How to become an Occupational Therapist

Official title: Occupational Therapists

Also called: Assistive Technology Trainer, Certified Hand Therapist (CHT), Early Intervention Occupational Therapist, Home Health Occupational Therapist, Industrial Rehabilitation Consultant, Occupational Therapist (OT), Pediatric Occupational Therapist (Pediatric OT), Pediatrics and Acute Care Occupational Therapist, Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR)

Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual's environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.

Main tasks

• Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
• Complete and maintain necessary records.
• Plan, organize, and conduct occupational therapy programs in hospital, institutional, or community settings to help rehabilitate persons with disabilities because of illness, injury or psychological or developmental problems.
• Plan and implement programs and social activities to help patients learn work or school skills and adjust to handicaps.
• Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities.
• Evaluate patients' progress and prepare reports that detail progress.
• Train caregivers in providing for the needs of a patient during and after therapy.
• Lay out materials such as puzzles, scissors and eating utensils for use in therapy, and clean and repair these tools after therapy sessions.

How to become one

To enter the occupation, occupational therapists typically need a master's degree in occupational therapy. All states require occupational therapists to be licensed.

Typical education to start: Master's degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

• College: Allied Health degrees, Offered by 15 universities in the US
• Licence: A licence is required in 47 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $100,330 a year The middle half earn $82,510 to $116,670.
• About 169,600 people work in this job now, and about 194,800 are projected by 2035. (+14.8%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists
• Physical Therapists
• Radiation Therapists
• Recreational Therapists
• Respiratory Therapists
• Speech-Language Pathologists

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become an Occupational Therapist?

To enter the occupation, occupational therapists typically need a master's degree in occupational therapy. All states require occupational therapists to be licensed.

How much does an Occupational Therapist earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $100,330 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $82,510 to $116,670.

Is an Occupational Therapist a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 15% by 2035, from about 169,600 to about 194,800 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become an Occupational Therapist?

Usually. 95% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of an Occupational Therapist?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.