Norway National OT News Archive
News from Norway, 2018
The Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists, Ergoterapeutene, keep on promoting occupational therapy. We promote occupational therapists as a key profession to assure a sustainable health care system by supporting participation and inclusion in society through occupation. This is eliciting resources both for the individual person as well as for the society. We meet with ministers, secretaries of State and members of Parliament to promote how OTs can meet core challenges related to the ageing population, mental health issues, non-communicable diseases and work participation.
Last year the Norwegian government passed a new law to ensure that all Norwegian municipalities will offer service from an occupational therapist as from 2020. Therefore, the OT positions in the municipalities have increased accordingly.
Ergoterapeutene has, in close collaboration with the six Norwegian OT programmes, developed and published the Core Competency of Occupational Therapy. Based on national welfare and health challenges in Norway, on updated models and theories of OT, it documents how the OT profession meet these challenges. This makes a solid common platform to promote our profession.
For some years Ergoterapeutene has promoted and implemented reablement where OT has a central role. Most Norwegian municipalities have by now included reablement as a part of their free health care services. The Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists is now putting a priority on our role within work participation and vocational rehabilitation, seeing our role in the adaptation of workplaces, supported employment and individual placement and support as central in the future.
Our strategy to promote occupational therapists as resource-oriented problem solvers for the future seems to be very fruitful.
News from Norway, 2017
Occupational therapy growing in Norway
In October 2015, the Norwegian government decided that occupational therapy needs to be a part of the primary health care in all the Norwegian municipalities, by the year 2020. This is going to be defined by law. This policy development is a result of targeted advocacy and argumentation from the Norwegian occupational therapy association, but also a result of the many examples of good work done by occupational therapists doing reablement in the municipalities.
About 100 Norwegian municipalities do not provide occupational therapy today. The Norwegian association is now actively working on getting the municipalities to see that there is no reason to wait until 2020; they should hire occupational therapists now. We argue that occupational therapy provides sustainable health care and that we help find resources in the person itself – and in that way free resources in the health care system. We are happy to say that occupational therapy lately has been the fastest growing occupation in the Norwegian municipalities – in percentage.
Through advocacy, occupational therapy has become more visibly present, both in the media and in Norwegian policy. The Norwegian association is now being invited to join forums that we earlier have had to work our way into.
The Nordic collaboration has been a big part of the recent Norwegian success. Both the Swedish and Danish associations have generously shared their experiences in working with reablement, and this has provided the Norwegian association with necessary knowledge during advocacy. The collaboration continues as we plan our annual Nordic meeting in August, this time in Iceland.
The Norwegian association recently achieved its 4000th member, and our organization continues to focus on growth, promoting occupational therapy and making sure our members have working conditions and salaries that reflect the valuable effort in making everyday life possible.
News from Norway, May 2016
New legislation secure Occupational Therapy as a part of the Community Health Services.
In 2015 the Norwegian Government made a suggestion that The Parliament should pass a new legislation where several Health Professions were included as a part of the Community Health Services. Among those were not the Occupational Therapists.
After months of hard lobbying by the Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists, we succeeded in October 2016, when a majority of The Parliament made it clear that they would overturn the proposal and also make Occupational Therapists as a statutory part of the Community Health Services.
Still great interest in Everyday Rehabilitation (reablement)
The reform shifting responsibilities and health tasks from the hospitals to the communities together with a growing number of elderly persons have been the backdrop for the systematic work from the Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists, on the implementation of reablement. Everyday rehabilitation or reablement is implemented in the communities, while the person live at home. The focus is on activity and participation, which implies a growing demand on occupational therapists competencies.
In 2011 everyday rehabilitation was unknown in the Norwegian communities, in the model it is carried out today. The key to the model is that OTs, PTs and rehabilitation-nurses are the drivers and motivators to the helpers carrying out the day-to-day rehabilitation. In April 2016 140 or 1/3 of the Norwegian communities have implemented reablement-teams. In May 2016 several research studies was published, all documenting the effect of everyday rehabilitation.
