Occupational therapist

Occupational therapist job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

Specific duties vary depending on the field of work and whether therapists are based within hospital or community settings.

However, common responsibilities of the job include:

• undertaking patient assessments of physical, communication, interaction and cognitive skills
• planning and providing appropriate treatment/graded activities
• giving advice and arranging support for family members, carers and clients
• undertaking general administrative tasks, for example writing reports, making telephone calls, maintaining records and case notes
• liaising with doctors, family members/carers and other professionals and keeping them updated
• planning further treatment and reviewing progress
• assessing treatment success at multi-professional case conferences/meetings.

Typical employers of occupational therapists

• NHS Trusts
• Local Authority social services departments
• nursing and residential homes
• day care and health centres
• GP practices
• prisons
• industrial organisations.

The number of graduates tends to be on a par with regional demands for occupational therapists. Vacancies are advertised online, by recruitment agencies and careers services, in newspapers and publications including Opportunities, Therapy Weekly, Occupational Therapy News and the British Journal of Occupational Therapy. NHS Trusts also produce regular vacancy lists.

Qualifications and training required

An accredited occupational therapy degree is required for entry into the profession. Graduates with other first degrees in relevant subjects must obtain an accredited two-year postgraduate qualification. Prior relevant work experience is helpful for entry onto all courses, particularly for postgraduate degrees, as these tend to attract strong competition.

Applications to course providers should be made as early as possible in the year preceding entry. Although the NHS funds the majority of degree course places, most postgraduate students are self-funding.

Key skills for occupational therapists

• patience
• excellent interpersonal skills
• communication skills
• good team working skills.