5 Reasons Why Recreation Therapy Gained Significant Attention After the Covid Pandemic
| Recreation Therapy, also known as Therapeutic Recreation, is a field focused on bringing joy and personal therapeutic development through the design and implementation of recreational activities. This field has seen increased interest from international students post-Covid. Let’s explore with NEEC the 5 reasons why this field has garnered so much attention: |
| Demand for Mental Health and Well-being: The Covid-19 pandemic caused significant stress and anxiety within communities. Recreation Therapy plays a crucial role in providing recreational and mental recovery activities for individuals and groups, helping them achieve a sense of well-being and balance in daily life. |
| Increased Awareness and Importance of Mental Health: The public and community now recognize the importance of mental health and seek related services and professionals. Recreation Therapy meets this demand by offering recreational activities and mental care, improving the quality of life and mental state of individuals. |
| Government Support for Physical Health and Disease Prevention: Post-pandemic, awareness of maintaining health and disease prevention has increased, and governments in developed countries have implemented policies to enhance community health. Recreation Therapy focuses on promoting recreational activities, exercise, and stress-reducing activities to improve health and reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases. |
| Innovation and Technology Application: Post-Covid, the field of Recreation Therapy has adapted and leveraged digital technologies to provide remote recreational and care activities (virtual reality therapy). This has opened up new opportunities in the field and increased interest in Recreation Therapy. |
| Development of AI: With the development of AI and the displacement of many jobs post-Covid, the demand for jobs that AI cannot replace has increased significantly. Many international students have chosen to study Recreation Therapy because it trains professionals to create and implement interactive and recreational activities for therapy, which AI cannot replace.
Not only Recreation Therapy, but other “hot” healthcare fields like Nursing, General Medicine, Pharmacy, Psychology, etc., also remain in demand post-pandemic. However, when comparing the entry requirements and outcomes of Recreation Therapy with related fields like Nursing or Psychology, clear differences can be seen: The entry requirements (English proficiency, average GPA, scores in Math-Chemistry-Biology) for Nursing are typically higher and more competitive than Recreation Therapy. Conversely, although entry requirements are not significantly different, the outcome requirements (degrees, total supervised practice hours, local practice certification) for Psychology are more stringent than Recreation Therapy (detailed comparison here). Psychology, doctors, nurses, etc., are popular and well-known fields in healthcare with high demand and attractive income. This results in high competition in these fields, and many Vietnamese students, despite meeting entry requirements, cannot compete with international students from other countries. Meanwhile, Recreation Therapy, although in the same field, is less popular in Asia and developing countries, leading to lower competition and higher acceptance rates for international students. Moreover, governments in developed countries like the USA and Canada actively implement policies to boost human resources in this field. Understanding immigration policies and choosing to study Recreation Therapy in places with favorable policies can be a key to quick immigration. To help parents and students understand the field of Recreation Therapy and the immigration pathway to Canada, NEEC will hold a seminar on the topic “Recreation Therapy – The Shortest Path to Immigration in Canada”. Time: 9:00 -11:00 AM, Sunday, July 16, 2023 Venue: NEEC Office – 9th Floor, Yoco Building, 41 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCMC Registration Form: Here
|
