Life As an Occupational Therapist
Job 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.
A Day in the Life of an Occupational Therapist (OT)
- Provide training and supervision in therapy techniques and objectives for students or nurses and other medical staff.
- Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities.
- Develop and participate in health promotion programs, group activities, or discussions to promote client health, facilitate social adjustment, alleviate stress, and prevent physical or mental disability.
- Complete and maintain necessary records.
- Consult with rehabilitation team to select activity programs or coordinate occupational therapy with other therapeutic activities.
- Train caregivers how to provide for the needs of a patient during and after therapy.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as an Occupational Therapist (OT)?
These are the skills Occupational Therapists say are the most useful in their careers:
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
- Rehabilitation Supervisor
- Occupational Therapist (OT)
- Staff Occupational Therapist
- Staff Therapist
- Early Intervention Occupational Therapist
Is There Going to be Demand for Occupational Therapists?
There were about 130,400 jobs for Occupational Therapist in 2016 (in the United States). 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. The BLS estimates 10,200 yearly job openings in this field.
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.
How Much Does an Occupational Therapist (OT) Make?
Occupational Therapists make between $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)
Are there Occupational Therapists education requirements?
How many years of work experience do I need?
Where Occupational Therapists Are Employed
The table below shows the approximate number of Occupational Therapists employed by various industries.
Similar Careers
Those interested in being an Occupational Therapist may also be interested in:
Are you already one of the many Occupational Therapist in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
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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