Occupational Therapist Salary, Career & Training

  • Starting Salary for an Occupational Therapist

    Occupational Therapist Starting Salary

    Occupational therapists are health professionals who utilize their occupation to assist people with various mental, emotional, developmental or physical disabilities so that they are able to become productive and lead independent and satisfying lives. These professionals are an important b in health care promotion.  Due to the increasing health problems there has been a high demand for these workers in the U.S and as a matter of fact, statistics project that by 2016, their demand will exceed that of employees in other employment sectors. In addition, salaries of occupational therapist are also relatively higher compared to many other kinds of employment.

    The starting salary for occupational therapists is dependent on the industry. Large institutions tend to pay more compared to smaller ones. Statistics show the worst paid workers earn an average hourly wage of $23.52, while some earn around $49.29 on an hourly basis. The median mean wage is $34.77 which translates to an annual wage of $72,320. The statistics derive the opinion that the standard starting salary for this occupation should range between $34.77 and $49.29 on an hourly basis: of course there will be exceptions to this.

    Occupational Therapists In Different Settings

    Having become a popular occupation whose demand has been on the increase, different industries that employ these professionals pay different packages. The top paying industries for this occupation consist of those with less concentration of these employees. Industries such as employment services and home health care services carry the day with an hourly mean wage of $40.65 and $40.35 respectively which means an annual mean wage of $84,540 and $83,920. Others which include nursing care facilities and offices of physicians’ pay an hourly wage of $37.36 and $38.22 respectively. The least paying industry on the other hand is the general medical and surgical hospitals whose mean hourly wage is $35.17, translating to an annual mean wage of $73,160 yielding a difference of $ 5.48. This could be attributed to any other benefits owing hence it is not a bad package either.

    Other factors affecting starting salaries

    Starting salaries for therapists could also be influenced by the level of education, specialization and or certification and licensing. One can increase their chances of a good starting package by doing a post-graduate degree which may see them earn higher paying positions. The professionals can also earn more by becoming certified or licensed. There is a wide range of certification with some people specializing in various fields such as Certified Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Certified Hand Therapist (CHR). Other certifications include Certified Occupational Therapists (COT) and Occupational Therapy Registered. These increase individuals’ chances of even setting up their own self employment sectors which could earn them more than when they are employed.

    Experience also earns one more salary compared to those without it. This can see one advance to higher and better paying positions and it also makes one popular enhancing them to get jobs with even larger institutions that pay well. In a nutshell occupational therapists’ starting salary is predetermined by a myriad of factors underpinning this profession.

  • Salary Of An Occupational Therapist

    How much do Occupational Therapists make?

    In 2010 there were approximately 100,000 occupational therapists working in the United States.  The average, or mean, salary for this group was $35.28 per hour.  That translates to an average annual occupational therapist salary of $73,380.  The problem with this number is that it was derived using statistics for all occupational therapists in every work setting across the entire United States.  This means that the salary of occupational therapists in areas with a very low cost of living were combined with occupational therapists in areas with a very high cost of living.  As a result the average salary figure will be understated for those that are living in large urban areas such as Chicago and Boston and it will be overstated for those that live in small rural towns in Maine or Nebraska.

    As a result of this discrepancy it would better serve you to look at the average therapist salary for the geographic region in which you live.  For example, if you live in California then you will notice that the mean hourly wage for an occupational therapist is $40.54 with an annual mean wage of $84,320.  This is much higher than the national average but at the same time is not accurate enough.  This is because when you look into the demographics of California you will find that it is much less expensive to live in Redding, California than in Palo Alto, California.  If we then look closer at the California numbers we see that the mean occupational therapist salary in the Oakland, Fremont, Hayward metropolitan area is $42.71 per hour or $88,840 annually.  Once again this is a mean for the area and even though it is significantly higher than the California mean, there are still approximately 50% of the occupational therapists that are making more than this mean.

    On the other hand there are also approximately 50% that are working for less than the mean.  This should be expected because the occupational therapist career is one made up of milestones in further education, ability and even certifications.  Salary is also factor of the number of year that you have worked in a particular field.  Though we do not have much data for the total spread of wages in each geographic region we do have some data that reaches back to the national averages.

