Occupational therapist job profile

Occupational therapists provide practical support to help people overcome barriers caused by illness, trauma, disability, ageing or accidents that are preventing them from having an independent life

As an occupational therapist, you'll empower people to carry out everyday tasks or occupations with more confidence and independence in order to improve their health, quality of life and wellbeing. Tasks often relate to self-care, work or leisure.

You'll support a range of people, including:

babies, children and young people
people with physical disabilities
people with learning disabilities
people with physical or mental health illnesses or other long-term conditions
older people.

You'll create individual treatment programmes and suggest changes to the person's environment, whether that be at home, work or school, and may introduce the use of specialist equipment which will help with some activities. You'll review the treatments periodically, evaluate progress and make changes as needed.

Responsibilities

As you'll be working with a range of people who will all have different requirements, you'll need to:

understand each client's lifestyle and what they hope to achieve
understand the barriers they are facing
work out what support they need
create the most appropriate plan to enable them to live an independent life.

As an occupational therapist, you'll need to:

take a 'whole person' approach to each patient's physical and mental wellbeing by considering all their needs - physical, social, psychological and environmental
establish realistic goals with the patient with meaningful outcomes and work out strategies to meet these goals
assess, plan, implement and evaluate support plans in hospital and community settings
liaise with other professionals, such as doctors, physiotherapists, social workers, equipment suppliers and architects, as well as patients' families, teachers, carers and employers
keep up-to-date written and electronic records
write reports and care plans and attend multidisciplinary case meetings to plan and review ongoing treatment
refer patients to other specialists when needed
organise support and rehabilitation groups for carers and clients
contribute to the analysis, planning, audit, development and evaluation of clinical services
train students and supervise the work of occupational therapy assistants
manage a caseload, prioritising patient needs and completing administrative tasks such as patient and budgetary records.

Your client case load - whether you're working with the elderly, children, people with mental ill health or living with a disability - will dictate your specific activities. For example, you may need to:

develop a rehabilitation programme to help rebuild lost skills and restore confidence
make sure that people are safe to leave hospital after an injury or illness
advise on home and workplace environmental alterations, such as adjustments for wheelchair access
advise on how to approach tasks differently
teach anxiety management techniques
help people to return to work
advise on how to use specialist equipment or assistive technology to help with daily activities
coach people with learning difficulties or poor social skills, e.g. in handling money and social interaction
mentor people on how to control their own behaviour.

Salary

Salaries for occupational therapists working in the NHS start at £28,407 to £34,581 (Band 5 of the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) Pay Rates).
Salaries for specialist occupational therapists range from £35,392 to £42,618 (Band 6) and advanced/highly specialist occupational therapists can earn £43,742 to £50,056 (Band 7).
Salaries for senior roles, such as clinical lead specialist, clinical manager and consultant, typically range from £50,952 to £68,525 (Bands 8a and 8b).

Salaries in local government are likely to be at similar levels to the NHS. Salaries will vary depending on the type of employer, your location, skills, experience and level of responsibility.

With experience, you may also choose to set up in private practice where there may be the potential to earn more. Success depends on range of factors including your skills, specialist areas, experience, location, contacts and entrepreneurial skills.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

In the NHS you'll typically work a 37.5 hour week, but may need to be flexible over a seven-day period.

Some roles will involve weekend and bank holidays working, for which enhancements may be paid.

In private practice, you may work evenings and weekends to suit client needs.

Part-time and other flexible working arrangements are possible.

What to expect

You can work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community facilities, schools, businesses, prisons and clients' own homes.
You may work as part of a multidisciplinary team or with groups, as well as working with patients and their families/carers.
Jobs are available throughout the UK, although you may need to be flexible about your location when applying for entry-level positions.
Some areas of work can be challenging and require physical and mental strength, flexibility and stamina.
Travel within a working day is common if you work in the community. There may be opportunities to work abroad as qualifications accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists are recognised internationally.

Qualifications

To practise as an occupational therapist in the UK you must be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). In order to register, you must successfully complete an HCPC-approved pre-registration occupational therapy programme at either undergraduate or postgraduate level. Search the list of HCPC-approved programmes.

All programmes are accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and recognised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

A full-time BSc in occupational therapy lasts three years (four years in Scotland). Part-time programmes lasting around four to five years are available at some institutions, usually requiring two days a week at university. There is also a very small number or four-year integrated Masters degrees in occupational therapy.

If you've got a relevant degree and some healthcare experience, you may be eligible to apply for a two-year accelerated postgraduate programme (four years part time) leading to either a postgraduate diploma in occupational therapy or an MSc in occupational therapy (pre-registration). Check individual course providers for entry requirements.

Programmes combine both academic and practical elements. You'll spend a minimum of 1,000 hours on practice placements and will gain experience in the main areas of occupational therapy, and how to assess and treat patients.

