Our aging population will continue to drive demand for occupational therapists

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May 29, 2009

Our aging population will continue to drive demand for occupational therapists

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Outlook: Employment of occupational therapists is expected to grow 23 percent from 2006 to 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations. The increasing elderly population will drive growth in the demand for occupational therapy services.

Pay: The 1,080 occupational therapists in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area earned a median wage of $65,390 in 2007.

The job: Occupational therapists help patients improve their ability to perform tasks in living and working environments. They work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally or emotionally disabling condition. Occupational therapists use treatments to develop, recover or maintain the daily living and work skills of their patients. The therapist helps clients not only to improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also to compensate for permanent loss of function. The goal is to help clients have independent, productive and satisfying lives.

Training, licensing: Individuals pursing a career as an occupational therapist usually need to earn a master’s degree in occupational therapy from an accredited college or university, which includes six months of supervised fieldwork. All states require that occupational therapists also be licensed by an accredited educational program and pass a national certification examination.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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