    Ten percent of the occupational therapists, nationwide, make below $23.52 per hour or an annual wage of $48,920.  Twenty five percent make less than $28.84 per hour which is $60,000 annually.  Fifty percent make more than and fifty percent make less than $34.77 per hour, $72,320 annually, and we already discussed that 10% make more than $49.29 per hour, $102,520 hourly.  These are national numbers.  So if you need to extrapolate from the national averages, given the demographic differentials noted above, in order to determine the mean occupational therapist salary for your locality.

    You can do this by thinking of the cost of living in your area in juxtaposition to the cost of living in the areas and cities highlighted.  Once you do that, then you can get a good feel for the mean salary ranges in your particular city.  Another way to do this is to go out and talk to current occupational therapists or even to look at the online want ads for occupational therapists in your region.  Note the offering salaries and the number of years experience needed for that salary.  This is also a good way to verify your local occupational therapist salary range versus the national numbers cited above.

  • How Much Does An Occupational Therapist Make?

    When you begin looking at the Occupational Therapist’s career you quickly see that the number of options for the career and the number of industries that employ occupational therapists is very large.  As a result it is difficult to precisely quantify the answer to the question, how much does an occupational therapist make.  The quick answer is that the occupational therapist makes, on average, for the entire United States, $35.28 per hour which equivocates to an average annual salary of $73,380.  Even though this is a good salary it does not even begin to describe the range of possible salaries for this diverse occupation.

    Salary is dependent upon many different factors.  Personal productivity, number of years on the job, amount of certifications, amount of education, as well as the specific industry in which you work.  This last factor is oftentimes overlooked but needs to be a considered factor as you analyze the overall occupational therapist’s salary structure as well as direct your path to where you want your particular career to go.  For example, the nationwide 90th percentile average annual wage for an occupational therapist is $102,520.  But that same 90th percentile for occupational therapists that work in schools and state government is only $74,250.  That means the 90th percentile in wage earners as an occupational therapist in schools and state government makes as much as the 50th percentile of occupational therapists nationwide.  As if that discrepancy were not large enough, you should note that the 90th percentile of occupational therapists working in professional, scientific, and technical services is at $131,910.  That is over $55,000 more per year than their peer.  Of course, these are very different work environments and the professional, scientific, and technical services may require more education, but the 90th percentile is still getting to the top of the range for both.  When determining your career path, knowing information like this may lead you to make one decision over another.

    Of course you should not singularly focus on wage and salary.  There is also the dynamic of what type of work environment you want to work in, your overall benefits package, as well as the overall stress and competition within each job.  The occupational therapist that works for the school districts and/or government normally has excellent benefits, pension, vacations, and job security.  Whereas the professional, scientific, technical services occupational therapist may have high stress, high competition, and little job security.  This is not necessarily true, but it is a factor that you need to analyze in the light of the type of work environment you most want to work.  In the end, pay is not everything.

    For the record, the majority of the 90th percentile average annual wages for occupational therapists nationwide is in the $87,000 – $94,000 range.  Even though the mean is $102,520, I think this number is a little high, probably from some very high earners that were surveyed that make up the range above the 90th percentile.  Therefore, to answer the question how much does an occupational therapist make, the answer is that they tend to earn from $70,000 – $110,000+.  Depending on their specialty, years at work, and the specific industry they work within.

  • Occupational Therapist Salary in New Jersey

    Occupational Therapist Salary in NJ

    New Jersey is one of the more populous states in the United States which lies in the North-eastern and Middle Atlantic parts of U.S. From the census conducted in 2010, this state is said to hold a population of 8,791,894 and has a history of being the site of a number of decisive battles during the revolutionary war in America. Since 2006, New Jersey has been the most densely populated with majority of the population living in areas around New York, Philadelphia and Jersey shores. The increase in population has seen the rise of numerous sectors in the attempt to satisfy the demands of people within this region. As is mostly the case with a growing population, health needs have been on the increase and this has placed health oriented professionals on great demand. One of the most required professionals in the recent times has been Occupational Therapists.

