job duties of occupational therapists
Occupational Therapist Job Description and Outlook
Occupational therapists work with people who have mental, physical and/or developmental disabilities. They assist people in developing and maintaining daily living skills at home and also help them develop skills that are required to help them adapt to their work environment. They also assist those patients who have permanently lost the ability to perform certain body functions to live a life as normal as their condition allows.
Occupational therapists study the case history of each individual patients, analyze their problems and help develop therapy sessions including exercises that will help the patients deal with and overcome their disabilities. They will also assist patients in using specialized equipments that will help them deal with their special conditions. They may also assist in creating and building specialized equipments that will help the patients do routine chores and activities at their home and at work. They maintain meticulous patient records detailing each progress made. These records will assist them in evaluating a patient’s progress and will help them discuss the patient’s condition with the other physicians who might be involved in treating them.
Occupational therapists may specialize in specific fields such as pediatrics or geriatrics. There are some who specialize in assessing, evaluating and assisting children who show developmental difficulties. Some specialize in assisting the elderly in living independently in their homes or in assisted living facilities. Some occupational therapists help patients make changes at home and work by installing specialized equipments and instructing the patients in their proper use and care. Some of them specialize in rehabilitating victims of drug and sexual abuse, planning activities and exercises that will slowly let them lead a normal life and helping them get over their psychological problems.
Educational And Other Requirements
Occupational therapist need to be licensed to work professionally. Students seeking a license must have taken up an accredited program from a recognized institution and must pass the national certification exam. They need to have a master’s degree plus at least 6 months of supervised work experience. In some States it is mandatory for them to take up continuing educational programs in order to retain their license. Occupational therapists need to be service oriented, patient with a desire to help those in need. They must have extremely good interpersonal skills as they have to interact with patients, their caregivers and physicians. They must be able to prescribe appropriate exercise and customize equipments to meet the individual needs of their patients.
Job Outlook
Occupational therapists held about 99,000 jobs in the year 2006 as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Occupational Therapists. Most of them are employed by the healthcare facilities while some of them are self-employed. The employment outlook is good as the employment rate of growth is projected at 23% between 2006 and 2016. They will be in demand in hospitals, assisted living facilities, educational institutions and in other healthcare facilities. Those who specialize in a particular field and those who obtain a license have good prospects in the future. The median annual earning ranged around $60,470 in the year 2006.
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