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CAREER PAPER Getting America Back to Work Becoming an Occupational Therapist Becoming an Occupational Therapist involves a lot of time and dedication. Occupational therapy has a simple definition – helping challenged patients perform everyday tasks. Technically Occupational Therapists are defined as healthcare professionals who work under the supervision of a Physiatrist who help people with physical, developmental, mental, or emotional disabilities to overcome, correct or adjust to their particular problems.
In practice, however, occupational therapy encompasses a wide range of environments and duties. An Occupational Therapist might work with infants, children, adults, or the elderly. Or, they might aid a patient recovering from an injury or when living with a permanent health condition. The patient’s challenges may be completely physical or primarily mental. The setting could be an office, a hospital, a school or the patient’s own home. practice in occupational therapy Areas of When working with children and youth your duties would be promoting a wellness program in schools to prevent childhood obesity.
Or facilitating hand writing development in school-aged children. Another duty OT’s have is promoting functional kills for children with developmental disabilities. OT’s also provide individualized treatment for children with sensory processing difficulties and addressing psychosocial needs of a child and teaching effective coping strategies Health and wellness prevention and promotion are key factors including prevention of disease and injury and other secondary conditions.
Promotion of the well-being of those with chronic illnesses and the reduction of health care disparities all are enhancement factors that impact quality of life . Also promotion of healthy living practices, social participation, and occupational Justice. Mental health is of utmost importance. Which is what makes Occupational Therapy such an important field in South Jersey and other areas of the country that are hurt most and loss of many essential skills.
Occupational Therapists help with some of the most fundamental components of being able to be successful in work, school or getting DacK to Into tne swing 0T tnlngs. Inese Include scneaule maintenance, routlne building, coping skills, medication management, employment, education, community access and participation, social skills development, leisure pursuits, money management, and childcare. Becoming an Occupational Therapist is a two-part process. The first part is the initial decision.
The second part is deciding which area of physical therapy to pursue ” The most important thing a person coming out of school can do is know where their personal professional passion lies,” said Maureen Freda Peterson, chief professional affairs officer for the American Organization of Occupational Therapy in an interview with the U. S. News Money website. “It’s extremely important that they are looking for something that excites them professionally. ” Important Skills for Occupational Therapists
Certain skills are essential for the occupational therapist regardless of which specialty area is chosen. People skills are a must. Patients incapacitated by injury or chronic conditions may be frustrated at having to relearn basic tasks. Compassion and patience can’t be overstated as necessary traits for the occupational therapist also communication skills are mandatory, as well Occupational Therapists must listen closely to what the patient tells them, and be able to explain treatment (Burea of Labor Statistics) (Peterson) plans to the patient.
OTS who work as part of a health eam also need adequate documentation skills, so that they can explain the patient’s condition, progress and prognosis. Salary and Job Growth Outlook for Occupational Therapists Occupational therapy is a profession with a lot of options and some nice financial rewards. An Occupational Therapist Aide is mentioned but not generally a position commonly advertised. The median salary for an Occupational Therapist Assistant is $40,650. (Burea of Labor Statistics) The median annual wage for an Occupational Therapist was $72,320 in May 2010, according to the U.
S. Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS). Home health care service is the most lucrative work environment for occupational therapists, with average salaries of $79,570. Nursing care facilities are not far behind at $78,410. Individual and family services settings offer significantly lower pay, with an average salary of $64,520. After reviewing many Job openings on BLS. gov and Monster. com currently it is evident that this is not an area where Jobs are abundant, there were only 2 part time Job listings for Occupational Therapist at Inspira this area with no salary listed.
The hours were definitely not a typical nine to ive Job, even requiring holidays, weekends, early mornings and late night hours. Benefits mentioned were medical, dental, vision, 401 k, college savings, employee assistance prepaid legal plan. It describes treating patients for 2-4 weeks with a wide clinical caseload such as stroke spinal cord injury, brain injury, neurological disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, amputation, Joint replacement, fractures, multiple trauma, cardiac conditions, and pulmonary conditions in an acute rehabilitation setting.
It was states 80% of patients are discharged directly home. Although, when exploring Philadelphia’s Job market for Occupational Therapists on monster. com, the opportunities were endless. toucatlonal Requirements ana scnools Getting there likely will require several years of secondary education. A master’s degree is required for the profession. An Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) requires an Associate’s degree and Cumberland County College offers a specific program.