    Occupational Therapists Earn High Salaries In New Jersey

    The state of New Jersey is ranked second best in paying these professionals the highest salaries. This is according to the Bureau of labor statistics which estimates the average annual salary for occupational therapists to be $82,420. Within New Jersey, the most highly paying cities are Middlesex whose workers earn an average of $80,007 with the lowest paid therapist getting $69,453 while the majority well paid earn $91,909. Newark city’s therapists on the other hand get an average annual salary of $81,041.The least paid in this city earn $70,351 and the most paid get $93,098. Treton city follows closely with majority of therapists earning a mean annual salary of $78,420. In other cities however, the salaries continue decreasing. For instance in  Atlantic city, the top 10% of these professionals earn an annual payment of $87,869 while the 10% lowest earning therapists earn $66,400.The difference is as a result of myriad of factors which include location and market competition.

    Occupational therapists work with a wide range of individuals with certain disabilities including children and adults. Their main objective being to help these individuals lead independent yet productive lives, therapists are faced with lots of challenges and thus the occupation requires well qualified people who embrace patience and understanding. They evaluate the patient’s care, work and their leisure skills and help in planning and implementing the social and interpersonal activities that aid to develop and maintain that individual’s ability to accomplish daily life activities. This is no simple job and not everyone would have the capability to do it. It is for this reason that if one feels that their heart’s desire is to serve humanity; it is always prudent to consider this career since besides being a satisfying job; it also offers a substantial salary package.

    Opportunities in New Jersey

    With the recent economic recession that has not spared even New Jersey State, many people are in search of careers that are not likely to disappoint them. Occupational therapy happens to be one such career whose demand seems to be lasting even in the future and with the annual mean wage close to $82,420; it is evident that it is a rewarding occupation where one can definitely earn one a good living.

  • Occupational Therapist Cover Letter

     
    When it comes time to put out your resume for an Occupational Therapist position you do not want to forget that all important piece, the cover letter.  Previously we touched upon how an Occupational Therapist resume must be ideally crafted. In this article, let us focus on the cover letter. An occupational therapist cover letter is similar to most other clinical position cover letters and it needs to highlight your specific areas of interest and expertise.  This is particularly important for the occupational therapist because the field itself is so broad.

    The first thing you need to know when developing your cover letter is that it needs to highlight the items on your resume where you want the interviewer to focus their attention and it needs to say something about you that is not easily included in the resume.

    The cover letter also needs to be as succinct and concise as possible.  You do not want to use flowery language or extra adjectives or adverbs.  You want to use language that communicates your skills and why you are an excellent candidate in a professional and clear manner.  When it comes to cover letters, you never know if it is going to be read or just past over in order for the interviewer to read your resume.  Sometimes the cover letter makes all of the difference and other times it makes no difference at all.

    The cover letter should also specifically address how your specific experience and education meet and/or exceed the requirements that were in the advertisement for the postilion.  If there is a written job description then it may be warranted to highlight how your experience and education meet or exceed the specific job requirements.  This is especially true if there is a job requirement in the job description that you meet and that you know not many others will meet.  This is the type of thing you want to point out in your cover letter to show how you are qualified.

    If there is a requirement in the ad or position description that you do not meet, then point it out in the cover letter and either overcome your deficiency in the letter, or tell them how you will discuss that with them in the interview.  The fact that you have paid attention to their advertisement or job requirements will put you head and shoulders above other applicants, even if you are short one or two of the qualifications.

    The final thing to note about the occupational therapist cover letter is that you need to make certain it is written in professional language.  It needs to strictly adhere to all elements of professional and business style.  It should not be artistic or fancy.  You may think artist cover letters stand out, and in fact they do, but they send the wrong message when you are applying for a professional position.  Your cover letter should be written on a single page, should be short and to the point, and be formatted in a professional manner.  You should make certain that all of your grammar and punctuation is correct and by all means make certain that your occupational therapist cover letter spell the name of the addressee properly.

    Do all of these things and you will have put your best foot forward in introducing yourself and in encouraging the interviewer to consider your resume.

     

  • Occupational Therapist Resume

    Ideal Resume of an Occupational Therapist

    There are a series of things to remember when completing the occupational therapist resume.  There is no order of importance for these things because they are all requirements for a good resume.  You cannot skip any of the following items.

