Occupational Therapy Jobs- What does an OT do?
Occupational therapists help patients with disabling physical,
mental, emotional, and developmental conditions. They care for
people who are overcoming everything from strokes and spinal
cord injuries to attention deficit disorder and muscular dystrophy.
The ultimate goal for an occupational therapist is to help their
patients recover or develop and maintain their daily living
and work skills so they can have productive, independent, and
satisfying lives. Occupational therapists help patients compensate
for the loss of functions and improve reasoning, perceptual
abilities, and motor skills for recently disabled individuals.
OTs can specialize and work exclusively with certain age groups
or specific disabilities. Different areas of focus include mental
health, alcoholism, eating disorders, drug abuse, industry-specific
injury, and pain management.
Experienced therapists are familiar with a wide range of activities
that will be utilized throughout the course of a patient’s
recovery. For example, manual art projects may be used for coordination
problems or practical activities such as gardening can be used
to increase strength and agility. Therapies may include facilitating
the use of the hands, encouraging skills for listening and following
directions, fostering social play skills, or retraining dressing
and grooming skills. Occupational therapists teach patients
how to control and maneuver adaptive equipment such as splints,
wheelchairs, and other devices that allow those with limitations
to maintain a measure of control over their environment.
Occupational
therapy jobs allow a trained therapist to work with the
patient to assess the home for risks and to identify environmental
factors that contribute to accidents. Assessing and recording
a patient’s activities and development is a vital part
of an occupational therapist’s job. Accurate records are
critical for evaluating patients, for billing purposes, and
for reporting to physicians and other health care providers.
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