Letter to the Editor – In defense of Occupational Therapists

Dear Freeman Editor,

An article of your respected newspaper has come to the attention of Occupational Therapists. It's the article about OT Licensing for Massage therapists (March 7, 2006).

I have nothing against other professions. I just want to request that your people/writers should at least take time to research thoroughly what they write about so misinformation would not happen.

As you know, or if this is for your information, Occupational Therapy is a different profession from Massage Therapy. It is a 5-year Bachelor's Degree (4 years in the University of the Philippines) in the Philippines. It is a paramedical/allied medical course and is a profession that is included in the Rehabilitation Medicine team. Occupational Therapists work in hospitals, schools, special education schools, Rehabilitation clinics, home health, and more.

The Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) gives a Licensing Exam (which is, mind you, quite difficult) for Occupational Therapists to be registered in the Philippines.

Please advise your writers to research further and to at least present the differences between the professions so that people will not be misinformed. It is not fair for the real Occupational Therapists to be called Massage therapists. They did not go to school for 5 years and agonized for the PRC licensing exam just to be mistaken as massage therapists. No offense meant to the Massage Therapists.

I hope you will take action to correct this article. Please prove to us that the Philippine media is delivering well-researched information to the public. Please help us prove that our journalists are capable of being intelligent, even in these small articles of your respected newspaper.

I appreciate your time.

Thank you.

R. Jocson