    The first is that you need to remember that you are applying for a professional position that has a high level of compensation and that requires a lot of independent work.  This means that much of your work will be unsupervised and as such your resume must represent how you are professional, detail oriented, and understand the importance of the position for which you are applying.

    Your resume must follow a professional format and cannot be a resume that is designed in any fancy or artistic format.  Your resume must reflect your serious approach to your occupation and the fact that your reports and therapy records will be clean neat and professional.  The more you deviate from professionalism on your resume, the more you may be giving the interviewer the impression that you will be deviating in your reports and methodologies.  Of course there is a place for creativity and innovation as an occupational therapist.  But creativity and innovation that is not clinical and methodical leads to liability for the employer.  It is best to stick to a professional and classically designed resume.

    The occupational therapist resume must highlight the ways in which you are qualified and educated as an occupational therapist.  It must also include all special certifications and experience you have in different specializations.  Because occupational therapy is a broad field you need to note your particular skills.

    If you have access to the employment advertisement or the official job description of the position you are applying for, then you should make certain your resume shows that you are qualified and that you meet their requirements.  If there are subjective areas where you excel, highlight them in the resume.  If there are specific areas in which you do not meet the particular requirements of the position, then make certain that you highlight areas that you feel will compensate for this lack of experience.   If the experience deficit is blatant then you either need to apply for a different position or highlight how you will overcome the deficit in your resume cover letter.

    The resume itself should not ever be longer than one single page unless you have decades of experience and educational accomplishments and certifications.  Short of that most people can make a nice concise resume in a single page.  Remember that you need not include any jobs that you have had that are not relevant to the particular postilion for which you are applying.  Of course if there is a gap in employment you must include those positions, but any positions prior to your becoming an occupational therapist can be left out.

    The final thing you need to remember for an occupational therapist resume is that it needs to have proper spelling, grammar, and usage.  You need to make certain that any abbreviations, capitalization’s or hyphenating is consistent throughout the resume.  You do not want to vary your styles.  Pick one style and make certain the entire resume looks consistent.  This may sound like an obvious piece of advice but you would be amazed if you saw how many resumes come in for high level professional positions like occupational therapy that contain spelling errors, poor grammar, or an inconsistent style.

     

  • Occupational Therapist Salary in Florida

    Occupational Therapist Salary in FL

    Florida state is the fourth most highly populated in the country with a population of 18,801,310 as determined by the 2010 census conducted by the United States Census Bureau. From the latest population estimates, this city happens to be the thirtieth fastest growing state and is ranked among the top states in employment of occupational therapists with about 6,140 people currently employed in the field of Occupational Therapy in Florida.

    Expected Average Wage in Florida

    The annual mean wage for occupational therapists in Florida is $77,530 with an hourly mean wage of $37.27. However, the salary differs from city to city. Some cities can pay really well when compared to others. In a city like Boca Raton, occupational therapists median wage is $67,799. The bottom 10% of the workers earn $58,856 while the top 10% earn $77,885. Miami city on the other hand has 10% of the lower earning therapists earning about $58,077, while 10% of the higher earning workers earn $76,855. The average salary for the majority of occupational therapists in Miami city earn $66,902. One the other side of the salary scale you have Tallahassee city where you probably can find some the lowest salaries for the therapists in Florida. The 10% of the least earning therapist earn about $54,066 while 10% of the most earning earn $71,547. The average salary for these workers in this city is $62,281.

    This variation of the salaries is determined by various factors such as education levels, geographical region and field of work. More often than not, the occupational therapists in hospitals and other health care facilities earn more than those in schools. However in certain particular special schools, the salary rate for occupational therapists are quite high setting them at par with the professionals working in hospitals and health centers.

    Occupational Therapy: Demanding, Exciting and Rewarding

    A career or a job in the field of Occupational therapy can be exciting but also very demanding. Your career can be incredibly satisfying and at the same time you receive a fairly high monetary benefit from the job. The value for your service can depend ofcourse on the exact position and location. The therapists aid individuals who are physically, emotionally, mentally or developmentally disabled so that they are able to perform average tasks in day to-day life. In most cases, the individual is not in a position to execute normal duties but the occupational therapists assist them slowly by slowly to be able to adapt to life again and perform.

