What courses to become a occupational therapist?

Answer 1

Occupational therapists must be licensed, requiring a master's degree in occupational therapy, 6 months of supervised fieldwork, and passing scores on national and State examinations. Education and training. A master's degree or higher in occupational therapy is the minimum requirement for entry into the field. In 2007, 124 master's degree programs offered entry-level education, 66 programs offered a combined bachelor's and master's degree, and 5 offered an entry-level doctoral degree. Most schools have full-time programs, although a growing number are offering weekend or part-time programs as well. Coursework in occupational therapy programs include the physical, biological, and behavioral sciences as well as the application of occupational therapy theory and skills. Programs also require the completion of 6 months of supervised fieldwork. People considering this profession should take high school courses in biology, chemistry, physics, health, art, and the Social Sciences. College admissions offices also look favorably on paid or volunteer experience in the health care field. Relevant undergraduate majors include biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, liberal arts, and anatomy. Licensure. All States, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the District of Columbia regulate the practice of occupational therapy. To obtain a license, applicants must graduate from an accredited educational program and pass a national certification examination. Those who pass the exam are awarded the title "Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR)." Some States have additional requirements for therapists who work in schools or early intervention programs. These requirements may include education-related classes, an education practice certificate, or early intervention certification. Other qualifications. Occupational therapists need patience and strong interpersonal skills to inspire trust and respect in their clients. Patience is necessary because many clients may not show rapid improvement. Ingenuity and imagination in adapting activities to individual needs are assets. Those working in home health care services also must be able to adapt to a variety of settings. Advancement. Occupational therapists are expected to continue their professional development by participating in continuing education courses and workshops. In fact, a number of States require continuing education as a condition of maintaining licensure. Therapists are increasingly taking on supervisory roles. Because of rising health care costs, third-party payers are beginning to encourage occupational therapist assistants and aides to take more hands-on responsibility for clients. Occupational therapists can choose to advance their careers by taking on administrative duties and supervising assistants and aides. Occupational therapists also can advance by specializing in a clinical area and gaining expertise in treating a certain type of patient or ailment. Therapists have specialized in gerontology, mental health, pediatrics, and physical rehabilitation. In addition, some occupational therapists choose to teach classes in accredited occupational therapy educational programs. For the source and more detailed information concerning this subject, click on the related links section (U.S. Department of Labor) indicated below.

Answer 2

Currently, NBCOT (the national certification board for OT) requires that a registered occupational therapist hold a master's degree in occupational therapy from an accredited program. An occupational therapy assistant requires an associates degree from an accredited program.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

First you need to go to college (four years to get a bachelors) which is a necessity for careers all across the therapy field. After this, you will need to get either a masters degree which usually will take 1-3 years (depending on how many credits your taking at a time), but for some job openings a doctorate will be more appropriate (with this extra education, you will have a greater chance of being hired if you also have experience so I would suggest you volunteer and intern while still in school because experience is also a necessity), once you have become licensed, you can begin practice. Occupational therapy (focusing on gross motor) is similar to physical therapy which you might also want to look at, to be a physical therapist, you need to have a doctorate now though.

-salary is about $74,510 (depends on therapy field: schools, private, hospitals, rehab etc)

-hourly rate around $40 but the more credentials you have (schooling in autism, aba, bcba, psychology etc can help you get more clients and make more money)

-it is a great job for parents, if you are working privately in homes, you can decide when you want to work and create your own hours that you get paid (therefore you can create your own salary depending on how much you want to work each day or week)

-physical therapy salary $77,630, but is higher on average in all fields of therapy work

you might want to check out: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos078.htm#oes_links

Answer 4

The following is written by and according to the U.S. Department of Labor and particular to the education and training required for an occupational therapist.

Occupational therapists are regulated in all 50 States. Individuals pursuing a career as an occupational therapist usually need to earn a post-baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university or education deemed equivalent.

Education and training. A master's degree or higher in occupational therapy is the minimum requirement for entry into the field. In 2007, 124 master's degree programs offered entry-level education, 66 programs offered a combined bachelor's and master's degree, and 5 offered an entry-level doctoral degree. Most schools have full-time programs, although a growing number are offering weekend or part-time programs as well. Coursework in occupational therapy programs include the physical, biological, and behavioral sciences as well as the application of occupational therapy theory and skills. Programs also require the completion of 6 months of supervised fieldwork.

People considering this profession should take high school courses in Biology, chemistry, physics, health, art, and the social sciences. College admissions offices also look favorably on paid or volunteer experience in the health care field. Relevant undergraduate majors include biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, liberal arts, and anatomy.

