What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy is one the best suited careers for you, if you have the ability of motivating others. Occupational therapists or physical therapists are the technical persons who know the techniques to treat injured, disable persons irrespective of age by improving their day to day skill, thus help them to work independently. There is no as such dearth of job and the discipline is recession free. After finishing Bachelor of Occupational Therapy course and obtaining license, one may start therapy. To go higher in the career graph, good education and college are also one of the factors.
Occupational therapists works
They have to perform the following duties or the below given responsibilities in order to engage and motivate the patients into various skills. Basically, the main duties of a physical therapist are to engage a patient in daily life activities by considering their requirements and needs. Doing this, not only the patients are get benefited but also enhance in their professional skills and to go ahead in their career graph. The duties are:
- Go through the medical history of the patients for further course of action;
- Assess the patient’s conditions, accordingly made a module for them to participate in their respective activities;
- Perform the exercise thereby ask them to follow the same;
- Equip them active and independent how to handle desired equipments;
- Make aware the family members how to go ahead with the patient after discharge;
- Teach how to return to original job or work;
- Devise modules to manage anxiety and depression;
- Devise rehabilitation programmes;
- Make a report of the patient for further course of action.
- It is also important to supervise the occupational therapy assistants.
How to be an occupational therapist
To become an occupational therapist, one at least successfully qualifies Bachelor of occupational therapy. But, it is better to do the master degree to know the finer nuances of the discipline. If you want to go for teaching, do PhD in it. Along with degree, one also have licensed for practicing. In USA, people start working after master degree while in India and developing countries; one starts just after bachelor of occupational therapy (BCT). The minimum criteria to enroll in the course that one has to pass 10+2 exam with physics, chemistry and biology (PCB). The master programme is of 2 to 3 years while doctoral programme takes 2 to 5 years.
Occupational therapist licenses and registration
In some countries like USA, even after passed out the requisite degree, the therapist should clear the national examination conducted by National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. After then, they are issued licenses and registration for practice.
Required qualities for occupational therapist
To have a better growth in the career, occupational therapists should the following important qualities and skill.
- Communication skill: One of the most important qualities, these therapists should have the way of expressing and communicating. Communication means listen the patient’s problem attentively and have the power to express their view before them.
- Compassion: Should have the desire to serve the patients in order to improve their daily life skill.
- Flexibility: They should have flexibility in their treatment modules as therapy may be vary from patient to patient.
- Interpersonal skills: It is important because the therapist not only discus with the patients but also with their family members, doctors, other therapists, etc.
- Patience: The therapist always deals with injuries, disabilities, etc. So, he or she must have patience to give care to the patients.
- Observation skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Decision making skills
- Report writing skills
- Computer knowledge
Occupational therapists salary
In America, salary varies from $80,150 to $116, 300. It depends upon your skills and experiences. In United Kingdom, salaries are equal both for the government as well as the private professionals. It starts from £ 22, 000 to £ 57, 000. However, it may from as per your skills and expertise.
Occupational therapists job
There is a vast job opportunities in the field of occupational therapy. They may get jobs in hospital, schools, universities, colleges, nursing homes, BPOs, MNCs, old age homes, rehabilitation centres, etc. With experience and expertise, the salary bar also increases.
Occupational therapist employers
- Hospital
- Schools
- Universities
- Colleges
- Nursing homes
- Community centres
- BPOs
- MNCs
- Prisons
- NGOs
- Housing association
- Governments ministries/departments /organizations/institutes
- Industries
- Rehabilitation centres
- Mental hospitals
- Old age homes
Occupational therapist careers
The career prospects are bright: One may venture into the following disciplines
Medicine
- Teaching
- Orthopedics
- Surgery
- Strokes
- Cardiac
- Consultant
- Nursing
- Rehabilitation
- Speech therapy
- Private practitioner
Occupational therapy specialization
- Pediatrics
- Rehabilitations
- Ergonomics
- Hand therapy
- Community consultation
- Assisted living
- Home health
- Neurological
- Musculoskeletal
- Psychiatric
- Developmental conditions
20 best occupational therapy schools in USA
- Boston University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- University of Southern California
- University of Illinois, Chicago
- University of Pittsburgh
- Colorado State University
- Thomas Jefferson University
- Tuffs University-Boston School of Occupational Therapy
- University of Kansas Medical Centre
- University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
- Columbia University
- New York University
- Ohio State University
- University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston
- University of Washington
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Texas Woman’s University
- University of Florida
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Best occupational therapy institutes in India
- National Institute of Orthopaedically Handicapped, Kolkatta
- Pt. Deen Dayal Institute for Physically Handicapped, New Delhi
- All India Institute of Physically Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mumbai
- Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai
- Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
- Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences, Karnataka
- KMCH College of Occupational Therapy, Coimbatore
- Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai
- National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research , Orissa
- Occupational Therapy Training School, Mumbai
- SMS Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan
- SRM Institute of Medical Science and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
- Santosh College of Occupational Therapy, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
- Santosh World Medical Academy, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
- University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
