Training of occupational therapists for Primary Health Care (PHC): contributions to the debate

Herein presented are the topics debated at the research group meeting on Training of OccupationalTherapists for Primary Health Care (PHC) that took place during the First National Seminar on OccupationalTherapy in PHC, at the XII Brazilian Congress and IX Latin American Congress of Occupational Therapy inOctober 2011 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In addition, the field of vocational training for PHC is situated within the context of the Unified Health System (UHS) and its importance for the training of occupational therapists. Wepresent relevant aspects of specific National Curriculum Guidelines suggested for the professional training atthis level of care, which have also been addressed by the Reorientation of Vocational Training in Health Policy(PRO Health). Experiences gained by the authors’ educational institutions when training at this level of care arealso presented. It was possible to conclude that undergraduate studies at this level of care enables students andteachers to come into close contact with health demands and needs, health-disease process and its determinants,within a scenario closer to the everyday life of the people being cared and the service they receive. The teachingof Occupational Therapy (OT) at PHC further allows the debate of its contributions in promoting health andpreventing disease, early diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, which may facilitate the access to populationspreviously not considered priority by the PHC. This seminar was important for discussing the challenges oflinking the OT profession to the UHS.