Licensure. All States regulate the practice of occupational therapy. To obtain a license, applicants must graduate from an accredited educational program and pass a national certification examination. Those who pass the exam are awarded the title "Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR)." Specific eligibility requirements for licensure vary by State.

Other qualifications. Occupational therapists need patience and strong interpersonal skills to inspire trust and respect in their clients. Patience is necessary because many clients may not show rapid improvement. Ingenuity and imagination in adapting activities to individual needs are assets. Those working in home health care services also must be able to adapt to a variety of settings.

Advancement. Occupational therapists are expected to continue their professional development by participating in continuing education courses and workshops. In fact, a number of States require continuing education as a condition of maintaining licensure.

Therapists are increasingly taking on supervisory roles. Because of rising health care costs, third-party payers are beginning to encourage occupational therapist assistants and aides to take more hands-on responsibility for clients. Occupational therapists can choose to advance their careers by taking on administrative duties and supervising assistants and aides.

Occupational therapists also can advance by specializing in a clinical area and gaining expertise in treating a certain type of patient or ailment. Therapists have specialized in gerontology, mental health, pediatrics, and physical rehabilitation. In addition, some occupational therapists choose to teach classes in accredited occupational therapy educational programs.

For the source and more detailed information concerning your request, click on the related links section (U.S. Department of Labor) indicated directly below this answer section.

Answer 5

The following is written by and according to the U.S. Department of Labor and particular to the education and training required for Occupational Therapists.

Occupational therapists are regulated in all 50 States. Individuals pursuing a career as an occupational therapist usually need to earn a post-baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university or education deemed equivalent.

Education and training. A master's degree or higher in occupational therapy is the typical minimum requirement for entry into the field. In addition, occupational therapists must attend an academic program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) in order to sit for the national certifying exam. In 2009, 150 master's degree programs or combined bachelor's and master's degree programs were accredited, and 4 doctoral degree programs were accredited. Most schools have full-time programs, although a growing number are offering weekend or part-time programs as well. Coursework in occupational therapy programs include the physical, biological, and behavioral sciences as well as the application of occupational therapy theory and skills. All accredited programs require at least 24 weeks of supervised fieldwork as part of the academic curriculum.

People considering this profession should take high school courses in biology, chemistry, physics, health, art, and the social sciences. College admissions offices also look favorably on paid or volunteer experience in the healthcare field. Relevant undergraduate majors include biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, liberal arts, and anatomy.

For the source and more detailed information concerning your request, click on the related links section (U.S. Department of Labor) indicated directly below this answer section.

Answer 6

You would have to have your basic medical classes like medical terminology, as well as a hands on course to show how to do the therapy. Most of these programs also make you have a ex-tern an/ or internship. Which is accumulated into your course credit hours. You will also have to be able to do basic math and English so be prepared to take the basics as well.

Answer 7

CAREER EDUCATION AND GUIDANCE IN SCHOOLS 84

rate or flag

By fitzjkenny

Career Education and Guidance in Schools - the Missing Link in Career Decision-MakingAlthough there are many careers to choose from, individuals without guidance and counselling on future career choice decisions can be limited in their career options, especially if they are unprepared for the requirements of the workplace, underestimate their capabilities, or are unaware of the range of workplace accommodations that can broaden their career options.

Career education and guidance in schools thus provides access to the skills and resources students need to overcome these obstacles and prepares them to make choices relevant to their personal strengths and interests.

The foundations of career self-management skills (for example decision making, self-awareness, self-confidence) are laid at an early age. However, career education and guidance in the primary and junior high schools are limited or non-existent and little systematic provision is made to explore the world of work.

Young people need to make a smooth transition from primary school through junior high school to the initial years of senior high education: the choices that they make at this point have major implications for later education and work options. Career guidance needs to be part of the process that helps them to make a smooth transition.

Within general education pathways career guidance staffs often spend substantial time preparing students to choose and compete for tertiary education places. This can result in those not intending to enter tertiary education receiving little help. It can also lead to little account being taken of the occupational and labour market consequences of particular tertiary education choices.

Furthermore, there is little or no career guidance available for many students in tertiary education. Often, services are thin on the ground, with students not having access to the range of services they require to make informed educational and career decisions. There is a lack of trained personnel to meet tertiary students' career development and guidance needs.

The focus of existing career services is frequently narrow, often concentrating on personal or study guidance. Little attention is however, paid to career development and choice, including helping students to develop career management and entrepreneurial skills and to consider taking up self-employment options.

