Rehabilitation Sciences

• Audiology: help the hearing impaired by diagnosing hearing problems and prescribing treatment or rehabilitation; earnings are $60,000 to $100,000 a year for most
• Occupational Therapy: work with clients who have physical, mental, and developmental problems to help them re-learn or develop skills; earnings are $60,000 to $110,000 a year for most
• Physiotherapy: assess and treat patients who have problems with movement due to illness, injury, or physical disabilities; earnings are $70,000 to $120,000 a year for salaried physiotherapists.
• Speech Language Pathology: work with patients who have speech and language problems to help them improve their communication; earnings are $70,000 to $120,000 a year or more.

Check out the Labour Market Information link through the government of Canada to learn more: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis/search-occupations 

Essential Skills and Attributes

The Ontario Council of University Programs in Rehabilitation Sciences has approved guidelines regarding the skills and attributes required for the study of rehabilitation sciences. The guidelines describe what is required for success in completing the programs and entering professional practice for all students. Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit ouac.on.ca/orpas for a complete review of these guidelines.

The Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Application Service (ORPAS) is a not-for-profit, centralized application service. Its purpose is to facilitate the process of applying to rehabilitation sciences programs and to reduce duplication in the application processing. 

Academic Requirements 

The universities have their own admission policy, including grade point average requirements. Applicants should be aware of the variations in the admission requirements and ensure that they qualify for consideration before they forward their applications to ORPAS. Depending on the university and program, course prerequisites range from none to a variety of courses such as statistics, physiology, biology, psychology, child development, human anatomy, as well as humanities and social sciences. You must have completed a four-year undergraduate degree before you can enter any of the rehabilitation sciences programs. For more information and to apply, visit ouac.on.ca/orpas

Non-Academic Requirements 

While requirements vary significantly among schools, applicants may be required to submit Casper test scores, applicant statements, reference letters and confidential assessment forms.  

January: deadline for all application materials and to submit your ORPAS online application; deadline for receipt of cheques, money orders or electronic payments; deadline for receipt of transcripts

April/May: offers of admission are given

June: deadline for receipt of final transcripts at ORPAS.

Tip: Ontario universities that offer rehabilitation sciences programs may be present at various educational fairs. Take the opportunity to visit them and collect info. For dates and locations, visit ouac.on.ca/orpas/.

• ouac.on.ca/orpas/ - Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Application Service
• publichealthontario.ca/en/about/careers – Check out the Careers link on this Ontario website to read about many healthcare-related jobs.
• sac-oac.ca – Speech-Language & Audiology Canada
• caslpo.com – College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario
• canadianaudiology.ca – Canadian Academy of Audiology
• physiotherapy.ca – Canadian Physiotherapy Association
• caot.ca – Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. Click on “Career listings” to find the Careers in Canada section.