Occupational Therapy Key Terms

Key Terms in Occupational Therapy

• Adaptive equipment is specialized to help patients with everyday tasks
• Cognitive skills involve using intellectual abilities like reasoning and imagining
• Emotional disorders involve difficulty in using intellectual activity
• Home health care is supportive care at a patient’s residence
• Mental health constitutes emotional and psychological well-being
• Multidisciplinary teams evaluate patients using various specialties to set suitable goals
• Occupational therapists assist those with mental, physical, developmental, or emotional disabilities to handle daily activities
• Occupational therapy involves treatments encouraging rehabilitation through daily activities for recuperating individuals
• Occupational therapy aides support patient skill development and recovery for daily activities and employment, under supervision
• Occupational therapy assistants aid patient skill development and recovery for daily activities and employment, under supervision
• Perceptual skills involve environmental awareness through physical sensation
• Physical disabilities are restrictions in physical functioning, mobility, dexterity, or stamina, and vary based on medical, legal, or cultural contexts
• Rehabilitation centers are facilities providing therapy and rehabilitation training
• Wellness is the balance of mind, body, and spirit, while health promotion betters overall health and wellness

Occupational Therapists

• Job opportunities for occupational therapists are expected to grow faster than average, particularly for therapists working with older adults
• Occupational therapists are regulated across all 50 states, with varying requirements
• Occupational therapists are increasingly taking on supervisory roles, allowing assistants and aides to work more closely with clients
• Occupational therapy helps those recovering from illnesses or injuries through daily tasks
• Occupational therapists treat individuals with disabilities to enable participation in desired activities using therapeutic techniques
• Occupational therapists help individuals develop or maintain daily living skills and cope with the effects of disability.
• With direction, patients relearn everyday tasks at home, work, school, and in the community
• The main goal of occupational therapy is to help clients establish an independent, productive, and satisfying lifestyle
• Occupational therapists often work with physicians, nurses, physical therapists, psychologists, rehabilitation counselors, and social workers
• These multidisciplinary teams evaluate patients based on their specialties to set goals that meet patient needs and adjust treatment plans
• Therapists use activities that strengthen muscles or improve cognitive and perceptual skills like decision-making, reasoning, problem-solving, vision and discrimination
• Therapy sessions involve therapists assessing patient progress to modify therapeutic procedures
• Short-term memory loss can be aided with lists, while coordination issues might improve with tasks increasing eye-hand coordination
• Occupational therapists assist individuals in mastering daily living skills, offering sensitivity and skill
• Disabilities may include recent injuries or chronic conditions like cerebral palsy, and therapists offer adaptive equipment
• Adaptive equipment aids in activities from eating to dressing, and home modifications may be suggested
• Computer-aided adaptive equipment can give independence to those with disabilities
• Rehabilitation engineers and occupational therapists develop equipment like microprocessing devices for wheelchairs and household appliances
• Many occupational therapists work with specific disabilities or age groups
• Some offer early interventions for infants with developmental delays
• Wellness and health promotion is also a growing area
• Settings determine the age level and treatment needs as a therapist's main patients can be older individuals with arthritis or those in home health care
• Public school occupational therapy focuses on offering resources needed to participate in the educational program, which includes evaluating abilities and adapting classroom equipment
• Therapists offer individual and group activities for mental health, addressing disorders like alcoholism, drug abuse, and eating disorders
• Activities in therapy help manage daily stresses and improve planning, time management, budgeting, and self-care skills
• Note-keeping is a vital documentation task, including evaluations, progress reports, and Medicare records
• Thoroughness is needed for insurance and Medicare reimbursement
• Confidentiality is crucial due to close patient interaction and EHR use
• Occupational therapists oversee student therapists, assistants, volunteers, and auxiliary nursing staff
• They may also teach medical and nursing students and act as consultants

Work Environment and Opportunities

• Therapists generally work standard 40-hour weeks, with occasional evenings or weekends
• Work environments include spacious rehabilitation centers to kitchens in nursing homes, with adequate lighting and ventilation
• The work can be physically demanding due to therapists spending much time on their feet, and the potential for back strain from moving patients
• Occupational therapists supervise more often, with third-party payers encouraging more hands-on work from assistants and aides to cut costs
• Part-time opportunities exist
• In 2019, occupational therapists held approximately 143,300 jobs
• The largest employers were offices of other health practitioners (26%) and hospitals (26%)
• Others were employed by home healthcare services, educational services, nursing care, facilities and outpatient care centers
• Some therapists are self-employed in private practice or provide consulting services

Education, Certification, and Advancement

• Occupational therapists need licenses with a master's degree in occupational therapy, six months of supervised fieldwork, and passing scores on exams
• It is required to attend an ACOTE-accredited academic program to sit for the national certifying exam
• As of 2021, there were over 400 accredited programs, or doctoral programs, and some offer dual degrees
• Full-time programs and weekend or part-time options exist
• Recommended high school courses include biology, chemistry, physics, health and art
• Relevant undergraduate majors include biology, psychology, sociology, and anatomy
• Licensing requires applicants to graduate from an accredited educational program and pass a national certification exam, earning the OTR title
• Additional requirements exist for those in schools or early intervention programs
• Certification is voluntary through the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
• Some gain certification in gerontology, mental health, and physical rehabilitation
• Patience and strong interpersonal skills are needed to inspire trust
• Ingenuity and imagination are needed to adapt activities to patient needs
• Clear writing is important for explaining treatment plans and recording process
• Continuing education is expected, and some states mandate it for maintaining licensure
• Therapists are increasingly supervisory due to cost-cutting measures
• It is possible to advance to administrative duties or specializing

