Occupational therapists


Occupational therapists

Occupational therapy is an activity and important occupation to help persons with mental health problems where Occupational therapists (OTs) assist persons to develop their aptitude to do tasks in their daily living and working environments. They also assist them to develop, improve, or continue daily living.

How to become an Occupational Therapist

Students who desire to become occupational therapists should receive the most challenging high school math, science, and English courses.

Admission to occupational therapy programs is competitive; to get into your school of selection, focus on obtaining a high overall grade point average in college (higher than a 3.3 GPA) and volunteer or work as an occupational therapy assistant. Some schools oblige to have 150-hours of clinical experience previous to admission. You'll also require letters of recommendation from occupational therapists or science teachers. In addition, most schools need a reasonable score on Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

All occupational therapy programs need a bachelor's or master's degree from a recognized 4-year college or university, unless you're entering a joint bachelor's / master's program. Prerequisite coursework normally includes:
  • General Biology with laboratory
  • General Physics with laboratory
  • Human Anatomy with laboratory
  • Organic Chemistry with laboratory
  • Psychology and social sciences
  • Human Physiology with laboratory
  • Statistics and calculus

Nature of the work

Occupational therapists help persons to progress their capacity to do tasks in their daily living and working environments. They help clients in an extensive range of activities ranging from driving a car, to daily living skills such as dressing, cooking, and eating. One of the main areas of job growth for occupational therapists is in business consulting.

Salary

The annual salary for occupational therapists ranges from $26,000 to $45,000.