How many occupational therapists are there in the us

A Journey to Becoming an Occupational Therapist. Job Market in Occupational Therapy. Occupational Therapy : Advice From a Student. Occupational Therapy Cost and Pathways of Schooling. Physical Therapy vs. Occupational therapy.

Should I Become an Occupational Therapist. General Medical and Surgical Hospitals. Elementary and Secondary Schools. Home Health Care Services. Specialty except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals. Child Day Care Services. Management of Companies and Enterprises.

Occupational therapists also must be licensed. In , there were about occupational therapy programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, part of the American Occupational Therapy Association. Many programs also require applicants to have volunteered or worked in an occupational therapy setting. Candidates should contact the program that they are interested in attending about specific requirements. Part-time programs that offer courses on nights and weekends are also available.

In addition, doctoral programs require a week capstone experience. To sit for the NBCOT exam, candidates must have earned a degree from an accredited educational program and completed all fieldwork requirements. They must also take continuing education classes to maintain certification. The American Occupational Therapy Association also offers a number of board and specialty certifications for therapists who want to demonstrate their advanced or specialized knowledge in areas of practice, such as pediatrics, mental health, or low vision.

Occupational therapists must be flexible when treating patients. Communication skills. Occupational therapists must listen attentively to what patients tell them and must explain what they want their patients to do. Occupational therapists are usually drawn to the profession by a desire to help people and improve their daily lives. Interpersonal skills. Because occupational therapists spend their time teaching and explaining therapies to patients, they need to earn the trust and respect of those patients and their families.

Dealing with injuries, illnesses, and disabilities is frustrating for many people. Occupational therapists should exhibit patience in order to provide quality care to the people they serve. Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U. Source: U. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. In May , the median annual wages for occupational therapists in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program. However, demand for occupational therapy services is related to the ability of patients to pay, either directly or through health insurance. The need for occupational therapists is expected to increase as the large baby-boom generation ages and people remain active later in life. Occupational therapists can help senior citizens maintain their independence by recommending home modifications and strategies that make daily activities easier.

Therapists also play a role in the treatment of many conditions and ailments commonly associated with aging, such as arthritis and stroke. Occupational therapists also will be needed in a variety of healthcare settings to treat patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes. Patients will continue to seek noninvasive outpatient treatment for long-term disabilities and illnesses, either in their homes or in residential care environments.

These patients may need occupational therapy to become more independent and to perform a variety of daily tasks. Demand for occupational therapy services also will stem from patients with autism spectrum disorder. Therapists will continue to be needed in schools to assist children with autism in improving their social skills and accomplishing a variety of daily tasks.

These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link s below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area. All state projections data are available at www.

Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area.

There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code. This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of occupational therapists. Occupational therapy assistants and aides help patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.

Recreational therapists plan, direct, and coordinate recreation-based treatment programs for people with disabilities, injuries, or illnesses. Speech-language pathologists assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent communication and swallowing disorders in children and adults. Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare.

Physician assistants practice medicine on teams with physicians, surgeons, and other healthcare workers. American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.