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Occupational Therapists

Typical education: Master's degreeModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual's environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.

Kinds of work

  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $100,330 Median per year · $48.24/hr Most earn $71,690–$131,950

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Help clients improve decision making, abstract reasoning, memory, sequencing, coordination, and perceptual skills, using computer programs.
  • Design and create, or requisition, special supplies and equipment, such as splints, braces, and computer-aided adaptive equipment.
  • Lay out materials such as puzzles, scissors and eating utensils for use in therapy, and clean and repair these tools after therapy sessions.
  • Recommend changes in patients' work or living environments, consistent with their needs and capabilities.
  • Conduct research in occupational therapy.
  • Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
15% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 10,000 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists27.6%
  • General medical and surgical hospitals20.2%
  • Elementary and secondary schools12.0%
  • Home healthcare services7.9%
  • Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)7.2%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Master's degreeExperience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Occupational therapist is not an entry-level job. Most people earn a bachelor's degree, gain about 6 months to 1 year of hands-on work experience, and then complete a master's degree in occupational therapy before practicing.

  1. Bachelor's degree (any major, with science and psychology prerequisites)

    4 years

    Choose a major you enjoy, such as psychology, biology, or kinesiology, and take the science courses (like anatomy and physiology) that OT graduate programs usually require.

  2. Occupational Therapy Aide

    6 months to 1 year

    Work under the direction of occupational therapists to prepare materials, set up activities, and help patients, which builds the hands-on experience that graduate programs and employers look for.

  3. Master's degree in Occupational Therapy

    About 2-3 years

    Complete an accredited master's program with classroom learning and supervised fieldwork, then pass the national certification exam and get your state license.

  4. Occupational Therapist

    Ongoing career

    Assess people with disabilities or developmental delays, plan programs, teach daily living skills, and adapt tasks and environments to help them become more independent.

Where it can lead

  1. Lead Occupational Therapist

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on more responsibility for guiding other therapists, handling complex cases, and helping set treatment approaches for a team or unit.

  2. Occupational Therapy Program Manager

    5-8 years of experience first

    You move from direct patient care into managing staff, budgets, and program planning for a clinic, hospital, or agency.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology and anatomy or health science coursesThese classes build the science background you'll need for college prerequisites and for understanding how the body works.
  • Volunteer at a nursing home or disability services centerHelping people with daily tasks shows you what the work feels like and gives you real experience to mention in applications.
  • Get a summer job as a camp counselor or program aideWorking with kids or adults with disabilities teaches patience, adaptability, and how to encourage people to try new skills.
  • Join a health occupations or science clubClubs like HOSA or a science club, if your school has one, connect you with health career information and training opportunities.
  • Take psychology or statistics if offeredPsychology helps you understand human behavior and motivation, and statistics is useful for reading research and measuring progress.

In college

  • Major in psychology, kinesiology, or biologyThese majors cover much of the science and human behavior background that occupational therapy graduate programs expect.
  • Take the prerequisites for OT graduate programsCourses like anatomy, physiology, abnormal psychology, and statistics are commonly required, so completing them early keeps your options open.
  • Get a paid aide or tech job at a rehab clinic or hospitalWorking as an aide or support staff member gives you experience with patients and therapists, which is usually needed before applying to graduate school.
  • Earn CPR and first aid certificationThese certifications are inexpensive, widely available, and show employers and programs that you can respond safely to patients.
  • Join a pre-OT or health professions student groupMany campuses have these groups, where you can meet students, hear from professionals, and find volunteer and shadowing chances.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask to shadow or volunteer with an occupational therapist. Seeing the job up close helps you decide if it fits you, and it strengthens your graduate school applications.
  • Check the prerequisite courses and entrance requirements for the master's programs you're interested in early, since they vary from school to school.
  • Build people skills now. Patience, clear communication, and encouraging others matter as much as science in this work.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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