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Occupational Therapists
Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual's environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.
Other titles employers use
Assistive Technology Trainer · Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) · Early Intervention Occupational Therapist · Home Health Occupational Therapist · Industrial Rehabilitation Consultant · Occupational Therapist (OT) · Pediatric Occupational Therapist (Pediatric OT) · Pediatrics and Acute Care Occupational Therapist
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
- Complete and maintain necessary records.
- Plan, organize, and conduct occupational therapy programs in hospital, institutional, or community settings to help rehabilitate persons with disabilities because of illness, injury or psychological or developmental problems.
- Plan and implement programs and social activities to help patients learn work or school skills and adjust to handicaps.
- Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities.
- Evaluate patients' progress and prepare reports that detail progress.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to helping, analytical and practical work.
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Speaking
Subjects to know
- Therapy and Counseling
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Written Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 4.5 | Arm’s length or closer, most of the day |
| On your feet | 2.9 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.9 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.6 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a master's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A master's degree 86%
- A four-year degree 14%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Medical software
- Word processing software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Computer based training software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 14,700
- Job openings each year
- 980
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 20.5%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 14,700 | 980 | 20.5% |
| New York | 13,090 | 280 | 27.5% |
| Texas | 10,800 | 720 | 20.0% |
| Florida | 9,750 | 660 | 23.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 8,060 | 500 | 11.6% |
| Illinois | 7,320 | 430 | 7.6% |
| Ohio | 5,900 | 360 | 11.1% |
| New Jersey | 5,030 | 320 | 14.1% |
| Colorado | 4,990 | 340 | 21.7% |
| Michigan | 4,830 | 290 | 9.3% |
| Missouri | 4,750 | 320 | 20.6% |
| Georgia | 4,030 | 260 | 16.8% |
| North Carolina | 4,030 | 270 | 19.6% |
| Virginia | 3,630 | 220 | 11.3% |
| Wisconsin | 3,610 | 220 | 8.7% |
| Washington | 3,510 | 300 | 22.3% |
| Minnesota | 3,450 | 210 | 10.9% |
| Arizona | 3,260 | 230 | 28.3% |
| Indiana | 3,250 | 200 | 13.6% |
| Maryland | 3,020 | 190 | 14.8% |
| Tennessee | 2,720 | 190 | 27.7% |
| Connecticut | 2,560 | 160 | 10.8% |
| Kentucky | 2,400 | 150 | 14.3% |
| Louisiana | 2,100 | 130 | 13.5% |
| South Carolina | 2,080 | 140 | 20.2% |
| Massachusetts | 1,990 | 130 | 13.1% |
| Arkansas | 1,630 | 110 | 18.1% |
| Iowa | 1,630 | 110 | 19.9% |
| Kansas | 1,470 | 90 | 10.5% |
| Nebraska | 1,460 | 90 | 13.2% |
| Oregon | 1,450 | 90 | 15.1% |
| Alabama | 1,380 | 90 | 14.0% |
| Mississippi | 1,350 | 90 | 13.4% |
| Maine | 1,200 | 70 | 3.4% |
| Utah | 1,200 | 90 | 37.9% |
| New Hampshire | 1,120 | 70 | 13.1% |
| Oklahoma | 1,120 | 70 | 9.8% |
| New Mexico | 1,100 | 70 | 19.6% |
| Idaho | 1,020 | 70 | 27.5% |
| Nevada | 960 | 70 | 21.5% |
| Rhode Island | 880 | 50 | 10.0% |
| Montana | 650 | 40 | 22.6% |
| North Dakota | 600 | 40 | 15.4% |
| West Virginia | 530 | 30 | 8.2% |
| Delaware | 500 | 30 | 16.3% |
| South Dakota | 470 | 30 | 14.6% |
| District of Columbia | 370 | 20 | 5.7% |
| Wyoming | 350 | 20 | 16.7% |
| Alaska | 320 | 20 | 10.3% |
| Puerto Rico | 320 | 20 | 18.5% |
| Vermont | 280 | 20 | 12.0% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
- Degrees each year
- 144
- Admit rate
- 50%
- Annual cost after aid
- $23,000
The University of Texas at El Paso
- Degrees each year
- 139
- Admit rate
- 100%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Ithaca College
- Degrees each year
- 121
- Admit rate
- 70%
- Annual cost after aid
- $29,000
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Degrees each year
- 83
- Admit rate
- 85%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
Florida International University
- Degrees each year
- 80
- Admit rate
- 59%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
University of North Texas
- Degrees each year
- 76
- Admit rate
- 72%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
- Degrees each year
- 73
- Admit rate
- 75%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Temple University
- Degrees each year
- 71
- Admit rate
- 83%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
Compare every college offering rehabilitation and therapeutic professions