3 Occupational Therapy Careers

Written by: Wilson College • Aug 22, 2024

An Occupational Therapy Assistant Guides a Patient Using a Stretch Band.

Americans 65 and older made up nearly 17% of the U.S. population in 2020, growing nearly five times faster than the total population over the last century, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Over the next several decades, the number of older Americans is projected to climb to roughly a third of the population.

As the proportion of older Americans grows, the rate of chronic conditions will also rise. According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), nearly 95% of adults over 60 have at least one chronic condition—such as hypertension, obesity, and arthritis—and approximately 80% have two or more. Occupational therapy is a valuable tool for those with such conditions as well as many other disorders and disabilities.

Occupational therapy professionals are vital caregivers, helping people overcome physical and mental challenges, so they can live their lives to the fullest. The field offers many opportunities to specialize, with career paths that involve working with older adults, children, or people with disabilities, among others. Regardless of specialization, a bachelor’s degree is essential to launch an occupational therapy career.

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is a form of treatment that helps people improve their physical and mental capacities, so they can perform everyday activities. It emphasizes self-sufficiency and a better overall quality of life.

Although occupational therapy is often used to help people return to work following an injury, it has numerous other applications. Some people use occupational therapy to manage symptoms associated with a chronic condition or disability, and others use it to improve their mobility after an injury.

While occupational therapy is often applied to treat physical conditions, it can also be used to help people with a range of developmental, social, or mental health challenges.

Examples of conditions or injuries that can benefit from occupational therapy include the following:

Arthritis
Bone fractures
Burns
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Strokes
Spina bifida
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
Autism
Down syndrome

Occupational therapy interventions vary depending on a client’s unique needs. It can include teaching clients exercises to improve motor skills; helping them learn how to use assistive equipment, such as a prosthetic or wheelchair; and guiding children with developmental disabilities through activities to improve executive functioning and socialization.

Physical Therapy vs. Occupational Therapy

Physical therapy and occupational therapy are sometimes conflated. Both provide treatment to help people improve their mobility, restore function, and minimize pain and discomfort. However, while there’s some overlap between them, they often differ in their approach and purpose.

Occupational therapy focuses on helping people improve their ability to perform daily activities, such as dressing themselves or driving, and live as independently as possible. It often focuses on restoring or improving physical functioning but may also encompass other aspects of health and well-being.
Physical therapy is used to help people improve their overall physical function and reduce symptoms like pain and stiffness, typically in response to a specific health condition or following an injury or surgery. Physical therapy often targets an area of the body.

Benefits of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy has numerous benefits, which vary depending on the purpose of therapy. The most notable benefits include the following:

Help Completing Daily Tasks: One of the primary goals of occupational therapy is to help people perform everyday activities, such as bathing and dressing themselves, eating without assistance, or simply moving around the house with greater ease.
Assistance With Adaptive Equipment: Occupational therapists can teach clients how to use various mobility aids, including walkers, wheelchairs, and leg braces. They can also help clients learn how to use certain tools designed to make life easier and safer, such as grabbers for reaching things on high shelves and special computer keyboards.
Home Safety Improvements: Occupational therapists can recommend ways to prevent injuries in clients’ homes or workplaces, such as by improving lighting, installing nonslip surfaces in the bathroom, and widening doorways for a wheelchair or walker.
Caregiver Training: In addition to providing direct support to clients, occupational therapists may train family members or others to care for their loved ones. They can provide guidance on how to safely move the person in and out of bed, manage their medications, and prevent falls.
Aid in Childhood Development: Occupational therapists who work with children who have developmental disorders can design exercises to help them become functional and independent adults.

How to Pursue a Career in Occupational Therapy

While the details of each person’s professional journey will vary, certain steps are essential to begin a career in occupational therapy. One of the most crucial first steps is earning an undergraduate degree.

Education

Educational requirements can vary, but occupational therapy assistants (OTAs), for example, typically need at least an associate degree in a related field to enter the profession. Earning a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution can help job seekers enhance their credentials and stand out from their peers in the job market.

