Career Profile: Occupational Therapist

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Job Description:

In general, occupational therapist professionals provide assistance to patients with physical, mental, or emotional problems. Their primary job is to help these patients improve their ability to perform day-to-day duties, whether at home or work. This is done by boosting their reasoning abilities and motor functions. Occupational therapist professionals make use of different methods and approaches depending on the present condition and needs of the patient. Some patients may just require certain forms of exercises to enhance their physical strength, while others may have to relearn basic day-to-day functions, such as cooking and eating.

Occupational therapist professionals assume diverse functions which include the following:

• formulating specialized programs to improve the patient's physical, mental or emotional condition
• creating individualized rehabilitation plans based on the patients' needs
• supervising patients when performing various types of activities
• designing special equipments that will aid patients to live independently
• organize activities that will improve the patient's visual acuity and manual dexterity
• increase patients ability to discern patterns by creating effective mental exercises

Work Environment:

Most occupational therapist professionals are employed by hospitals, while some are hired as consultants in rehabilitation centers, government or private agencies, clinics, and nursing homes. Others work in schools and mental facilities. Full-time occupational therapists work 40 hours a week and may also be required to work in the evenings or during weekends.

Since they are constantly interacting with clients, they should always carry a warm and cheerful personality. Moreover, they have to maintain a close working relationship with other healthcare professionals.

Education and Training Requirements:

In order to work as a professional occupational therapist, aspirants are required to earn a master's degree. Additionally, they have to pass the licensure exams to become certified. Aspiring occupational therapist professionals should enroll in any the following course programs in order to quality for the master's degree program.

• Biology
• Anthropology
• Sociology
• Liberal Arts
• Psychology

Aspiring occupational therapists must also gain relevant experiences through apprenticeship and internship programs to increase their chances of finding excellent career opportunities.

Salary Range:

Annual salary earnings of occupational therapist professionals are directly influenced by certain factors including geographical location, experience, practice setting, skills, expertise, and specialization. Here is a breakdown of the annual earnings of occupational therapist professionals according to their work experience:

• Entry-level Occupational Therapist Professionals - $44,763 -$59,811
• Experienced Occupational Therapist Professionals - $51,981 - $71,155
• Top-level Occupational Therapist Professionals - $53,552 - $72,830

Job Outlook:

More jobs are expected to be generated due to the growing number of the aging population requiring rehabilitative care. In addition to that, the more private healthcare institutions will need the expertise of qualified and certified occupational therapist professionals. Hence, it is anticipated that work demand will grow faster than the average.

So, find the appropriate program that matches your needs by browsing through our extensive list of occupational therapist schools!

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