esteem and self-identity - these are the things she must assess. She also looks at ability to do tasks, to remember, to solve problems, to interact with others. "Then we plan treatment to remedy that," she says.

"The OT training is very broad and a lot of it applies across the board, but it does get specific. You learn how to treat specific disorders. The OT normally works as a member of a multi-disciplinary team."

There are 32 OT posts in the psychiatric section of the Eastern Health Board. However, O'Duinn adds, "not all of those are filled. There are a lot of vacancies. We are having a lot of difficulty filling them." At the moment O'Duinn, who is based in Raheny, is the only OT working in her catchment area - there are 10 in total within the Eastern Health Board.

There should be four OTs working in this area, but the three other posts are vacant. Throughout the country, she says, filling vacancies is a major problem.

Many foreign OTs have worked in Ireland. It is an ideal career for people who want to travel the world. "We've had temporary OTs working here from New Zealand and from Australia," says O'Duinn.