    As an Occupational therapist, you have three options to choose from as far as your career is concerned. You can decide to become a professional or an assistant or an aide. All these three positions come with various educational and licensing requirements and they highly influence a person’s salary package since they have a direct impact on responsibilities. Those with a master in this career are definitely likely to earn higher than those with just a mere diploma. More so, therapists with a range of experience are likely to earn more since their chances of promotion to higher positions that earn one good salary are high.

    With health care requirements increasing at a tremendous rate, considering studying occupational therapy could just be the best decision that one could make as this occupation is thought to become on the most bankable sectors as far in the future as jobs are concerned.

     

  • Occupational Therapist Salary in California

    California is one of the largest states in the United States of America. It covers a geographical area of 527 km2 and has a population of about 37,253,956. The population density in the area as of 2010 was 69.3 people per square mile and the racial makeup of the city showed 65.1% of the population were whites, 15.2% African Americans, 0.9% Native Americans, 2.6% Asians, 0.4% Pacific Islanders and 10.1% from other races. As means of meeting the growing population needs, health care services have been on the increase and so has the demand for occupational therapists to cater. This has seen California among the states with the highest employment levels in this occupation.

    Average Salaries for Occupational Therapists in California

    Average Salary in CA

    Being a job that is in high demand, occupational therapists earn a lot and this could just be the right kind of work that an individual interested in a healthcare career can choose to venture into. However, it is important to keep in mind that there is a great variation in occupational therapists salaries in California. This is dependent on several factors ranging from population to general competitiveness in the market. The median salary for these workers in California is $73,440 annually and this is particularly the case in the more populous cities such as Fresno, CA. In California state, the minimum average salary is $62,401 and this could be attributed to therapists working in special schools. The salaries however are more as one narrows down to certain metropolitan regions in the state. For instance, Redwood City and San Mateo record an annual salary of about $95,000 while other states such as Thousand Oaks and Oxnard provide therapists with about $89,000 for the year. It is thus evident that it would be hard to give a standard minimum or maximum payment for occupational therapists as they differ quite drastically based on the exact nature of work that is to be performed as well as the city or region where one finds work.

    The other popular city that boasts of high salaries for Occupational Therapy professionals in California is Los Angeles. In LA, the minimum wage that an occupational therapist can hope to earn is around $68,380 while the most one can hope to earn is around $93,971. The median salary in this city is $80,477 which is that the majority of occupational therapists earn in a year. Long Beach and Anaheim cities also pay in the similar range as Los Angeles. Modesto and Lompoc cities on the other hand pay a median salary of $78,058 and $77,618 respectively.

    There is a wide variety of health care facilities that offer occupational therapy professionals with ample job opportunities. These jobs include hospitals, rehab centers, nursing homes, special schools and many more. In these institutions, the services of an occupational therapist is very much needed and just as their work aid in helping the patients realize goals in life, the salaries of these workers must match their efforts in the job and earn them a living. Despite the variations due to the field of work, geographical region, or even educational qualification, it is always imperative to gain value for ones work.

     

  • Certified Occupational Therapist Programs

    All certified occupational therapist programs within the United States or its territories must be accredited by the American Council on Occupational Therapy Education.  The certification itself is given by the by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.  There is no need whatsoever to attend any occupational therapist educational program that is not accredited and is not listed as a certified occupational therapist program.

    There are plenty of schools and educational options for anyone that wants to become a licensed and certified occupational therapist.  These include programs designed for part time students, distance and online education options, as well as financial aid that is readily available from accredited schools in order to make it convenient and possible for you to complete an accredited program.

    Completing a non-accredited or even a developing accreditation school is not something that is recommended.  Even the American Council on Occupational Therapy website says that you are taking a risk with your education if you do not attend a school that is fully certified.  If a program is in the process of certification and does not attain certification by your graduation then you will not be eligible for certification yourself.  Therefore it is better to go with full accreditation, this will ensure that your time is not wasted and that your are fully employable at the time of your graduation.

