•  Work in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, home health agencies, schools for the handicapped and adult day centers.
• Help people of all ages regain, develop or master everyday skills in order to live independent, productive and satisfying lives.
• Work with individuals who are mentally, emotionally or physically disabled to help them develop, maintain or recover daily living skills.
• Design therapy programs and work closely with patients to observe them, help them and monitor their progress.
• Instruct patients who need them in the use of adaptive equipment, such as wheelchairs, splints and aids for eating and dressing.
• Help clients improve basic motor functions and reasoning abilities and compensate for any permanent loss of function.

Education/Training

• Challenging, college prep courses in high school, including math, biology, chemistry, physics, health, social sciences and English.
• Minimum requirement is a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy.  As of January 1, 2007, all new occupational therapy candidates will need a postgraduate degree.
• Licensure requires graduation from an accredited program and passing a national certification examination.
• Course work includes physical, biological and behavioral sciences, application of occupational theory and skills.

Salary

• Average for full-time OT is $48,000, according to a 2000 survey of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

More Information

• American Occupational Therapy Association
  4720 Montgomery Lane
  PO Box 31220
  Bethesda, MD 20824-1220
  301-652-2682
  http://www.aota.org