What You Need to Know About Occupational Therapist
Position Description Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays.
Occupational Therapist (OT) Responsibilities
- Help clients improve decision making, abstract reasoning, memory, sequencing, coordination, and perceptual skills, using computer programs.
- Conduct research in occupational therapy.
- Provide patients with assistance in locating or holding jobs.
- Consult with rehabilitation team to select activity programs or coordinate occupational therapy with other therapeutic activities.
- Lay out materials such as puzzles, scissors and eating utensils for use in therapy, and clean and repair these tools after therapy sessions.
- Design and create, or requisition, special supplies and equipment, such as splints, braces, and computer-aided adaptive equipment.
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Occupational Therapist (OT) Skills
Occupational Therapists state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Vocational Trainer
- Occupational Therapist (OT)
- Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist
- Independent Living Specialist
- Assistive Technology Trainer
Job Demand for Occupational Therapists
In the United States, there were 130,400 jobs for Occupational Therapist in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 23.8% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 31,000 new jobs for Occupational Therapist by 2026. There will be an estimated 10,200 positions for Occupational Therapist (OT) per year.
The states with the most job growth for Occupational Therapist (OT) are Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, Rhode Island, or Minnesota. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Occupational Therapist (OT) Average Salary
The salary for Occupational Therapists ranges between about $55,490 and $120,750 a year.
Occupational Therapists who work in California, New Jersey, or Nevada, make the highest salaries.
How much do Occupational Therapists make in each U.S. state?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $83,810 |
| Alaska | $86,860 |
| Arizona | $94,800 |
| Arkansas | $81,810 |
| California | $95,160 |
| Colorado | $89,770 |
| Connecticut | $90,780 |
| Delaware | $86,020 |
| District of Columbia | $94,360 |
| Florida | $81,520 |
| Georgia | $82,060 |
| Hawaii | $83,010 |
| Idaho | $81,230 |
| Illinois | $83,940 |
| Indiana | $79,870 |
| Iowa | $80,740 |
| Kansas | $78,720 |
| Kentucky | $79,460 |
| Louisiana | $85,490 |
| Maine | $72,160 |
| Maryland | $89,230 |
| Massachusetts | $87,160 |
| Michigan | $77,940 |
| Minnesota | $74,050 |
| Mississippi | $81,590 |
| Missouri | $75,120 |
| Montana | $74,940 |
| Nebraska | $76,850 |
| Nevada | $100,970 |
| New Hampshire | $79,850 |
| New Jersey | $96,600 |
| New Mexico | $81,660 |
| New York | $88,370 |
| North Carolina | $84,390 |
| North Dakota | $67,420 |
| Ohio | $85,720 |
| Oklahoma | $82,240 |
| Oregon | $90,720 |
| Pennsylvania | $81,030 |
| Rhode Island | $83,600 |
| South Carolina | $78,470 |
| South Dakota | $69,390 |
| Tennessee | $84,870 |
| Texas | $89,360 |
| Utah | $85,300 |
| Vermont | $76,840 |
| Virginia | $93,010 |
| Washington | $81,250 |
| West Virginia | $81,080 |
| Wisconsin | $73,390 |
| Wyoming | $82,010 |
What Tools do Occupational Therapists Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Occupational Therapists:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Spreadsheet software
- FileMaker Pro
- Internet browser software
- HMS
- Screen reader software
- Text to speech software
- Screen magnification software
- Speech recognition software
- Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR System
- Rehab Documentation Company ReDoc Suite
- BillingTracker
- Language arts educational software
- Text scanning software
- Math educational software
How to Become an Occupational Therapist (OT)
Learn what Occupational Therapist education requirements there are.
How many years of work experience do I need?
Where Occupational Therapists Are Employed
Occupational Therapists work in the following industries:
Related Careers
Those interested in being an Occupational Therapist may also be interested in:
Those who work as an Occupational Therapist sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Barbara E. Carver via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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