It all started with a multidisciplinary project on everyday rehabilitation, lead by the Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists and financed by the Ministry of Health. The association has arranged a large number of courses, given lectures around the country, run courses in COPM, published books and systematically used social media to spread the word.
Large changes in Ergoterapeutenes organization
In autumn 2014, the congress of the Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists, decided on substantial changes in the organization. Our 19 regional sections merged into six regions, and the board was assembled in a new way. The aim was to create more activity and keeping the organization tight and close. So far, it seems that we have succeeded in reaching the aims.
World Occupational Therapy Day The last four years the World Occupational Therapy day has been celebrated in Norway on the 27th of October. Before that Norway had another date for this celebration. In 2016 hundreds of students and occupational therapists were celebrating the day on close to 40 locations.
News from Norway, September 2012
Great Interest in Everyday Rehabilitation
The Coordination Reform and the rising number of elderly have lead to a great interest in Everyday Rehabilitation in 2012. Everyday rehabilitation is carries out in the communities, while the person lives at home. The focus is on activity and participation, which implies a growing demand on Occupational Therapists Competencies
The Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists is leading a interdisciplinary project on Everyday Rehabilitation, financed by the Ministry of Health and Care Services. The project is concluding the first step in a report in October. The engagement, involvement and professional pride is growing among in all parts of the organization. Thework in Norway is inspired by the experiencies from Denmark and Sweden in general, and the Danish cities Fredericia and Odense in particular. The Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists is also coordinating our efforts with our Danish sisterorganization.
World Occupational Therapy Day 2012
The planning has started in Norway. The Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists and the OT-program at Oslo and Akershus Univercity College are jointly celebrating their 60 years anniversary on the day before the World OT Day 2012. On the World OT day, the students in all OT programs will be involved, as will the regional groups of the OT association.
Occupational Therapy Competencies
The process of describing Occupational Therapy Competencies in Norway has started. Thecompetencies will be described in the context of local challenges and politics, and in the two levels of general competencies and special competencies. Several changes in the local context influence the demand for Occupational Therapy Competencies, with a health reform and demand for innovation in care as the core topics.
The Norwegian Congress of Occupational Therapy 2013
The Norwegian Association is planning for the next Congress of Occupational Therapy 2013 in Oslo. The organizing committee is currently working on the program and the profile, with the overall focus on community based occupational therapy.
News from Norway, June 2011
General assembly
The Norwegian Association of Occupational Therapists arranged the 23. general assembly in November 2010. Mette Kolsrud was reelected as President and Nils Erik Ness was elected as Vicepresident. The program, by-laws and budget forms a solid basis for intensified focus on professional and political work for the next four years.
The Norwegian Congress of Occupational Therapy 2013
The Norwegian Association is planning for the next Congress of Occupational Therapy 2013 in Oslo. The organizing committee is currently working on the program and the profile, with the overall focus on community based occupational therapy.
Guidelines on Assistive Technolog
The Norwegian Association has published Evidence based Guidelines on Prescribing Assistive Technology. The aims of the guidelines are to ensure equal prescriptions and evidence based practice in the field of assistive technology. Target groups are occupational therapists, occupational therapy students, users of assistive technology and professionals in the systems of administering the assistive technology.
Occupational Therapy Competencies
The process of describing Occupational Therapy Competencies in Norway has started. The competencies will be described in the context of local challenges and politics, and in the two levels of general competencies and special competencies. Several changes in the local context influence the demand for Occupational Therapy Competencies, with a health reform and demand for innovation in care as the core topics.
The Health Reform
The Health Reform focus on public health and prevention, and on moving some of the tasks done by the hospitals closer to the homes of the patients. The reform has resulted in changes in the laws and regulations on health care. In general, The Norwegian Association applauds the reform, with its focus on public health, prevention and community care