Therapist

Career as Occupational Therapist is a very noble career. They are the people who help the patients to increase their power to do normal work. Their patients are generally disabled; physically, mentally or emotionally. They help the patients to do various tasks so that they do not have to depend on others. They not only help cure the disease but also boost the confidence of the patient. Career as Occupational Therapist is all about improving the basic body functions and enhancing the logical reasoning ability.

Tasks:
Career as Occupational Therapist has to perform a lot of work. They have to work on the body functioning and pay attention to the emotional behavior of the patient:

• Judge the person's ability to sustain therapy
• Set goals to attain success in therapy
• Plan for therapy sessions according to the ease of the patients
• Help the patients in understanding the daily work
• Plan the physical activity session to increase the patient's confidence and aptitude
• Teach the patient the different social responsibilities and their personal safety
• Give advice to the patients to change their lifestyle so that the therapies are beneficial
• Educate the families about the needs of the patients
• Prepare the reports and document the patient's progress
• Study the mental status of all the patients, individually. This will help them to treat the patient and encourage the patient to understand things at their own pace

Educational Qualification:
Career as Occupational Therapist is very tricky, as they have to treat patients in different ways. To treat them, Occupational Therapist has to follow a set of rules and must have the license to practice. The required educational qualifications are:

• Bachelors Degree, Occupational Therapy
• Masters Degree, Occupational Therapy
• Doctorate Degree, Occupational Therapy
• License - 'Occupational Therapist Registered' (OTR)

To appear for the license exam the person should be a Graduate.

Other Necessary Skills:
Apart from education, some extra skills are also required. The skills needed to make a career as Occupational Therapist are:

• Detailed knowledge about the therapies, the human body and its functions
• Good communication skills
• Ability to motivate the patients
• Good in reporting and in documenting the patient's progress
• Keen observation power to note the slightest change in the patient's health
• Good in gaining trust of the patients
• Willing to work and help any kind of patients
• Good stamina because sometimes the therapy sessions can last for long hours

Place of Work:
The places of work in the Career as Occupational Therapist generally are:

• Special Therapy Centers, 'Hospitals'
• Private Clinics / Nursing Homes
• Patient's Home
• Special Schools
• Prisons
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Health Organizations

Job Opportunities:
Career as Occupational Therapist is prospective one. The opportunity increases for the therapists who are skilled in more types of therapies. Apart from the traditional therapies, they should have the knowledge about the advanced and upcoming therapies. The therapists who have specialized in using the equipments have an edge over other therapists. The therapists who use creative and innovative methods are more popular among the children.

Remuneration:
Career as Occupational Therapist is a vast and a specialized field. The therapists who are using several creative methods and advanced equipments are generally paid high. In contrast to the other practitioners, the salary offered to the occupational therapists is average. Self-employed therapists earn more as compared to other therapists.

Job Progress:
Career as Occupational Therapist has many ways to progress. Since an Occupational Therapist has many options, the opportunity to grow and excel are also more. They generally start their career as junior therapists in the hospitals / health organizations under the guidance of the senior therapists. As they gain experience, they can either opt for the senior level post. Many therapists open their own clinic. Hence, the field is very good to expand your skills by using advanced techniques in treating disability.

Employment Forecast:
The employment rate is growing much faster than expected. The growth rate is fast and there are excellent opportunities for those who are able to treat elder people. Federal government is taking interest in opening special schools and health centers. Due to this, the demand for an occupational therapist is increasing. Hence, the career as Occupational Therapist is good option where growth is a certainty.

Recruiters Ratings:
These ratings will help you to know demand of this field. The rating given on a scale from 1 to 5 and is based on extensive study done on different prospective of the job:
Opportunity: 4
Income: 4
Growth: 3.5
Future: 4