How To Become An Occupational Therapist

If you’re interested in a career helping people to lead active and productive lives, you may be wondering how to become an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists help people to live as independently and productively as possible, despite developmental, emotional, or physical conditions that have left the patient with some sort of disability.

What They Do

As the name suggests, part of the occupational therapist’s job description is to help people who have become impaired in some way from performing their occupation, so the therapist helps them arranging their work space and work activities in a way that allows the patient to perform his job.


Another way occupational therapists help patients is with their activities of daily living, or ADLs, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, preparing or eating meals, and exercising. They help patients with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, or spinal cord injuries who need therapy for strength, dexterity, and motor skills, and eye-hand coordination. Other patients need help with memory, decision-making, problem-solving, and abstract reasoning.

Education – The First Step

The first step in becoming an occupational therapist is to get the right education from a program accredited by The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, or ACOTE. The education required is a minimum of a master’s degree for entry-level occupational therapists; some get doctoral degrees. The coursework includes classes in behavioral, biological, and physical sciences.

The curriculum also includes theory and skills in occupational therapy, plus they must do a 24-weeks supervised internship. Once they get their degree, graduates then must pass a national exam to become certified. State licensure requirements vary.

Job Growth And Salary

If you’re looking into how to become an occupational therapist because you need a career with a promising future and job growth, it’s worth noting that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for occupational therapists is expected to increase much faster than average due to the increasing elderly population. The increasing age of the baby boomer generation means that job prospects are expected to increase at a rate of 26%. This is incredibly high when compared to the rest of jobs in the US.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook notes salary levels for occupational therapists as of 2008. Median salaries ranged from $60,020 for OTs working in elementary and secondary schools, to $68,100 for OTs working in hospitals, to $72,790 for those working in nursing homes, and $74,510 for those working in home health care.

Best Places To Look For Work

While hospitals will continue to employ a large number of occupational therapists there are a number of new fast growing areas where job prospects will be incredibly high. Schools will be a fast growing area to look for jobs. There will be an increasing need for occupational therapists to help disabled students.

Here are a few other specialized areas where occupational therapists will experience growth:

• Driver rehabilitation
• Training for the elderly
• Ergonomic consulting

Important Qualities to Have

• Patience
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ingenuity and imagination ( the ability to adapt activities and treatments to particular individuals needs)
• The ability to adapt to a variety of settings

Occupational Therapy Career Overview Video

This is a good overview video that highlights how vital occupational therapists are in our world. The video does a good job of showing what working like an OT is like. As you can see their job duties can cover a wide range of activities and settings.