Occupational therapy (OT) is currently one of the most promising careers. The profession continues to grow in demand largely due to the variety of ways the skills are applied. People working in occupational therapy enjoy a rewarding salary potential and many other perks. Here are some of the types of jobs in occupational therapy.

Types of Jobs in Occupational Therapy

What are the types of jobs in occupational therapy? Some jobs can be found in the following fields: gerontology, mental health, pediatrics, physical rehabilitation and more.

Gerontology 

Gerontology Occupational therapists work primarily with the elderly in their homes, facilities, communities or workplaces. There are a lot of professional opportunities in this field as there are plenty of reasons why the elderly need OT services that include:

  • Coping with Alzheimer’s
  • Living with arthritis
  • Driving safety
  • Coping with low vision
  • Adults who have suffered a fall or have a disability can benefit from these services.

Mental Health 

For an OT to be certified by the Mental Health Board, he/she must fully understand the effects of interaction between lifespan issues and other relevant conditions that affect occupational performance related to mental health.

This mental health certification focuses on providing mental health intervention that involves wellness as well as prevention for clients.

Most OTs with this specialty work in a hospital or home setting.

Pediatrics 

A child’s daily life will often involve activities such as learning, playing, and socializing. OTs specializing in pediatrics work with children to help them succeed in these activities. Some specific services within this certification involve:

  • Working with mental or physical disabilities
  • General functioning skills such as walking, feeding, crawling, etc.
  • Functional skills for children with autism

Physical Rehabilitation 

This certification is very broad and is obtained after working in a number of more specific OT specialties. The certification includes a significant ability to come up with and implement physical rehabilitation exercises that are client-based, evidence-based and contextually relevant to facilitate optimal occupational engagement.

Driving and Community Mobility 

This specialty focuses on practitioners enabling a client to be mobile in his/her community environment, whether it’s via public transportation, driving, school bus, walking, etc.

Specialists in this field work in several areas throughout the community such as:

Driving or riding in cars

  • Determining if patients are fit to drive.
  • Teaching teens with disabilities to drive.
  • Teaching the use of adaptive equipment.
  • Providing drive-specific rehabilitation services.

Public transit options

  • Facilitating traffic safety programs geared towards those with disabilities.
  • Training someone in a method of transportation he/she is not familiar.
  • Consulting with policymakers, city officials and transit companies to advocate for mobility-related issues.

Walking

  • Providing patient guidance on times of day and best routes.
  • Working with the city to ensure ADA compliance via textured ramps, curb-cuts, etc.

Environmental Modification

This specialty is for practitioners who modify, change or adapt the environments of a home, community, work or school. This type of work is often on an as-needed basis, making a specialist in this field somewhat of a consultant.

BOTTOM LINE

There are plenty of other types of jobs in occupational therapy. Some of the most common include low vision, school systems, and feeding, eating and swallowing. Choosing the right specialty for you requires you to tap into your passion and make a smart education choice. Once you’ve decided on what route you want to pursue in occupational therapy, Theracare provides careers in this field that’ll help you begin helping others.