An Occupational Therapist requires an OT Master’s-level Program there are only three list in NJ but the closest entry level only is Richard Stockton College of NJ. If ou prefer to try to obtain a Masters with a combined Ba in OT then the professional entry-level master’s and combined baccalaureate/master’s program that is accredited and closest school is Thomas Jefferson University and Philadelphia University. There are only 5 accredited schools listed on AOTA for a doctorate level accredited program. The closest being the University of the Sciences in Pennsylvania.
Some schools offer programs in which the student earns a bachelor’s and master’s in five years. Otherwise, a bachelor’s degree must be earned before entering a post graduate occupational therapy program. Some programs also require having worked previously in an occupational therapy setting, either as a volunteer or employee. Master’s programs also require several months of fieldwork under a supervisor, which prepare the student for real-world occupational therapy. The highest level of education would be to pursue a doctorate or in Occupational Therapy, but it is currently not required to practice.
Professional Organizations, Licenses and Certifications for Occupational Therapists and Assistants The American Occupational Therapy Organization is the largest professional Organization with many benefits. The AOTA and the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) offers scholarships to eligible students. Also a free online magazine OT Practice and 30% off of some of the most critical textbooks you may be required to have. Suggesting that it will help prepare you for field work or easing transition into practice. Free access to a Job search link called OT Job Link.
AOTA also promises that listing your membership with them on your resume is invaluable. AOTA is also offering a student only event to network at a yearly recognition ceremony called the AOTA/NBCOT Student Conclave where such hot topics as NBCOT certification mingling with entors could result in a student’s first Job and clinical practice. Some other benefits listed include Career Protection “in the midst of health care changes” and Advocacy on Capitol Hill in which there is a Capitol Hill Day where AOTA’s Legislative Action Center can help you “guard your future” (American Occupation Therapy Association, Inc. . Training is also a perk where you can find Leadership opportunities at the Assembly Student delegate (ASD) and the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) that can give you experience, help you build your r????sum????, advance your career, and prepare ou to lead the way for others to the “Centennial Vision”. To aide student in research a free subscription to American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT), AJOT in High Wire also provides you with searchable content, multiple Journal resources and reference linking.
AOTA was established in 1917 to embody the interests and concerns of occupational therapy practitioners and students of occupational therapy and to increase the quality of occupational therapy services. The World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) is the main global representative for Occupational Therapists and ccupatlonal I nerapy around tne world ana tne omclal Internatlonal assoclatlon Tor the promotion of Occupational Therapy. The global organization that links 73 other countries together and boasts 350,000 members worldwide is the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.
This organization links OT’s to expand and enrich the professional experience by opening opportunities to work in other countries. Society for the study of Occupation- SSO’s mission is to expedite high excellence in scholarships and to exchange ideas that educate and support the evolution of information of occupational sciences. Certification is voluntary, all states require occupational therapists to be licensed, and licensing requires passing the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapists (NBCOT) examination.
Certified therapists may use the title Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR). The state of NJ requires no continuing education to remain licensed for an Occupational Therapist or Assistant. The median salary for an Occupational Therapist Assistant is $40,650. (Burea of Labor Statistics) Growth in the profession is well ahead of the average for all occupations. The BLS forecasts a surge f 33 percent between 2010 and 2020. The reasons for the growth are similar for that of many other health care professions: increased focus on outpatient care as well as Baby Boomers moving into old age.
Occupational therapists and their assistants treat patients with a number of conditions generally associated with aging, such as osteoarthritis, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Medical advances are helping patients with many of these conditions live longer, but also ensuring that they will need continuing care. Further, many patients are attracted to the noninvasive techniques of occupational therapy. Students also find becoming an Occupational Therapist or Assistant as a very rewarding and well-paying career with job stability.
References Retrlevea Trom society Tor tne study 0T occupatlon: www. sso-usa. org/ (n. a Retrieved from World Federation of Occupational Therapists: http://www. wfot. org/ American Occupation Therapy Association, Inc.. (n. d. ). Retrieved from aota: mw. ‘. aota. org Burea of Labor Statistics. (n. d. ). Retrieved from wrww. BLS. gov Monster. (n. d. ). Retrieved from wrww. monster. com Peterson, M. F. (n. d. ). U. S. News Money. Retrieved from www. usmoneynews. com