Good occupation improves the health and the well being of the clients. It creates structure and better organized time during the day, bringing back meaning to the individual’s lives and that way they can value themselves more.
Education and training
Occupational therapists need to get a master’s degree in occupational therapy. These programs take up to three years to complete. Some may take a doctoral degree that requires additional three years. Any of this choice requires a bachelor’s degree that includes biology, and physiology. The master’s and doctoral programs require supervised fieldwork, and volunteering in occupational therapy so they can gain experience before obtaining the license and registrations in order to start working. All states require the license that is gained after national examination. The examination can be taken after obtaining the degree and finishing the fieldwork requirements. Certification is granted to those that pass the NBCOT exam.
Working environment
An occupational therapist is working systematically through a sequence of actions that can form the occupational therapy. They should evaluate the outcomes based on extensive research that comes in stages. This occupation allows the therapists to work in different settings, and they enable work with different population of people. Their treatments include helping the clients to improve their mental health, productive aging with older adults that have some condition or a disease, clients with terminal illness, and rehabilitation. Their work may include travelling, and accepting some assignments that may last for a longer period of time away from the office. They are working full time, and only a few of the occupational therapists are working part time. To accommodate the client’s schedules, they can also work during weekends and holidays.
Salary and wages outlook:
In May 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the median annual wage for occupational therapists in the U.S. as $98,340. This figure represents the midpoint of the salary range, with half of all occupational therapists earning more and half earning less.