Final Year Exam Papers ......(1983)

 As we welcome new students to their occupational therapy career and our final year students begin to look towards life away from the institution and into professional practice I thought I might share my  exam papers from my final year of training in 1983! Here in the UK this was, at that time, a diploma course and the exam was set nationally across all occupational therapy schools. What strikes me most is the language/terminology used and the very practical nature of the questions. There was little expectation of using theory to underpin answers or indeed references to support statements!

If you click on the photos you should be able to enlarge them, but to give you a taster here are some of the questions. Could you answer them?, o

Occupational Therapy for Pyschiatric Disorders and Mental Handicap

* Describe the assessment procedure you would use for the selection of patients for a group home. Outline a possible training programme for the selected patients.

* Describe how you would use TWO of the following activities:

      a) music to improve communication skills

      b) pottery to improve task performance skills

      c) art to improve group interaction skills

Occupational Therapy for Patients with Medical and Surgical Disorders:

* How may the community occupational therapist contribute to the management of a young mother who has multiple sclerosis?

* Write short notes on how TWO of the following activities can be used to improve hand function:

            a) stool seating

            b) gardening

            c) wrought iron work (metal craft)

Communication and Management:

* Unnecessary wastage costs money. Where might such a wastage occur in an occupational therapy department? Discuss the methods by which these may be reduced.

* Write a short report for your Head of Department on the possible uses of

                    EITHER: a) a microcomputer

                      OR        b) a video system.