    There are dozens of accredited occupational therapist programs available in every state and all of these are qualified as certified occupational therapist programs.  In order to become a certified program the coursework and overall program must meet a particular set of standards.  The accreditation itself states that the student who graduates the program must have a general education and exposure to the ways in which occupational therapy is currently practiced.  The ability to communicate, analyze and apply occupational therapy theory into a specific course of treatment.  The ability to be able to understand all of the related physical, anatomical, and biological systems that interact for particular functions within prescribed course of therapy.  To be able to understand the methodology of research in order to develop  new and innovative physical system interactions in order to adapt existing practices and theory into the needs of current patients and prescribed treatments.

    There are also a series of other standards by which occupational therapy programs reach accreditation.  For example, all of the programs much teach students about ethics, about the roles of different types of occupational therapists, about business ethics, medical ethics and the legal ramifications of their role in the lives of clients as their occupational therapist.  All certified occupational therapist programs must incorporate all of these things in order to attain accreditation.

    As you can see from the above, the certified occupational therapist is not only held responsible for understanding, designing, developing and effectively implementing therapy for their patients, but they are also held to a high standard of ethics and understanding of how their business practices, treatments, and behaviors affect themselves, their patients, and their surrounding community.  Choosing a therapist who is certified from one of the certified occupational therapist programs is an assurance to the patient that they are receiving the best possible care from professionals that clearly understand the how important their therapy is to the future and life of that patient.

  • Online Occupational Therapist Training

    Online Training for Occupational Therapy

    Currently there are not any fully online entry-level occupational therapist training programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education.  What is meant by “entry-level” is someone that is not currently an occupational therapist.  There are however accredited continuing education courses for current licensed occupational therapists and there are programs for entry level occupational therapists that incorporate a distance or online education component. 

    The reason for this is because the job of an occupational therapist is very hands on and is not conducive to online education.  But the portions that can be made online, have been made online for the convenience of those that want to become occupational therapists but cannot get to an on-campus program each and every day.  There are also several part time and weekend classes available for those that can fit those types of programs into their schedule in lieu of the online option.

    There are over eighty different colleges that offer an entry level occupational therapist master’s level degree program that have a partial online and distance component built into the program.  The amount of distance education to on campus education varies between the different programs and schools.  With eighty programs spread across the United States, it is likely that you will be able to work yourself into one that fits your needs, if your goal is to truly become a licensed occupational therapist.

    Some schools, such as the University of Minnesota have close to seventy percent of their accredited occupational therapy degree offered online.  Their program is a 22-24 month program that allows for the maximum amount of online classes and the minimum amount of on campus classes.  This specific program offers the highest percentage of online coursework that is listed on the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education’s website.

    The second highest percentage of allowed online coursework is Shenandoah University out of Winchester, Virgina.  Shenandoah also has this distance/online learning portion built into, as a standard offering, their division of occupational therapy program.  The Shenandoah masters of science in occupational therapy hybrid online/on campus program requires the student to attend an on campus class one day per week.  While some online courses allow contiguous on campus days, this universities requirement of one day per week would mean that you would need to live near the school.

    If you are not an entry level occupational therapist and are simply seeking to further your education then there are a variety of educational training programs that are offered online and will allow you to continue your education and add specializations to your practice.  These include online occupational therapist training from specific specializations all the way up to a doctorate degree in occupational therapy..  The difference between the entry level and the advanced degree or specializations, and the reason they can be fully online, is that the entry level degree requires a lot of face to face interactive training and activities that cannot be handled online. Once you have become a licensed occupational therapist it is assumed you have these face to face interactive skills and abilities and simply need to add on the theory and knowledge of advanced degrees and specializations and not the physical hands on experience.

     

  • Occupational Therapist Certification

    Obtaining occupational therapist certification is the first step you should do after passing the occupational therapist licensing exam and becoming an occupational therapist registered.  In order to sit for the certification exam you need to be a graduate with satisfactory grades of an accredited master’s level occupational therapy program that is taught within the Untied States or one of its territories. 

    The accreditation of the academic program must be from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy and from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education.  You must also have completed the required twenty four weeks of work experience in the field.  There is an appeal process for those that have not attended an accredited program or attended a program outside of the United States.  The appeal process is in place in order to assure that certification is available to all of those who are qualified.

