OT IN CROATIA
Occupational therapy is a health profession whose goal is to enable individuals and groups to achieve optimal functioning in activities of daily living including self care, productivity and leisure.
Occupational Therapy is intended for people whose abilities of performing activities of selfcare, productivity and leisure are reduced or impaired by development, physical injury or illness, old age, psychologically, socially or culturally or by combination of the mentioned.
Activities of occupational therapy include:
- occupational therapy assessment and analysis of the performance of activities of daily living which include self-care, productivity and leisure time activities,
- occupational therapy evaluation and analysis of sensory-motor, cognitive and psychosocial skills and their impact on the performance of activities of daily living,
- occupational therapy evaluation and analysis of housing, employment and socio-cultural environment in which everyday activities are taking place,
- promotion, establishment, restoration, maintenance and / or modification of the performance of self-care activities (feeding, dressing, personal hygiene, bathing, functional mobility),
- promotion, establishment, restoration, maintenance and / or modification of the performance of productive activities (activities in the household and community, professional roles and tasks, caring, voluntary work),
- promotion, establishment, restoration, maintenance and / or modification of performance of leisure time activities (play, recreation, hobbies, recreation and leisure),
- promotion, establishment, restoration and maintenance of sensory-motor, cognitive and psychosocial components of activities using different therapeutic approaches, methods and techniques,
- adaptation of housing, employment and social environment, in tune with needs and abilities of the individual,
- counselling and education of individuals, groups, family members, professionals, students and other persons,
- measuring occupational therapy intervention outcomes,
- occupational therapy documentation,
- planning and implementing research on the impact of everyday activities to improve health and quality of life with a goal of developing evidence-based occupational therapy
Law on health care professionals (Official Gazette 87/09)
Professional recognition
National ENIC/NARIC Office is an information centre for academic mobility and recognition of foreign higher education qualifications. Recognition of foreign higher education qualifications is carried out for the purpose of employment (professional recognition), or continuation of education (academic recognition) in the Republic of Croatia, and is based on the Act on Recognition of Foreign Educational Qualifications (Official Gazette, no. 158/2003 and 198/2003), or rather, the Act on Amendments to the Act on Recognition of Foreign Educational Qualifications (Official Gazette, no. 138/2006).
Foreign citizens are entitled to recognition of foreign education qualifications for the purpose of:
- Academic recognition (with continuation of education in the Republic of Croatia as its purpose) – under the authority of Croatian universities and faculties
- Professional recognition (with employment in the Republic of Croatia as its purpose) – under the authority of Agency for Science and Higher Education
- Recognition of period of study (with completion of higher education in the Republic of Croatia after a period of study abroad) – under the authority of Croatian universities and faculties.
Procedure of professional recognition of foreign higher education qualifications and Guidelines for starting procedure of professional recognition of foreign higher education qualifications can be found here
- APPLICATION FORM
- DOCUMENTATION FOR RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN HIGHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATION
- ADMINISTRATIVE FEES
- SEND DOCUMENTATION
Collected documentation should be mailed to the address shown below (the address is also stated in the application form)
Registration
To work as an occupational therapist in Croatia you have to be registered in Croatian chamber of health professionals(Hrvatska komora zdravstvenih radnika). Necessary doccumentation for registration is:
- Application for membership in the Croatian chamber of health professionals
- Statement of monthly fee reduction
- Proof of payment of registration fees
- Original or copies of certificates or diplomas on completion of education, original or copy of certificate of having passed the professional examination, the original or a copy of the original citizenship certificate or copy of marriage certificate or other document evidencing change of name.
Hrvatska komora zdravstvenih radnika
P.P. 263
10 000 Zagreb
Croatia
Additional requirements
- Knowledge of laws of host country
- Work experience (minimum of 1 year of work experience in occupational therapy practice under supervision of licensed occupational therapist)
- Knowledge of language
- Identity document
- Birth certificate
- Certificate of good health
- Criminal records - certificate of clear criminal record
- Work and/or residence permit
- Translations of documents into Croatian language
