by Nigel Hilton
Occupational therapy is an incredibly rewarding career that involves helping people with injuries or disabilities re-engage with everyday activities. By helping them with practical, day to day activities, you can build their confidence and aid with their physical recovery.
It’s the ideal career choice for people that want to give back to their local community. If you don’t like being stuck in an office and you want to get out and about, meeting lots of new people, you’ll love being an occupational therapist, but how do you get into it in the first place? Here’s everything you need to know about starting a career as an occupational therapist.
Get A Bachelor’s Degree
You have to be dedicated if you want to be an occupational therapist because it requires a number of qualifications. Before you advance to a graduate degree, you need to get a bachelor’s degree. There are certain prerequisite courses that you have to take to get into most occupational therapy schools, so you should consider a bachelor’s degree that will give you a good base knowledge to help you. Anything that is science or psychology related will be a big help here, but make sure that you choose something you are passionate about.
While you are doing your bachelor’s degree, you should take the opportunity to get some observation hours that give you valuable experience in occupational therapy. Get in touch with local pediatric clinics, nursing facilities or rehabilitation centers and ask if you can volunteer. The more hours you can get in, the better chance you have of getting onto a good occupational therapy program.
Do A Master Of Occupational Therapy
After finishing your bachelor's degree and getting some experience, you can start applying for a Master’s of Occupational Therapy. When you are comparing your options, consider an online degree program for occupational therapy instead of a traditional school. This gives you the flexibility to learn online at your own pace. If you are concerned about the financial burden of this many years in education, you can work part time while completing your qualifications from home. It’s also a very good option for people that are retraining in later life and have family responsibilities to manage at the same time.
Pass The NBCOT And Obtain A License
Once you have completed your occupational therapy Master’s, there are a few final steps you need to take. First, you must complete the NBCOT (national board of certification for occupational therapists) exam.
After you have completed this exam, you will still need to obtain a license in the state that you want to practice in. If you move out of state, you will usually have to get a new license. A lot of states require you to take more educational courses throughout your career to maintain your license.
Once you have your license, you can start looking for positions as an occupational therapist. It’s a long road to get qualified and it may be expensive, so you have to be dedicated. But once you finally land that first position, it’s all worth it.