The specific career guidance needs of particular groups of students - including students in transition from study to employment, students who are dropping out from or changing their courses, mature students returning to study, distance learning students, and international students, for instance - are often not catered for.

Another missing link is the fact that career education and guidance services have often not been part of strategies to prevent early school leaving, particularly by young people who are at risk of social exclusion. A challenge for policymakers is to make sure that career guidance is part of schools' strategies to detect and assist young people who leave school early or without qualifications. This is to help them find meaning in staying at school or to have well planned exit strategies that will enable them to re-engage in learning, and successfully complete their secondary education and training or engage in some form of vocational training to make them employable in the future.

What Is Career Guidance And Counselling?

According to recent international reviews conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Commission and the World Bank:

Career guidance refers to services and activities intended to assist individuals, of any age and at any point throughout their lives, to make educational, training, and occupational choices and to manage their careers. Such services may be found in schools, universities, and colleges, in training institutions, in public employment services, in the workplace, in the voluntary or community sector and in the private sector. The activities may take place on an individual or group basis, and may be face-to-face or at a distance (including help lines and web-based services). They include career information provision (in print, ICT-based and other forms), assessment and self-assessment tools, counselling interviews, career education programmes (to help individuals develop their self awareness, opportunity awareness, and career management skills), taster programmes (to sample options before choosing them), work search programmes, and transition services.

According to Herr and Cramer (1982) Career guidance in general,

is a systematic program of processes, techniques, or services designed to assist an individual to understand and to act on self-knowledge and knowledge of opportunities in work, education, and leisure and to develop the decision making skills by which one can create and manage one's career development

Career guidance represents a set of intervention strategies designed to facilitate the career development of the individual. Career guidance is a broad term, which includes the development of job search, on interview skills, placement into a chosen vocation, and follows up the placement to ensure effectiveness.

In career guidance, counselling is used as one of the interventional strategies.

Counselling has been defined by Patterson (1973) as

The process involving interpersonal relationships between a counsellor and one or more clients by which the former employs psychological methods based on systematic knowledge of the human personality in attempting to improve the mental health of the latter.

There are different types of counselling and the modality depends on the objective of the counselling. In vocational career counselling for example, assistance is given to the clients in their vocational adjustments process.

Why Is Career Guidance Important?

The process of deciding future career options can be challenging and involves careful considerations. This makes career guidance and counselling in the Junior and Senior High School levels and our Tertiary Institutions a very crucial subject needing urgent attention. Career guidance thus is important because, it provides access to the skills and resources students need to overcome obstacles and prepares them to make choices relevant to their personal strengths and interests.

Career guidance helps every student to understand himself, to make the most of his capabilities and interests, to make effective adjustments with the environment and the institution and to develop ability and inclination to solve his problems independently.

A primary task of guidance and counselling is that of enhancing learning, not only learning of skills and knowledge related directly to the world in which the student lives but also learning related to his 'inner world' - that is an increased understanding of self.

What Information Should Career Guidance Provide?

1. Career guidance should provide students with an understanding of their own strengths and interests (e.g., through valid assessment).

2. Career guidance should create an awareness of the varieties of vocational opportunities that exist, and

3. Career guidance should provide students with the opportunity to explore desired vocations (e.g., through job shadowing or internships).

4. In addition, some career guidance curricula also help students to develop a portfolio highlighting their skills and explore the benefits of accommodations to the workplace.

Studies evaluating the relationship between guidance programs and student achievement report a positive impact (Whiston & Sexton, 1998; Borders & Drury, 1992). One study concluded that a major attribute of highly successful adults with learning disabilities is a strong sense of control over career-related events and a conscious decision to take charge of their life.

According to Hitchings et al., (2000) page 8

In order for students with disabilities to have a strong sense of control over career-related events, they need current and comprehensive career information and skills.

What Is The Relationship Between Post-secondary Education And Employment?

Career guidance should provide students with information about the postsecondary requirements of their chosen career options. Since this type of career preparation tends to be a long process, students will also need to break it down into steps and consider how to prepare for each step while still in secondary school.

Students should ask the following questions:

• What are the requirements to enter these programs and schools?

• What kinds of post-secondary programs lead to the best career outcomes?

• What secondary curriculum changes need to be made to meet these requirements and prepare for the program (e.g., some programs require a specific number of years of foreign language or a certain level of mathematical knowledge)?

• Which schools have the best resources for specific career preparation?

• Which schools have the capacity to provide for a student's specific support needs?

• What other programs might supplement post-secondary education in preparation for a chosen career (e.g., internships or work-study programs)?

