How to become an occupational therapist

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Occupational therapists care for the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their clients. They work with individuals who may be struggling to perform daily tasks, and they provide techniques and exercises to help their clients regain their independence. Occupational therapists help to enhance confidence and build trusting relationships with people from all walks of life. Treatments can include physiotherapy, diet, counselling, cognitive exercises and many new types of robotic equipment and virtual technologies.

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What does an occupational therapist do?

An occupational therapist is responsible for a broad range of therapeutic tasks, which can help their clients to recover from injury, illness, or to enhance their day-to-day life while living with an ongoing medical condition.

They may work in a variety of environments like hospitais, sports training facilities, care homes, and educational institutions to name a few. Their work includes consultation sessions in which the needs of the client are identified as well as creating bespoke treatment courses.

By pursuing a career as an occupational therapist, you will learn to work with people, rather than just injuries or conditions. It’s a role which requires empathy and understanding, a holistic approach which builds communication, establishes rapport and respect, and ultimately inspires confidence in both client and therapist.

Some of the regular tasks and activities that an occupational therapist performs are:

Client consultation sessions
Goal setting and designing treatment plans
Creating a framework for progression
Improving client independence by suggesting adaptations to their home or workspace
Training clients and care providers to use specialist equipment
Liaising with the families, teachers or employers
Making client referrals
Performing individual and group rehabilitation sessions
Administrative tasks including scheduling and budgeting
Researching and staying up to date with best practices

What’s it like to work as an occupational therapist?

When you apply for entry-level positions, it pays to be flexible with where you’re prepared to work. It’s a popular and increasingly competitive career choice, and you’ll increase your prospects if you’re able to consider moving to a new place to start work.

You’ll need to be physically and mentally fit. A lot of your work will involve helping people to move, stretch, balance and bend, so you’ll have to be able to do these things too as you safely guide your clients through their treatment.

Similarly, you’ll be providing motivation and encouragement, often to people who are finding it difficult to stay positive and energised. This can require a lot of psychological stamina, so ensure that you’re taking the appropriate actions to keep yourself grounded and fresh.

While each client is treated as an individual, you’ll learn to create a repertoire of techniques and programmes which can be applied to other clients or in a group situation. This could include a particular stretching routine, verbal task or time-management strategy.

Once you build a portfolio of clients, you’ll find that there are many opportunities to expand your work within the profession and even work abroad. The Royal College of Occupational Therapists offers professional accreditation and is internationally recognised.

What skills do you need to be an occupational therapist?

Occupational therapists require skills in many areas. Some of them include:

Empathetic awareness
Physical strength, stamina and flexibility
Verbal and written communication skills
Time-management skills
Conflict resolution skills
Critical reasoning and decision-making abilities
Administrative and organisational abilities

How much does an occupational therapist earn?

Salaries for occupational therapists can vary, based on a number of factors such as whether you choose to work in the public or private sector, how much you specialise within the sector.

Within the NHS, entry level salaries start between £25,500 and £31,500 per year. Specialist occupational therapists generally earn from £32,300 -and £39,000, and highly specialist professionals can earn up to £45,800 annually. At the senior end of the profession, roles can include managerial and consultancy positions with salaries reaching up to £60,000 and beyond.

These figures are largely guidelines, and your salary will also depend on your skills, specialisms, experience, contacts and enterprising abilities. If you choose to work in the private sector, for example, you may have the potential to draw a higher salary.

In the NHS you’ll typically work a 37.5 hour work week. Part-time positions are sometimes available and if you have your own client base you can practice on a freelance basis with flexible working hours.

How to become an occupational therapist

The road to becoming a licensed occupational therapist is paved with years of education and training, as is often the way with accredited professions within the healthcare industry.

It is usual for working professionals to hold at least a master’s degree in occupational therapy, while some even complete a doctorate in order to specialise more quickly and advance within the field. You’ll need to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), as well as listing your professional experience and providing details of where you have trained. 

If you hold a degree in a relevant subject area and have enough healthcare experience, it may be possible to take an accelerated two-year postgraduate programme which leads to either a PGDip or MSc in occupational therapy. The course includes 1,000 hours of practical placement work and plenty of hands-on learning.

There is another option available to those based in England, which is an occupational therapy degree-level apprenticeship. The course is delivered through a collaborative effort by the NHS, various healthcare organisations, and a network of universities.