Occupational Therapy Schools

Occupational Therapy Schools Enable You To Give Someone Their Independence Back

Imagine coming home from surgery to an empty house and having to fend for yourself. Imagine being elderly and on your own and not able to do the simple daily tasks you need to live. Imagine having a disability that prevents you from functioning normally and having no one to lean on.

All of these situations are handled by an occupational therapist, who can make daily life possible for so many. At occupational therapy schools, you'll gain the training you need to be able to be a life saver for someone who can't do the things you take for granted.

Job Description

An occupational therapist has many responsibilities, but basically your job is to make home and work related tasks possible for those with limited mobility or understanding. You will work with clients who are disabled mentally, physically or who have developmental problems. You will help your patients with skills like cooking, dressing themselves and eating. You may also have to work with them on regaining memory, strength or dexterity, by doing exercises or memory recall activities with them.

For someone who is developmentally challenged, you might have to do activities to improve their decision making or reasoning. For those who depend on equipment for mobility, you will assist them in using it and how to adapt it to their space, like with wheelchairs or prosthetics.

On top of the activities to be done with the client, you are also responsible for administrative duties, like keeping patient files up to date, billing, and reporting to their doctors on their progress. You can work in a variety of environments, either specializing in one group or need, like children or the elderly in schools or nursing homes, or working with many different clients in rehab centers or hospitals. You could also work in private health care, making house calls to different clients who need help at home.

You must have at least a master's degree to enter the field, and there are many bachelor / master's combined programs you can take to speed up the process. Your physical therapy programs will include biology, physical and behavioral sciences, as well as learning skills and techniques of occupational therapy. You will also need to do a 6 month supervised internship.

Occupational Therapy Training

To get into this program, it is recommended to already take courses like biology, chemistry and physics in high school. You should also try to get some volunteer work experience. If you major in a different program in college, biology, sociology, anatomy, psychology and anthropology, are some of the relevant ones that will give you an advantage when trying to transfer to occupational therapy.

Once you have completed your occupational therapy training, you will need a license in any state to practice. When you have your certification, you will need to pursue continuing education classes to keep your license valid and stay up to date on new techniques and breakthroughs.

Becoming An Occupational Therapist Assistant

If you don't want to get your master's degree, you have the option of becoming an occupational therapist assistant; a job in demand since many licensed occupational therapists are now turning more to managerial and administrative positions and leaving a lot of work for assistants. An assistant requires a 2 year associate's degree, learning about maintaining patient records, patient care and skill enhancing tasks among other things.

Online Schools

Some occupational therapy schools will offer online courses in occupational therapy to get your master's or doctorate, but the majority of online courses are certificates to become an occupational therapist aide, or associate's degrees for assistants. You will still need to complete your internship at a physical campus.

Occupational therapy jobs will continue to increase about 23% until 2016. Their average salaries are just one of the attractions to the job; making between $50,400 and $73,700 a year. Occupational therapy schools can help you achieve your goal to help people while benefitting you with a stable, lucrative job. Now is the time to make that move.

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