Occupational Therapist
Are patience, strong interpersonal skills, ingenuity, and imagination part of your makeup? If so, then occupational therapy might be the right career choice for you. Occupational therapists need patience and strong interpersonal skills to inspire trust and respect in their clients. Ingenuity and imagination in adapting to individual needs are also valuable characteristics for an occupational therapist.
Occupational therapists help patients improve their ability to perform tasks in living and working environments. They work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling condition. Occupational therapists use treatments to develop, recover or maintain the daily living and work skills of their patients. The therapist helps clients not only to improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also to compensate for permanent loss of function and adapt to their environment. The goal is to help clients have independent, productive and satisfying lives.
Click here to see what it's like to be an occupational therapist at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.
Click on the video below and view a day in the life of an occupational therapist.
First Steps:
Take high school courses in biology, chemistry and the social sciences. College admissions offices also look favorably on paid or volunteer experience in the health care field. Relevant undergraduate majors include biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, liberal arts, and kinesiology.
Earnings:
Listed below are hourly/annual wages for both entry level and experienced occupational therapists and the annual median hourly/annual wage.**
Entry Wage
|
Median Wage
|
Experienced Wage
|
Hourly
|
Annual
|
Hourly
|
Annual
|
Hourly
|
Annual
|
$26.05
|
$54,185
|
$34.89
|
$72,565
|
$40.91
|
$85,094
|
**Wage Data 2009, State of Illinois Department of Employment Security
Work Environment:
The work of an occupational therapist can be tiring because therapists are on their feet much of the day. Therapists also face hazards such as back strain from lifting and moving clients and equipment. Most full-time occupational therapists work about 40 hours per week, which may include weekends and evenings to meet patient needs.
Job Outlook:
Employment of occupational therapists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations. Job opportunities should be good, especially for occupational therapists treating the elderly and children.
Education:
Educational/Professional Requirements:
To apply for a license as an occupational therapist in Illinois, applicants must file with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Professional Regulation, a completed, signed application, on forms supplied by the Division that includes:
Proof of graduation from an approved occupational therapy program
Verification of the successful completion of the Certification Examination for Occupational Therapists
A complete work history since graduation
The required fee of $25
Professional Organization: