Occupational Therapist Employment - Hospitals, Jobs, Health Care

First of all, an occupational therapist is a person who helps people improve their quality of life by helping them increase their productivity and independence. Occupational therapists work with patients suffering from mental, emotional, developmental, and physical disabilities.

Every patient is different and requires a unique approach. Some people need assistance learning how to perform basic daily activities like eating and dressing, while others need help in learning how to be successful in a working environment.

If you are interested in working as an occupational therapists, there are some facts about occupational therapist employment in general, that you should know.

Regarding the working place, occupational therapist can for a home health-care service, but the majority of them works in the various health-care facilities across the country, community, hospitals, and rehab centers.

Employment in schools is also available, although it might require extra after-school hours for attending meetings with parents.

Part-timing is also an option, but just over 25% of occupational therapists worked part-time in 2002 according to official statistics based in the US.

Those of you that would like to work for a home health-care service should have a driver's license and a their own vehicle, as they will spend a large part of their day driving from one patient to another.

In the United States, stats released by the U.S. Department of Labor show that in 2002, there were about 82,000 occupational therapists officially working in the country. The larger part of these occupational therapists were employed by nursing care facilities, educational institutions, health practitioner offices, hospitals, home health-care services, government agencies, doctor's, community centers

There are certain requirements that one must meet in order to legally qualify for occupational therapist employment. First and foremost, one must posses a bachelor's degree in the field of occupational therapy. Since 2007, the minimum requirement is a graduate degree or higher. And since this profession is regulated, a license is required to begin practice. The license is obtained by passing an exam from an accredited program to become registered as occupational therapist.

Besides the purely legal requirements, there are some personal skills needed to work professionally as an occupational therapist. Good grades in from high school classes in physics, biology, health, chemistry and social sciences are a sign that the given individual will do a proper job. You have to be communicative, imaginative, patient and trustworthy, able to motivate and encourage patients. Those are perhaps the main qualities to be successful.

There is a lot of work for occupational therapist that work with children in New Zealand and the state of Ohio in USA. To get a certificate, you must pass the NBCOT exam. Certification is a requirement for associates.