Ergotherapy

Hello, I'm Tuana Harman. I am a senior student at the Department of Occupational Therapy, Gulhane Faculty of Health Sciences, at the University of Health Sciences. Occupational therapy has goals such as increasing the social participation among healthy people and increasing the quality of life, while ensuring that the person participates in daily life activities and self-care in a maximum and functional way by evaluating the person holistically with meaningful and purposeful activities. It is also one of the priority areas determined by YÖK (Higher Education Council). If we look at the courses offered during our undergraduate program in general, in addition to basic medical science courses such as Anatomy and Histology, we take Sociology, Psychology and introductory courses to the profession. From the 2nd and 3rd grades, we take courses related to all areas of rehabilitation such as cognitive rehabilitation and home rehabilitation. We also have classes on health and wellness promotion. We have the chance to turn the theoretical knowledge we have acquired during our 4-year undergraduate education into practice. We turn these into practice by practicing on cadavers, in laboratories as well as in occupational therapy units, together with our competent instructors. There are 2nd and 3rd grade internships and 4th grade internships in the curriculum of the Department of Occupational Therapy. If we want, we can complete our internship in the affiliated hospitals of the University of Health Sciences and in the special education and rehabilitation centers at Gülhane Training and Research Hospital. After our graduation, we offer a wide range of services in various fields such as neurology, pediatrics, geriatrics in large workplaces such as hospitals, special education rehabilitation centers, community mental health centers, schools, and ministries. The reason why I chose the Occupational Therapy Department is because of the humanistic and holistic perspective of occupational therapy which evaluates the person holistically, improves the quality of life, and the opportunities for employment in the public and private sector. Also, it is a very dynamic department. The most important reason for me to choose the University of Health Sciences is that its academic staff is extremely strong and dynamic, primarily because it is a health-based school. In addition, our school also has Erasmus opportunity. When it comes to campus life, socialization is a must. The fact that our school is a social school, it organizes festivals and it has a large campus is one of the reasons why I preferred it. My post-graduation goals include completing my master's degree and taking part in academic staff. There are two reasons for this: The first is the increasing need for academic staff in the new universities, and the second is that there are many areas in occupational therapy that need to be researched and developed. At the same time, the fact that lifelong learning is the basis of occupational therapy is one of the reasons for me to consider academia. Candidates who will prefer the Department of Occupational Therapy should have certain qualifications. The Department of Occupational Therapy is perfect for people who can think analytically, can carry out multiple tasks at the same time, have high empathy and communication skills, and can see the positive sides of people. If you have any questions you would like to ask, you can always send your questions to us via Gülhane Department of Occupational Therapy Instagram account. If you are going to come to our university, I recommend you to actively participate in the festivals and clubs organized by our school. We wish you success in your education and training life, and we will be happy to see you among us at Gülhane Campus.