The minimum requirement for becoming an occupational therapist is an on-campus or online master’s degree in occupational therapy from an accredited college program.
In addition, occupational therapists must pass a national certifying examination.
In addition, occupational therapists must pass a national certifying examination.
Related Occupational Therapist Programs
What does an occupational therapist do?
An occupational therapist helps patients improve their ability to perform the tasks they need to do in order to live in their environment. Their patients include people with physically, mentally, developmentally or emotionally disabling conditions.
Using the appropriate treatments, occupational therapists help their patients gain some degree of basic motor function that will enable them to have independent and productive lives.
Some the activities occupational therapists help their patients with are dressing, cooking, using a computer and everything in between. The therapist might help the patients go through physical exercises that will help increase their strength and dexterity. Mental exercises might be used to help with visual acuity and short term memory loss. An example of this might be a patient who makes lists to improve short term recall or practice hand-eye coordination exercises to help them in that area.
Occupational therapists also use computer programs to help their patients improve their decision making, problem solving and perceptual skills.
When working with patients with permanent disabilities like cerebral palsy or spinal cord injuries, therapists help them use adaptive equipment like wheelchairs. Some even design special equipment for their patients to use at home or on the job. They work with employers when necessary to make sure the work space is properly equipped.
What kind of education does an occupational therapist need?
As mentioned above, a master’s degree is usually the minimum requirement to enter the field of occupational therapy. Coursework consists of anatomy, biology, psychology, chemistry and sociology.
An occupational therapist has to be licensed no matter what state they practice in. This requires sitting for and passing a national exam.
How much does an occupational therapist earn?
Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that median annual salaries for occupational therapists are at around $66,780.
Where can an occupational therapist work?
Occupational therapists work in hospitals, home health care, nursing homes, schools, physician’s offices and in private practice.