6 Reasons Why You’ll Love Your Career as an Occupational Therapist

If you’re thinking about becoming an occupational therapist, you’ve come to the right place. Occupational therapy is a very rewarding career that comes with significant job satisfaction.

It’s suited to anyone who has a passion for helping people and enjoys health and wellness. If you’re still not convinced, you can take a career choice test. Take a look at some of the top reasons why you’ll love your career in occupational therapy.

What Is Occupational Therapy?

So, what does the job entail? Occupational therapy uses scientific bases and holistic approaches to help people who may struggle with day-to-day tasks. For example, people with disabilities, trauma, illnesses or people who are aging and finding it difficult to do what they once did.

Part of your role will be helping these people to adapt to a different way of living. Some may need help recovering from a major surgery, help at work, help at home and getting used to using new equipment that could aid them in being more independent.

Here are some of the reasons to get into an occupational therapy role:

1. Leading People to Better Lives

Whether it’s aging, disability or an injury, having to make use of occupational therapy is a big deal for most people. As part of your job, you’ll need to make your clients feel comfortable and set out a treatment plan that will lead to them being able to do more.

As an occupational therapist, you’ll watch your clients progress and achieve things they may not have thought possible. As this happens, you’ll be able to share in their victories and that’s incredibly rewarding.

2. Learn Along the Way

If you’re looking into occupational therapy, it probably means you’ve got a thirst for learning. When it comes to any kind of healthcare, knowledge is wisdom. To become an occupational therapist, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree.

You’ll also need a master’s degree with the approval of the American Occupational Therapy Association. You can then apply for a license. Why not look more into CEUs for occupational therapy if it’s something you’re interested in?

3. Extend Your Opportunities

When you start work as an occupational therapist, you don’t have to stop there. The job brings with it a wealth of opportunities to broaden your horizons and experience new things.

Occupational therapy is a growing industry with more scope for individuals to change their roles. More so than any other job in healthcare. Being an occupational therapist doesn’t mean you’ll only work in a hospital or clinic setting either.

Many OTs are now choosing to work in schools, community centers, or even people’s homes. You’ll also work with a range of different people of different ages and backgrounds. You can focus on anything from disabilities, developmental difficulties to mental health.

4. You’ll Be Paid Well

Of course, everyone loves job satisfaction but it’s also great to know you’re making a good wage too. After all your hard work, being an occupational therapist really pays off- literally.

It will depend on which state you’re working in as to how much money you make when working as an OT. As an example, the average annual wage of an OTA is $60,410.

5. You Won’t Do the Same Thing Every Day

Doing the same thing every day can get tiresome and boring. It’s important to be passionate about what you do but it’s equally important to have some variety in your job. When you work as an OT, no two days will ever be the same.

Every client you see will have a different problem that requires a different solution. You’ll be able to use your creativity in making life easier for each of your patients.

One day you may be working with a young child who hasn’t quite reached a milestone, while the next day you’re working with an adult with MS or Alzheimers disease. The sky really is the limit if you’re driven by the desire to help others.

6. Be Creative

As mentioned above, you really can be creative in your job role. It may not appear to be the type of job where you can be creative from an outsiders perspective but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

In fact, the therapy evolved from the use of arts and crafts. This was used as a way to encourage people to reach their health goals. As an OT, you’ll come across many problems where you need to be creative.

As a natural problem-solver, it will be your role to come up with innovative ideas that allow your clients to live with more freedom. For example, an elderly client may not be able to pick up utensils well enough to cook properly.

Instead of taking family member’s suggestions and moving the elderly patient into a care home, you can wrap the utensils with tape and make them easier to grip, offering your client more independence simultaneously.

Are You Ready to Be an Occupational Therapist?

Along with everything you’ve just read, being an occupational therapist also means you’ll rarely have to look long for work. So, if you’re just starting out or you’re coming back to the field after a break, you’ll find something that suits you without having to look too far.

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