I Want To Be An Occupational Therapist Essay

In order to become an Occupational Therapists Assistant, one must earn an Associate’s Degree, obtain a certification and/or license for OTA, and have 1-2 years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. As I complete my major, I will also be gaining work experience during my Externship. Through this experience, I will have the opportunity to participate actively in my field of work interest alongside my mentors who are OTs and OTAS and gain the hands-on training I will need in order to begin my career as an OTA.

In order to be considered for a job in this field you need to have a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy. Along with a Master’s Degree you also need to have a state license, be CPR or Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certified, sometimes both are necessary. In order to get a state license, you need to go through a Master’s program, have fieldwork experience, and pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam. Once pass the exam, you will be given an OTR credential and continued education will have to follow in order to maintain the OTR credential. Others optional certifications can be taken from the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Also, you are required to have at least one to two years of experience, but some employers may differ. Key skills that an employer’s looks for in an Occupational Therapist are good communications and interpersonal skills, compassion, patience, and strong writing skills. Physical strength is sometimes taken into consideration as

Fortunately, UA Cossatot offers an accredited OTA program. The OTA program is a two year full-time study that includes subjects over psychology, biology, and other topics. All occupational therapy assistants have to complete at least 16 weeks of fieldwork to have an insight of the work field. They require interpersonal skills, flexibility, compassion, some sort of physical strength, and detail oriented. Most OTAs have to be licensed or registered by an accredited occupational therapy assistant program in order to practice therapy.

As an Occupational Therapy Assistant, I will work alongside an Occupational Therapist and work directly with patients. The difference between an OT and an OTA is that OT’s set up treatment plans and perform medical assessments while OTA’s carry out the treatment plans with the patients. In volunteering at rehab clinics, I’ve learned that Occupational Therapists often spend much of their time dealing with paperwork while OTA’s are performing more hands on work with people. Their day includes helping patients in performing rehabilitative exercises within a treatment plan. Occupational Therapy Assistants help people to regain their ability to perform activities of daily living, or ADL’s. These are the core aspects which

The Psychology Major’s Handbook by Tara L. Kuther gives a list of positions that Psychology majors can obtain with a bachelor’s degree. This list is helpful because only one-fourth of psychology majors go to graduate school immediately following graduation (Kuther, 2015, p. 170). Within this list, the occupation that caught my eye was that of an Occupational Therapist. Though one cannot be an Occupational Therapist with only a bachelor’s degree, one can be an Occupational Therapist Assistant (OTA) with a bachelor’s degree. With other training and licensure, an individual with a bachelor’s in psychology can work in the field of Occupational Therapy because psychology teaches one human service skills. Employers may not understand why a psychology major would be eligible for a job like Occupational Therapy; thus it is the responsibility of the applicant to explain their eligibility for the desired position (Kuther, 2015, p. 171).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational therapy assistants and aides help patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working.” OT Career Path.com also states that, “occupational therapy assistants assist with the rehabilitation and care of patients with mental, developmental, physical, social, and emotional disabilities” Occupational therapist may provide many different forms of service from setting up materials, moving a patient, explaining exercises, preparing reports and implementing treatment plan as prescribed by the Occupational Therapist. An OTA’s duties vary greatly an example of their duties include helping patients acquire fine

My long-term goal is to learn the techniques that are used by patients to help them progress. In addition, I want to explore the different work environments, which the occupational therapists work in such as in hospitals, clinics, or schools.

I chose occupational therapy because it helps people with special needs or rehab stuff to help them get better and get through school or work days. What do occupational therapists do and who do they work with? “Occupational therapy services typically include: an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals, customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan (ACTA).” Occupational therapist often work with younger kids with special needs to help them make it through school but sometimes they work with

Their responsibility is to treat their clients by using everyday activities such as cooking to help their clients improve their skills that are needed. An occupational therapist, needs to complete a degree in occupational therapy, then needs to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, also known as HCPC. They undertake an assessment for their clients by going to their home to assess what they can do, and to advise them on what adaptations they may need in their home, this then helps the them go onto treatment planning where they can decide what their client needs such as a carer, or equipment to help

Therapy focuses on issues and problems that are troubling the client at the present moment and try to help them using brief therapy. Therapists typically ask questions about family role patterns, rules, goals, and stages of development.

Occupational therapists in Pennsylvania are required to obtain 24 contact hours every two years in continued competency activities to maintain their licensure (Pennsylvania Department of State, 2013). In addition, the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (2016) requires practitioners to obtain 36 units of continued education every three years. LIU 12 provides financial resources in the form of tuition reimbursement for occupational therapists to continue their education and meet their licensure and certification

An occupational therapy degree can be obtained through a master’s or doctorate degree. Courses for this degree may include anatomy and physiology, psychology, biology, kinesiology, and anthropology. Clinical rotations will also be required for each program. The individual must graduate from an accredited program, pass the national board examination to become certified, and take a licensure exam for whatever state they plan to work in. Occupational therapy, like physical therapy, has specialization in pediatrics, physical rehabilitation, gerontology, and mental health.

Occupational Therapy in Mental Health Occupational therapy practitioners play an important role in the field of mental health. The need of occupational therapy varies from the adolescent to adults. Occupational therapist want to reach the ultimate goal, to fully engage and participate in community activities. These activities include being able to obtain a job and maintain it, being able to attend school, and living life independently (Castaneda, 2013). Occupational therapist provides barriers to gain function through interventions that focus on increasing existing skills, creating opportunities, promoting wellness, and modifying or adapting the environment or activity (Castaneda, 2013) Occupational therapy practitioners have open settings

Physical Therapy is a graduate’s/doctorate’s degree. The first step to becoming a Physical Therapist is getting accepted to an accredited Physical Therapy School. Prospective applicants who are interested applying to PT school must meet the following requirements: complete a bachelor's degree, complete course prerequisites for your designated programs, pass the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), accumulate experience/shadow hours in a physical therapy setting and ask letters of recommendations. For the letters of recommendation, it is advised that the three recommenders are a Physical therapist (PT), a science professor, or who is either another word/academic reference. These following requirements will prepare an applicant for physical therapy school. Once a student has completed their degree in Physical Therapy, he/she will Yes, once a student has completed their Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, he/she is eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). According to Applicants may take the exam three times in a twelve-month period. Every graduate of physical therapy must pass to become a licensed physical therapist or licensed/certified physical therapist assistant (or to regain licensure/certification if lapsed) in the United States

An occupational therapist is a trained and licensed health care professional who can make a complete evaluation of the impact of disease on the activities of the patient at home and in work situations. Hobbies and recreational activities are considered when an assessment is made. The most generally accepted definition of occupational therapy is that it is an activity, physical or mental, that aids in a patient’s recovery from disease or injury.