Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy a profession that focusses on providing treatments to relearn physical skills lost as a result of an illness or accident.
What do occupational therapists do?[edit | edit source]
Occupational therapists treat patients who have injuries, illnesses, or disabilities through the therapeutic use of everyday activities.
What type of settings do occupational therapists work in?[edit | edit source]
- About half of occupational therapists work in offices of occupational therapy or in hospitals.
- Others work in schools, nursing homes, and home health services. Therapists may spend a lot of time on their feet while working with patients.
How does one become an occupational therapist?[edit | edit source]
- Occupational therapists typically need a master’s degree in occupational therapy.
- All states in the United States and most countries require occupational therapists to be licensed.
What are the typical duties of occupational therapists?[edit | edit source]
- Review patients’ medical history, ask the patients questions, and observe them doing tasks
- Evaluate a patient’s condition and needs
- Develop a treatment plan for patients, identifying specific goals
- Help people with various disabilities perform different tasks
- Demonstrate exercises
- Evaluate a patient’s home or workplace, identify potential improvements
- Educate a patient’s family and employer about how to accommodate and care for the patient
- Recommend special equipment, such as wheelchairs and eating aids
- Patients with permanent disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, often need help performing daily tasks.
Do occupational therapists work with children?[edit | edit source]
- Some occupational therapists work with children in educational settings.
- Therapists who work with the elderly help their patients lead more independent and active lives
- In some cases, occupational therapists help patients create functional work environments.
Do occupational therapists work with mentally ill?[edit | edit source]
- Occupational therapists also may work in mental health settings, where they help patients who suffer from developmental disabilities, mental illness, or emotional problems.
Do occupational therapists work in hospitals?[edit | edit source]
- Some occupational therapists, such as those employed in hospitals, work as part of a healthcare team along with doctors, registered nurses, and other types of therapists.
What type of education do occupational therapists get?[edit | edit source]
- Most occupational therapists enter the occupation with a master’s degree in occupational therapy.
- Occupational therapy programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, part of the American Occupational Therapy Association.
- Admission to graduate programs in occupational therapy typically requires a bachelor’s degree in healthcare and related fields with coursework in biology, physiology, and other sciences.
- Master’s programs usually take 2 to 3 years to complete; doctoral programs take about 3 and a half years.
- Both master’s and doctoral programs require at least 24 weeks of supervised fieldwork, in which prospective occupational therapists gain clinical work experience. In addition, doctoral programs require a 16-week capstone experience.
Do occupational therapists need to be licensed?[edit | edit source]
In the United States, all states require occupational therapists to be licensed.
What are the licensing requirements for occupational therapists?[edit | edit source]
- Licensing requirements vary by state, but all require candidates to pass the national examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
- In order to sit for the NBCOT exam, candidates must have earned a degree from an accredited educational program and completed all fieldwork requirements.
Is there demand for occupational therapists?[edit | edit source]
- Demand for occupational therapy services also will stem from patients with autism spectrum disorder.
- Therapists will continue to be needed in schools to assist children with autism in improving their social skills and accomplishing a variety of daily tasks.
Occupational therapy Resources | ||
---|---|---|
|
|
Translate to: East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski
Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD