Learn How to Prepare for an Occupational Therapy Career in Northeast Ohio
Occupational therapy is a health discipline that provides services to people whose lives have been disrupted by physical injury, illness, developmental, psychosocial, or aging-related problems. “Occupational” in this sense does not necessarily refer to a person’s employment; it means therapy that enables a person to gain the function necessary to perform day-to-day work, self-care, and leisure activities as related to one’s roles.
There are two different levels in an occupational therapist career track:
- Work under the supervision of occupational therapists to provide rehabilitative services to persons with mental, physical, emotional, or developmental impairments.
- Assist with client assessments.
- Help clients with rehabilitative activities and exercises outlined in a treatment plan developed in collaboration with an occupational therapist.
- Monitor an individual’s activities to make sure they are performed correctly, and provide encouragement to the patient.
- Record their client’s progress.
- Document the billing of the client’s health insurance provider.
- Help people improve their ability to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments.
- Work with individuals who have conditions that are mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling.
- Help individuals develop, recover, or maintain daily living and work skills.
- Help clients not only to improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also to compensate for permanent loss of function.
- Assist clients in performing activities of all types, ranging from using a computer to caring for daily needs such as dressing, cooking, and eating.
- May prescribe physical exercises used to increase strength and dexterity, while other activities may be chosen to improve visual acuity and the ability to discern patterns.
- Instruct those with permanent disabilities, such as spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, or muscular dystrophy, in the use of adaptive equipment, including wheelchairs, splints, aids for eating and dressing, or computer-aided adaptive equipment.
- Carefully assess and record clients’ activities and progress, which is essential for evaluating clients, for billing, and for reporting to physicians and other healthcare providers.
Occupational Therapy Assistant - a formal education plus clinical education in an accredited occupational therapy assistant (OTA) program (usually an associate's degree).
Occupational Therapist - Beginning in 2007, a master’s degree from an accredited occupational therapist (OT) program is the minimum requirement to enter this field.
Licensure/Certification - The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT) is a not-for-profit credentialing agency that provides certification for the occupational therapy profession. Requirements for taking the certification exam can be found at www.nbcot.org. All states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia regulate the practice of occupational therapy. To obtain a license, applicants must graduate from an accredited educational program and pass a national certification examination. Information on the requirements for licensure in the state of Ohio can be found at http://otptat.ohio.gov/.
Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland (A)
- Kent State University, East Liverpool (A)
- Stark State College, Canton (A)
Occupational Therapist
- Cleveland State University, Cleveland (M)
- Medical College of Ohio, Toledo (M)
- Ohio State University, Columbus (M)
- University of Findlay, Findlay (M)
(Type of program: A=Associate Degree; C=Certificate; D=Diploma; M=Master Degree)
- American Occupational Therapy Association (www.aota.org)
- Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org)