Employment Trends/Change and Job Prospects

• OT is expected to grow much faster than average with good job opportunities, especially for therapists treating older adults
• A 16% increase is expected between 2019 and 2029; driven by older adults and those with disabilities or limited function
• Hospitals want therapists for acutely ill inpatients and outpatient rehab programs
• Employment growth in schools will be due to a larger school-age population, extended services for disabled people, and sensory disorders in children
• Increased insurance coverage for autism therapy helps growth in the field
• Opportunities should be good for licensed therapists in acute care, rehab, and orthopedic settings
• Experts specializing in driver rehab and fall prevention will have more job prospects

Earnings and Related Occupations

• The median annual earning for Occupational Therapists as of May 2020, was $86,280
• The lowest 10% earned less than $57,330, while the highest 10% earned more than $122,670
• Top earners included home healthcare services, nursing care facilities, and hospitals
• Occupational therapists help individuals perform daily living skills and achieve maximum independence through specialized knowledge
• Others includes athletic trainers, audiologists, chiropractors, and speech-language pathologists

Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aids: Significant Pointers

• Entry-level education for assistants is an associate's degree, and aides receive on-the-job training.
• Job prospects: very good for assistants, but highly competitive for aides with only a high school diploma.
• Many regulations pertaining to licensing, registration, or certification of assistants varies by state.
• Employment is expected to grow much faster because OT services are rising, assistants are used more, and aides are too.

OTs: Work description

• OT aides and assistants work under OTs to aid those suffering from mental, physical, emotional, or developmental impairments
• They help patients recover, improve, and maintain skills
• They help injured workers re-enter the labor force or help those with learning disabilities increase independence
• Occupational therapy assistants implement rehabilitative activities from the treatment plan
• Occupational therapy assistants teach patients exercises that stretch hand muscles or move from a wheelchair
• Occupational therapy assistants monitor activities and record observations on the patient progress
• If the treatment isn't working, they can change their treatment
• Assist in documenting billing to the patient's health insurance provider.

OTs: Aides work details

• OT aides prepare materials/equipment used during treatment, but transport the patients, and keep the areas clean
• OT aides handle clerical tasks, scheduling, answering the phone, restocking/ordering, and filling out insurance forms
• OT aides are not licensed, so they have a limited range of tasks compared to assistants.

OTs: Work environment

• OTs must have the proper degrees, strength, and skills required to assist patients, as well as volunteer work
• Lifting is just one of the many physicalities, as constant kneeling, standing, and stooping are also performed.
• They have one of the highest rates of injuries/illness of all occupations due to the physical demands
• OTs work many hours

OTs: Employment opportunities

• Assistants and aides had 55,100 jobs in 2019; Assistants held 47,100, aides held 8,000.
• Of those, 47% held jobs were in health practitioners’ offices, 15% in hospitals, and 16% in nursing care facilities
• OT Aides and OT assistants mostly worked in nursing care facilities
• The rest were in home healthcare services, individual and family services, educational services, and state government agencies.

Educational and Legal Requirements

• A certificate or associate's degree from an accredited program is required for OT assistants
• OT aides typically get trained on the job
• Over 260 accredited OT assistant programs existed in 2021
• The first year of study teaches the basics of anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology
• The second-year includes course work in mental health, gerontology, and physical disabilities. They also need to complete 16 weeks of fieldwork
• High school classes in biology and health and volunteer work helps chances of admission
• To work as an OT aide, you need a diploma, and interpersonal skills
• To become certified, and improve job opportunities, volunteer OT and display an aptitude
• Most states regulate assistants, and need grads to pass certification exam in order to be titled Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant
• Voluntary certification exists
• The National Board for Certifying Occupational Therapy gives certification after completing a national certifying exam
• Certain states take the national exam for regulation, but others have regulations beyond the licensing exam
• They are expected to continue education for developmental progress

Advancement and Employment Trends

• Assistants must be responsible and willing to follow directions as a teammate
• Decent strength, compassion, and willingness to help are necessary
• Assistants may advance with teaching classes, leading health risk classes, and acting as director
• The field is expected to grow due to needed services and assistants
• Those with just a diploma might face competition from those with a proper higher education

Employment Change

• There is a good outlook for growth and those positions will continue to rise
• 35% and 20% respective increases in employment is expected for OT aides and OT assistants from the years 2019 to 2020
• Payments and services are expected to increase due to increasing disabilities
• OT will be needed for the trauma victims needing help
• OT will be beneficial to elderly patients with trauma conditions.

OT Job Prospects

• There are many job openings for assistants as seen in Table 18.3
• Individuals with experience and education will be the ones getting those jobs
• However, OT aid jobs wont be that easy because of competition

OT Earnings

• Tables 18.4 and 18.5 show many statistics on salary
• Assistants made over 62,000 annually
• Aids made about 38,180 annually, from 2019 to 2020

Related Occupations

• Assistants and aides serve the people needing assistance under the supervision of OTs
• Other similar workers: nursing/medical assistants and aids, and dental assistants