    The application for certification and for your test date can be submitted either online or via standard United States postal service mail.  The application is relativity standard and simple to complete.  Though it does require that you know the specific codes for your school and the accreditation codes for the specific program that you attended.  The application does delve into questions about your personal character.  It is important that you are 100% truthful in all of the answers and simply offer explanations if requested.  You will be asked to submit supporting documentation for any criminal history you may have in your past, this includes any conviction or even any charge, even if it was expunged, pled out, or never prosecuted.

    After you submit the application you will either receive a test date or a request for further information regarding certain aspects of your application.  If you do have a criminal record or other blemish in your past this does not mean that you will not be allowed to be certified.  But it does mean that you will have to go through extra procedures and documentation before getting an exam date.

    The exam room itself is highly secure and regulated.  It will be similar to when you took your SAT’s in high school.  This is to ensure the integrity of the test and the identity of the test taker.  You will need identification and you will not be allowed to use computers or cheat sheets.  The exam is meant to be a test of your knowledge to supplement the evidence of your knowledge from your academic record.

    The exam itself covers all areas of occupational therapy.  From your understanding of your role as an occupational therapist to your understanding of different theories that you learned in your accredited occupational therapy program.  The exam also tests your understanding of interpersonal practices as well as standards and ethics of being an occupational therapist.  It is a very thorough exam, but should not be any more difficult than the state licensing exam.  The only difference is this one adds the extra dimension of holding you to a higher standard of business practices and business ethics.

  • Occupational Therapist Requirements

    What are the requirements to become an Occupational Therapist?

    Occupational therapists are licensed and regulated throughout the United States.  There is a specific process that needs to be followed in order to meet all of the occupational therapist requirements for licensing and certification.  This process is easy to follow and a well laid out plan in order to become a licensed occupational therapist.

    Educational Requirements

    The educational requirements are that the occupational therapist needs to graduate from an occupational therapy educational program that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).  These programs are oftentimes post-baccalaureate but there are some of the programs that offer a combined program, where you can earn the master’s and bachelor’s degrees at the same time.  In all of these programs there is a heavy focus on classes in the physical sciences, the behavioral sciences, and the biological/physiological sciences.  This specific academic concentration is due to the fact that the daily activities of the occupational therapist revolves around applying the specific knowledge from these academic areas into applied therapies.  The occupational therapist is one profession where there is a clear and distinct connection between coursework and daily on the job duties.

    If you are preparing for a career as an occupational therapist, then the earlier that you begin to take as many biology, anatomy, health, chemistry, and social science classes the more prepared you will be for the rigors of the occupational therapist requirements.  If you are an undergraduate, then taking a pre-med type program of coursework would be beneficial and the best way to prepare for your future occupational therapy program.

    Licensing Requirements

    After completion of the accredited master’s level occupational therapy program and completing a minimum of twenty four weeks in the field, you will need to take a national licensing exam.  In most states, to sit for the exam, all you need is the satisfactory completion of your accredited program, but it is a good idea to check with your specific state’s licensing board as early as possible in order for you  to determine if there are any other requirements to sit for the exam.  After passing the exam and meeting all of the prior occupational therapist requirements, you will become what is known as Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR).  An odd acronym but had they called the licensed person a Registered Occupational Therapist then the acronym ROT would be used and my guess is that they found this less than appealing, and yes, that is a joke you will hear as a freshman in your program.

    Once you have become an OTR then you can pursue becoming a certified occupational therapist registered.   This certification is simply an extra step over and above being a standard OTR.  This certification is more of an association with others in the field and an acknowledgement of a higher set of professional standards.  Similar to the way real estate agents become Realtor’s, it is not necessary, but is a certification that attributes a commitment to a higher standard.  This stated commitment may be the one thing that sets you ahead of other candidates that are applying for a position or promotion that you are seeking and thus certification is worth attaining.

    Ongoing Requirements

    There are also requirements that are ongoing since an occupational therapist is required to stay abreast of medical advancements and new treatments that affect there specialty.  The occupational therapist will always be furthering their knowledge and skill set by attending seminars and training classes in order to acquire additional certifications and competence levels.  The education is never complete since they are always learning and applying new techniques for the benefit of their patients.