The Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists
About us
The Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists - FSA - is an independent, non-political and non-denominational association of occupational therapists. 
Download "Statutes of the Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists" (revised 2004). FSA, which is both a professional organisation and a trade union, handles professional and training issues, monitors pertinent political developments, salaries, collective agreements, and questions related to professional development and formation of public opinion.
Download "Education and Research in the Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists" (2008). Together with 23 other professional societies, FSA is a member of the Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations - Saco.
The General Council, which is the top FSA decision-making body, meets every other year. Between General Council meetings, the Association Board is responsible for managing the running of the Association. The Board consists of the Association chairperson and eleven delegates, of whom one is a student representative.
FSA has a regional/local substructure consisting of 31 Local Branches, each with its own Board. Each Local Branch elects local wage negotiators, quality representatives and information officers. The Student Organisation has its own Board and chairperson.
In 2008 the General Council Meeting adopted the new visions for the future. "Occupational Therapy – a Vision" (2007) has been formulated on the basis of the analysis of the surrounding world carried out by the Association. It contains both a Strategic Agenda for 2009-2016 and a Strategic Plan for the daily work of the association in 2009-2010.
Members
On 1 January 2010, FSA had 9 700 members, of whom about 1 000 were student Occupational Therapists. Only 4 % were male, meaning there is a strong female overrepresentation.The strength of the FSA is based on professional fellowship and representation of its members. 90 % of Sweden's Occupational Therapists are members of the Association, perhaps because the strength of FSA is based upon professional fellowship and the competent representation of its members.
Nine out of ten Occupational Therapists work for health and hospital services. They work in a variety of settings including geriatric care, disability, and physical illness hospital care with the County Councils, in primary care, in regional hospital care, with social services caring for those with learning disabilities, in adult and paediatric rehabilitation, in psychiatric in-patient and out-patient care, assistive technology centres, penal institutions and at the Labour Market Institute.
History - the Beginning of Occupational Therapy in Sweden
In the 19th century occupational therapy as it was later to be called, was used mainly in mental institutions. By and by it came to be applied in most hospitals and for most patients. In 1940 occupational therapy began being used for patients with war injuries.
In 1944 the first course in occupational therapy was started by the Red Cross hospital at the initiative of Countess Estelle Bernadotte, who was herself an OT, educated in the US. The first Swedish Association for Occupational Therapists was formed at the end of this course. The nursing policies that increased the demand for OTs in this country were: - The changed views on people with handicaps, - The increasing need to use all available manpower, - The problem with care for chronic invalids, and - The increasing amount of senior citizens.
In 1948 a nine-month-long education for OTs was started in Stockholm followed the next year by a two-year education in Gothenburg. In 1951 a group of 40 OTs from different parts of the world who were attending a congress in Stockholm, held by the International Society for the Welfare of Cripples (now Rehabilitation International) decided to investigate the possibility to form an international organisation for occupational therapy. In 1952 the World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) was inaugurated in Liverpool.
In 1965 the first three-year OT education, initiated by the Swedish Parliament, was started. In 1977 the education was elevated to institutes of higher education, and in 1993 university studies were introduced.
The combined association and union of today was created in 1979 and is playing an important role in the decisions made by the ministries and Government regarding the occupational therapy profession in Sweden. The Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists is a working member organisation of WFOT and the Council of Occupational Therapists for the European Countries, COTEC.
Education
Swedish occupational therapists receive their training at eight universities and institutes of higher education. All courses meet at least the WFOT minimum standards. Annually, about 370 occupational therapists qualify. They have the option to participate in postgraduate studies either via a graduate teacher training course or through research. To date about 120 occupational therapists have been awarded their PhD degrees and 10 are full Professors.
A certificate in occupational therapy leads to vocational competence, which, in an appraisal (1997) done by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education is defined as a collection of practical skills, scientific conduct and personal maturity.
Professional Issues
Professional issues are important parts of FSA activities. Courses, seminars and national conferences on professional topics of interest and concern to its members form a vital part of the Association's activities designed to maintain and enhance professional competence. FSA publishes research reports and monographs and assists in the development of assessment and evaluation instruments. An Advanced Clinical Competence Board was set up in the autumn of 1998 and it will be helping to make decisions about specialist regulations. A Management Group helps to develop managerial competence in those members who have gone into management.
The Association has an Ethics Council, and all members are obliged to base their professional conduct on the Association's Code of Ethics. Download "Code of Ethics" (2005). FSA has also formed a Quality Council and adopted a Quality Policy. The Grant Fund awards grants annually for research and development projects.
Another important part of the FSA mission is to develop quality in healthcare and nursing – commencing with resources allocated and our own professional competence. Download "FSA's Quality Policy for Swedish Occupational Therapist" (2005).
FSA has aided the National Board of Health and Welfare in preparing "Descriptions of professional requirements of Occupational Therapists" (2003), detailing the tasks that occupational therapists are expected to perform. The purpose of the descriptions of professional requirements is to establish the fundamental demands of professional skills that the Board requires of an occupational therapist.
FSA has initiated a specialist training for occupational therapists in clinical competence. Download information from the Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists (FSA) Advanced Clinical Comptence Board about “Specialist Training in Clinical Competence” (2010).
About Occupational Therapists in Sweden
Occupational therapists base their work on scientific and proven methods and a large store of clinical experience to promote their patients' ability to lead a meaningful and purposeful life in accordance with their occupational needs and wishes, and in relation to the demands of the environment where they live. FSA helps to facilitate and uphold Occupational Therapy's important role within health care in Sweden.
Occupational therapists must attempt to combine professional duties in an ethical and discerning manner with respect for the rights of the people concerned. Occupational therapists exercising their profession are placed under the supervision of the National Board of Health and Welfare. The purpose of this supervision is to superintend quality and safety of medical care and to prevent the risk of injury to patients.
International
FSA is a member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) and the Council of Occupational Therapists for the European Countries (COTEC).
FSA collaborates closely with the other Nordic occupational therapist organisations, who jointly publish a Nordic scientific journal, the Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy (SJOT).
News from Sweden
Contact us
Swedish Association of Occupational Therapists (FSA)
Planiavägen 13, Box 760, S-131 24 Nacka, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 466 24 40, Fax: +46 8 466 24 24
E-mail: fsa@akademikerhuset.se
Website: http://www.fsa.akademikerhuset.se/