Related Career Categories

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• Dental Hygienist
• Dental Technician
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• Medical Technician
• Medical Technologist
• Occupational Therapist
• Ophthalmic Technician
• Optician
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• Pharmacist
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• Physical Therapist
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Best & Worst Things About This Career

"The best part of my job is getting to know people and working with them to solve problems in their everyday lives that are important to them. It requires me to understand a lot about people, mentally, physically and spiritually, which I think is really interesting, and it also requires me to be creative, open, flexible, and, most of the time, playful (since I work with children). The only negative really is the paperwork that goes along with the job, but you just learn to do it efficiently and ethically, and it's not all that bad!"

"The best part of my job is working with a team of highly skilled professionals to come up with the best plans for the children and their families. I learn new things every day! The worst part of my job is that after assessing the children, we only see them for follow-up evaluations every few months. To be able to provide treatment for them on a weekly basis would be ideal, but our clinic functions as an evaluation clinic. We rely on health care providers in the children's communities to carry out our recommendations."

"The absolutely best part of the job is that every day is not the same and you do not have to sit at a desk all day or be at a computer all day. Every day is different and you get to decide what activities you would like to do, you can be messy, creative, fun, or simple and clean. It is all about making a connection with the student you are working with and achieving goals to help them increase their skills and improve in the areas where they have deficits. The other great part is you have the summers off, school vacations and snow days off!"

Tips for Succeeding in This Career

"Go spend time or volunteer with occupational therapists in different settings, like schools, hospitals, etc. so you can see what OT really does. Build your knowledge and skills in "hard" sciences (anatomy and physiology) as well as sciences like sociology and psychology, and don't neglect the arts. Look at the website for the American Occupational Therapy Association. There's a lot of good information there about the profession."

"1. Shadow occupational therapists in a variety of clinical settings -- schools, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. -- in order to get a feeling for what the job entails. Ask lots of questions about what the therapist is doing and why! 2. Volunteer in a hospital rehabilitation department or other setting where a therapist works. Again, ask lots of questions! 3. Take as many science classes as you can! Take anatomy and physiology, biology, physics, and psychology."

"The best advice I could give if you were to pursue a job in Occupational Therapy is to first decide the population you would want to work with. Occupational therapists work in Geriatrics (older people), Physical Dysfunction (recent operation/medical), Mental Health, and Pediatrics. Then observe or call nursing homes, schools, group homes, private schools, hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, and psychiatric facilities to set up a time to observe or 'shadow' an occupational therapist in that setting. If you are not a people person, being a therapist may be difficult. Helping another change their life or helping to improve their lives means you have to be empathetic, patient, and willing to do what it takes to make that change for them."