Additionally, those who aspire to be occupational therapists must have a master’s degree in occupational therapy, and a bachelor’s degree is generally a prerequisite for admission to a master’s degree program in occupational therapy.

Experience

Occupational therapy professionals also need to gain hands-on work experience before entering the profession. This typically consists of supervised clinical fieldwork, working alongside occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants.

Licensure

OTAs must have a state-issued license. To be licensed, they need to have a degree, have field experience, and pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam. Some states may have additional requirements, such as a background check.

Organizations such as the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) offer other credentials that can help aspiring or practicing occupational therapy professionals enhance their knowledge and make them more competitive in the job market.

3 Careers in Occupational Therapy

Overall employment in occupational therapy is expected to grow substantially over the next several years, creating thousands of jobs for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants and aides.

Employment growth for occupational therapy assistants will be particularly strong, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), growing by 24% between 2022 and 2032, creating nearly 11,000 jobs. Increasing demand for healthcare services from an aging population and the continued need to treat children with developmental disorders will contribute to this employment growth.

Those seeking a career in occupational therapy can choose to focus on a specific population, such as older adults or children, or work in a particular setting. Below are some of the most common areas where occupational therapy professionals work.

Geriatric Occupational Therapy

Many occupational therapy assistants work with older adults, helping them improve and maintain their mobility, so they can perform everyday tasks independently. They may recommend orthotic devices that help with pain management for clients with arthritis or mobility aids, such as walkers or wheelchairs, for those with more severe disabilities. They may also provide assistance to those with dementia.

Geriatric occupational therapy assistants often work in skilled nursing facilities, while others provide home healthcare. Salaries for occupational therapy assistants who work with older adults vary slightly depending on where they work. Home healthcare OTAs had a median annual wage of $75,780 in 2023, according to the BLS, while those who work in skilled nursing facilities earned $74,880.

Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Pediatric occupational therapy professionals help children with developmental or learning disorders, such as autism, Down syndrome, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They work with children to address sensory processing issues and promote social skills. They can also help improve a child’s fine motor skills and implement strategies to enhance cognitive functioning and learning.

OTAs who work in educational services had a median annual wage of $61,110 in 2023, according to the BLS.

Rehabilitation Occupational Therapy

Rehabilitation occupational therapy is one of the most common forms of occupational therapy, with a focus on helping clients recover from illnesses, injuries, and surgeries. This type of occupational therapy may entail working with someone who experienced a work-related injury, helping them regain normal motor function using different exercises. Rehabilitation occupational therapy is also used to help patients recovering from a stroke.

Occupational therapy assistants who specialize in rehabilitation often work in hospitals or private practices as part of an interdisciplinary team that may include doctors, nurses, and other therapists. OTAs who work in office settings alongside other therapists, such as physical and speech therapists, had a median annual wage of $65,200 in 2023, according to the BLS. OTAs in hospitals earned $64,580.

Begin Your Career in Occupational Therapy With Wilson College Online

There’s a growing need for occupational therapy professionals of all stripes. These vital caregivers help people, young and old, overcome physical, mental, and developmental challenges, so they can participate fully in their lives and achieve greater independence.

If you’re seeking a career in which you can help people improve their quality of life, consider the Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare and Medical Humanities from Wilson College Online. The program’s focus on empathy and holistic care is an ideal match for a career in occupational therapy. Also, our flexible, asynchronous coursework allows you to earn your degree at your own pace.

Find out how a degree from Wilson College Online can be your ticket to a rewarding career.

Recommended Readings

How to Become an Addiction Counselor

What Is Medical Humanities?

Occupational Therapy Assistant: Salary and Job Description

Sources:

Cleveland Clinic, Occupational Therapy

Cleveland Clinic, Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Henry Ford Health, The Benefits of Occupational Therapy

National Council on Aging, The Top 10 Most Common Chronic Conditions in Older Adults

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Therapists

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides