Occupational Therapy Careers
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Health Care Jobs.
Occupational Therapy Careers:
Occupational Therapy involves treatment of
individuals with mental or physical
disabilities. There are many careers available
in the field of Occupational Therapy including:
- Occupational Therapist
- Occupational Therapy Aide
- Occupational Therapy Assistant
All Occupational Therapy careers involve helping
individuals perform daily tasks in their home or
work environment e.g. using a computer, cooking,
dressing and eating. The main aim of an
occupational therapist is to give as much
independence back to their client as possible.
Patients of an Occupational Therapist may suffer
from, short term memory loss, coordination
problems, spinal cord injuries, muscular
dystrophy or cerebral palsy.
Career:
When working in the field of Occupational
Therapy you will be working closely with
individuals with mental, physical or
developmental disabilities. You will need to be
able to assist patients with their basic motor
functions and reasoning abilities. Occupational
Therapists, Occupational Aids and Occupational
Assistants also help individuals become
independent through exercise, and educate
clients on using equipment to aid daily and work
related tasks.
As there is a trend towards home
based healthcare, some Therapists / Aids /
Assistants work in non clinical settings. Some
Occupational Therapy professionals travel to
patient’s homes and work places, ensuring that
the patient’s environment is suitable for
his/her disability.
Education & Qualifications:
- Occupational Therapist. To become an
Occupational Therapist you need to complete a
Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy. You
must also become licensed by completing a
supervised field work assignment and passing a
licensure examination.
Licensed Occupational
Therapists become Occupational Therapist
Registered (OTR). Occupational Therapy programs
include subjects such as physical, biological,
and behavioral sciences and occupational therapy
theory and skills. Some states require
Occupational Therapists to earn continuing
education credits to maintain licensure.
If you
are considering a career as an Occupational
Therapist, you should take high school courses in
chemistry, physics, biology, health and the
social sciences. Many Occupational Therapists
start by completing an undergraduate majoring in
biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology,
liberal arts, or anatomy.
- Occupational Therapy Assistant: To become an
Occupational Therapy Assistant you will need to
complete an Associate Degree or Certificate
program from a Community, Technical or Junior
College. Having volunteer experience in a health
care facility, and high school courses in
biology and healthcare are advantageous for this
career.
- Occupational Therapy Aide: An Occupational
Therapy Aide receives mostly on the job
training. To apply for Occupational Therapy Aide
positions you must have a high school diploma,
strong interpersonal skills, and a caring
nature.
Salary & Job Prospects:
Salaries in Occupational Therapy range from
$60,000 to $80,000, depending on qualifications,
position held, skills and location. Occupational
Therapy Aides earn on average $15,000 – $30,000
and Occupational Therapy Assistants can earn
$35,000 to $50,000. The increase of the elderly
population is a major factor for the growth of
occupational therapy services. Job Prospects are
excellent and expected to grow much faster than
the average job.
Find a Health Education School:
Use the red search box in the menu above, to find Health schools and colleges in your area that
offer
Occupational Therapy programs.
Below is a list of some of the various types of
health career fields: |
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