VerifiedOccupational therapy has an unusual funder list for a health profession, and the reason is worth understanding: a large part of the work is getting injured people back to work. That puts occupational therapists on the payroll of the Compensation Fund, the mining industry and the transport sector, not only the health departments.
If you are applying for funding, that is your advantage. You can apply to schemes that most health science students never look at.
Registration and community service
You register with the HPCSA Professional Board for Occupational Therapy, Medical Orthotics, Prosthetics and Arts Therapy. Occupational therapists are on the Department of Health’s community service list, so you owe one remunerated year at an approved establishment before you can register for independent practice.
Bursaries outside the health departments
These fund occupational therapy because of the rehabilitation and return-to-work side of it:
- Compensation Fund
- Mining Qualifications Authority
- TETA, the transport SETA
- Lonmin
- Exxaro
- ETDP SETA, for school-based practice
- Gauteng Department of Social Development
Health and general bursaries
- Gauteng Department of Health
- KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health
- Mpumalanga Provincial Government
- North West Provincial Government
- Mediclinic and ER24
- ISFAP
- Black Mountain Study Trust
- City of Cape Town
- City of Johannesburg
See also our physiotherapy bursaries and orthotics and prosthetics bursaries pages, which share a professional board with this one.