How Can Parents Participate In Providing Career Guidance To Their Children?

Parents have daily contact with their children and are experts in the area of what makes each of their children unique. Their guidance and encouragement can make a significant difference in their children's career success.

Parents should:

• Pay close attention to their children's skills and interests;

• Provide opportunities for their children to make choices and practice self-determination skills;

• Provide opportunities for their children to experience work settings;

• Provide disability-specific and career-specific information;

• Make use of community connections and resources;

• Encourage their children to dream and to plan;

• Participate in services, trainings, and workshops on career guidance that improve their ability to support their children in this process; and

• Accept assistance rendered by peers, friends, community, agencies, and professionals in career guidance.

Challenges to Career Education and Guidance in Schools

1. Those who provide career education and guidance in schools often lack specialized training.Those who provide career education and guidance in schools are often not career guidance specialists. They very often combine career guidance with other roles: teaching other school subjects; providing counselling and guidance for personal problems and study difficulties.
2. The number of people employed to provide career education and guidance in schools is often not enough to meet student need and demand.
3. Often services continue to be provided largely on an individual, face-to-face model. This reduces the capacity of the service to respond to the needs of all learners.
4. Often career guidance staffs do not have the resources that they need to do the job properly: a private space where students can be interviewed; a library of up-to-date career information; a computer; access to a telephone; secretarial assistance.
5. Many school career guidance services have questionable links with the world of work.
6. Teaching staff most often know little or next to nothing about the labour market and what is involved in different types of jobs.
7. Little contact exists with the public employment service.
8. Students have very few or no opportunities to take part in work experience.
9. Few or no employers are invited in to the school to talk to students.
10. Parents have little involvement in the school's careers programme.
11. Careers fairs in which groups of employers come to the one location to provide information to students do not take place.
12. Career education and guidance are often considered the sole responsibility of the specialist career guidance staff, rather than the joint responsibility of all members of the teaching staff.
13. Few career guidance services have structured approaches aimed at helping students develop an entrepreneurial spirit and skills. They therefore tend to focus on guidance for paid employment, rather than for self-employment. School career guidance services are often not audited, and users have little opportunity to signal satisfaction or otherwise with the services provided. No data is collected on student, teacher, and parent or employer satisfaction with

Answer 8

The following is written by and according to the U.S. Department of Labor and particular to the education and training required for a occupational therapist. Occupational therapists are regulated in all 50 States. Individuals pursuing a career as an occupational therapist usually need to earn a post-baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university or education deemed equivalent. Education and training. A master's degree or higher in occupational therapy is the minimum requirement for entry into the field. In 2007, 124 master's degree programs offered entry-level education, 66 programs offered a combined bachelor's and master's degree, and 5 offered an entry-level doctoral degree. Most schools have full-time programs, although a growing number are offering weekend or part-time programs as well. Coursework in occupational therapy programs include the physical, biological, and behavioral sciences as well as the application of occupational therapy theory and skills. Programs also require the completion of 6 months of supervised fieldwork. People considering this profession should take high school courses in biology, chemistry, physics, health, art, and the social sciences. College admissions offices also look favorably on paid or volunteer experience in the health care field. Relevant undergraduate majors include biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, liberal arts, and anatomy. Licensure. All States regulate the practice of occupational therapy. To obtain a license, applicants must graduate from an accredited educational program and pass a national certification examination. Those who pass the exam are awarded the title "Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR)." Specific eligibility requirements for licensure vary by State. Other qualifications. Occupational therapists need patience and strong interpersonal skills to inspire trust and respect in their clients. Patience is necessary because many clients may not show rapid improvement. Ingenuity and imagination in adapting activities to individual needs are assets. Those working in home health care services also must be able to adapt to a variety of settings. Advancement. Occupational therapists are expected to continue their professional development by participating in continuing education courses and workshops. In fact, a number of States require continuing education as a condition of maintaining licensure. Therapists are increasingly taking on supervisory roles. Because of rising health care costs, third-party payers are beginning to encourage occupational therapist assistants and aides to take more hands-on responsibility for clients. Occupational therapists can choose to advance their careers by taking on administrative duties and supervising assistants and aides. Occupational therapists also can advance by specializing in a clinical area and gaining expertise in treating a certain type of patient or ailment. Therapists have specialized in gerontology, mental health, pediatrics, and physical rehabilitation. In addition, some occupational therapists choose to teach classes in accredited occupational therapy educational programs. For the source and more detailed information concerning your request, click on the related links section (U.S. Department of Labor) indicated directly below this answer section.