Another option if you're based in England is to take an occupational therapy degree-level apprenticeship. Training is delivered by a number of universities in collaboration with partner organisations such as the NHS, social care organisations and other small and medium-sized companies. Apprenticeships take three to four years to complete and combine paid work with part-time study, allowing you to train on the job.

Entry without a degree is possible as an occupational therapy support worker (also known as an occupational therapy or rehabilitation assistant or technical instructor), helping registered occupational therapists in their day-to-day work. It may be possible to progress to become an occupational therapist through undertaking an approved part-time, in-service BSc Occupational Therapy with the support of your employer.

All eligible pre-registration undergraduate and postgraduate occupational therapy students studying at a university in England can receive funding support of at least £5,000 per year through the NHS Learning Support Fund. You don't have to pay it back and are still able to access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company. For more information, see Health Careers.

For details of financial support available elsewhere in the UK, see:

For more information on how to become an occupational therapist, see the RCOT's ChooseOT website.

Skills

You'll need to have:

well-developed communication skills in order to develop a therapeutic relationship with your patients
a creative approach to problem solving
interpersonal skills to connect with others and develop rapport with your patients
compassion and empathy
the ability to explain, encourage and build confidence
observation and active listening skills
the ability to think outside the box and work under pressure
decision-making skills
the ability to organise and plan your workload
a flexible approach to work
assessment and report writing skills
teamworking skills, as you'll often liaise with other professionals such as doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers and parole officers
enthusiasm, sensitivity and patience to deal with a range of needs
computer literacy.

You will need a driving licence and access to a car if moving between sites or visiting patients in the community.

Work experience

You're advised to visit an occupational therapy unit and spend time with a qualified occupational therapist to gain an understanding of the profession before applying for a course. Contact your local hospital for more information on how to arrange a visit.

You could also try speaking to occupational therapists working in local social services departments, residential homes, learning and disabilities services, mental health settings, homeless shelters or charities. Independent practitioners in your area may also be able to help. Work shadowing a qualified occupational therapist will provide an insight into the role.

Experience of working with vulnerable groups in health or social care or for a charity in either a paid or voluntary role is also beneficial. This experience would show that you are interested supporting people to improve their quality of life.

If you're enrolled on an occupational therapy degree, you can apply for student membership of the RCOT, which provides access to a range of resources and advice.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Some large hospitals in the NHS with regional specialist departments may have dozens of occupational therapists. Smaller trusts or local authority departments may employ only a handful.

Occupational therapists in local government work in social services units and in the community, visiting people at home to assess their needs for independence and care.

Other employers include:

schools
colleges and universities
residential and nursing homes
community centres
job centres
GP surgeries
prisons
charities and voluntary organisations
housing associations
industrial and commercial organisations (including equipment manufacturers and architects)
government bodies.

You can also set up in private practice and run your own business. As an independent occupational therapist, you can have a free profile listing in the RCOT Find an Occupational Therapist Directory.

Look for job vacancies at:

Specialist recruitment agencies such as JustOT and Your World Healthcare also handle vacancies.

Professional development

As a newly qualified occupational therapist, you can access a variety of in-house training opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge. Regular clinical supervision, day-to-day support and training from senior occupational therapists are provided.

In order to remain registered with the HCPC, you must carry out continuing professional development (CPD). This includes keeping a record of your informal and formal learning, covering courses taken, work-based learning and your experience of delivering patient care.

The RCOT provides support with CPD in the form of events, workshops and e-learning. They also provide access to a range of professional networks, as well as malpractice and professional liability and public and products liability insurance up to £10million.

Career prospects

As a newly qualified occupational therapist in the NHS, you may begin in a rotational post, gaining experience in a range of specialties such as orthopaedics, stroke or surgery. However, it's also possible to go straight into your chosen specialism.

If you're working in social services, you're likely to start by helping patients to remain independent and live at home.

If you decide to specialise in an area of occupational therapy, there are a range of options available. These include:

children, young people and families
housing
major health conditions
mental health
neurological practice
older people
people with learning disabilities
trauma and musculoskeletal health
work.

You don't have to remain in the same specialism throughout your career and can change your job role as you develop your experience and interests.

There are other ways in which you can develop your career, for example through:

the management of staff, including other occupational therapists, support workers and trainees
research into new techniques in occupational therapy or auditing the efficiency of current provision
working in education, either training in a department or lecturing in an educational institution.

To progress up the pay scale, you must show that you can effectively apply the required knowledge and skills.

With significant experience, you could become a consultant occupational therapist in a senior clinical leadership role with the highest level of clinical responsibility. Consultant occupational therapists work in a range of clinical practice areas, including mental health and learning disabilities. They have a wider role in influencing and driving strategic and organisational development.

With experience you could also choose to set up and run your own independent practice. There are also opportunities to work overseas.

Occupational therapist