What Do Occupational Therapists Do?
Occupational therapists (OTs) treat patients with injuries, illnesses, or disabilities through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help people with chronic or new disabilities develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working, and help patients learn or regain the skills they need to live as independently as possible and have productive, satsifying lives.
OTs help patients improve their ability to perform tasks in their living and working environments. They work with individuals of all ages who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling condition. OTs use treatments to develop, recover, or maintain the daily living and work skills of their patients, from showering, to cooking, to using a computer. The OT helps clients not only to improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also to compensate for permanent loss of function. They may offer special instruction for the use of adaptive equipment, including wheelchairs, orthoses, eating aids, and dressing aids.
OTs focus on restoring and improving physical abilities, promoting behavioral changes, and introducing new skills. They may help people improve their motor skills, dexterity, and strength so they can develop daily living skills, such as dressing, personal hygiene, eating, or house cleaning.
OTs may work with specific populations, such as the elderly or children, or they may specialize in specific types of disabilities, such as mental illness, stroke, accident injuries, or traumatic or severe brain injury.
For more information, go to: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-therapists.htm.
Where Do Occupational Therapists Work?
Almost half of OTs nationwide work in offices with physical and speech therapists, or audiologists, or hospitals. Other OTs work in schools, nursing homes, mental health clinics, rehabilitation facilities, and with home health services. Often, an OT will work with a client in the client’s home.
What Do Occupational Therapists Earn?
In 2022, the average annual income reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for occupational therapists in the United States was $92,800. The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) reports that, in 2023, occupational therapists in New York earned a median annual salary of $89,689 (occupational therapists in the 25th percentile made approximately $67,213 while those in the 75th percentile made approximately $114,809).
Supply and Demand
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of jobs for occupational therapists in the U.S. will increase by 14% between 2021 and 2031. The New York State Department of Labor projects that the number of jobs for occupational therapists in the state will increase by 25% between 2020 and 2030.
For more information on projections of occupational therapists by New York State labor regions (2018-2028), click here.
The strong growth of the OT workforce is attributed in part to the rising number of aging and older Americans who will need rehabilitative services for disabling conditions. In addition, technological advances are improving the survival rate for patients with critical or chronic health problems and offering new methods of effective treatment as well, all of which may increase demand for OTs’ rehabilitative services.
Education Program Requirements
OTs need a master’s degree from an education program accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Admission to occupational therapy programs generally requires a bachelor’s degree and specific coursework, including biology and physiology. Many programs also require applicants to have volunteered or worked in an occupational therapy setting. Master’s programs generally take two years to complete; doctoral programs take longer. Some schools offer a dual degree program in which the student earns a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in five years. Part-time programs that offer courses on nights and weekends may also available.
Courses in the OT accredited programs will include anatomy and physiology; medical and psychosocial conditions; physical, biological, and behavioral sciences; human development; and the application of occupational therapy theory and skills. Education programs to become an OT will also include supervised internships to help students develop their clinical skills and gain real-world experience.
New York Licensure Requirements
Occupational therapists must be licensed. In order to obtain a license to practice as an OT in New York, applicants must graduate from an accredited educational program, have satisfactorily completed at least six months of supervised experience, and pass a national certification examination administered by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT).
For more information on New York licensing requirements, go to: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/ot/otlic.htm
Financial Support
The AOTA offers scholarships and a variety of financial aid resources for students in OT education programs. For more information, go to: www.aota.org.
Education Programs in New York
| Columbia University 710 West 168th Street New York, NY 10032 (212) 305-5267 |
D’Youville University 320 Porter Avenue Buffalo, NY 14201 (716) 829-8000 |
| Dominican College 470 Western Highway Orangeburg, NY 10962 (845) 359-7800 |
Ithaca College 953 Danby Road Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 274-3237 |
| Keuka College 141 Central Ave. Keuka Park, NY 14478 (315) 279-5000 |
Long Island University Brooklyn Campus One University Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 488-4508 |
| Mercy College 555 Broadway Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 (914) 674-7600 |
New York Institute of Technology Northern Boulevard Old Westbury, NY 11568 (516) 686-3939 |
| New York University 35 West 4th Street New York, NY 10012 (212) 998-5825 |
The Sage Colleges 65 1st Street Troy, NY 12180 (518) 244-2264 |
| SUNY Stony Brook Health Sciences Center 101 Nicolls Rd Stony Brook, NY 11794 (631) 444-2252 |
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University 450 Clarkson Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11203 (718) 270-7701 |
| Touro College New York City Campus 27 West 23rd Street New York, NY 10010 (631) 665-1600Long Island Campus 1700 Union Blvd. Bay Shore, NY 11706 (631) 665-1600 |
University at Buffalo-SUNY 515 Kimball Tower Buffalo, NY 14214 (716) 829-5000 |
| Utica College 1600 Burrstone Road Utica, NY 13502 (315) 792-3006 |
York College-CUNY 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard Jamaica, NY 11451 (718) 262-2000 |
| Clarkson University 8 Clarkson Ave Potsdam, NY 13699 (315) 268-6400 |
Hofstra University 900 Fulton Ave Hempstead, NY 11550 (516) 463-6600 |
| Iona College 715 North Ave New Rochelle, NY 10801 (800) 231-4662 |
Le Moyne College 1419 Salt Springs Rd Syracuse, NY 13214 (315) 445-4100 |
| Nazareth College 4245 East Ave Rochester, NY 14618 (585) 389-2525 |
Pace University 861 Bedford Rd Pleasantville, NY 10570 (866) 722-3338 |
| Maria College 700 New Scotland Avenue Albany, NY 12208 (518) 438-3111 |
Additional Web Links
For more information about occupational therapists, go to:
The American Occupational Therapy Association website at: http://www.aota.org; or
The New York State Occupational Therapy Association website at: http://www.nysota.org; or
The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy website at: http://www.nbcot.org.
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