W HAT IS O CCUPATIONAL T HERAPY ? Anna Metcalf and Missy Reynolds

O CCUPATIONAL T HERAPY : O CCUPATIONAL T HERAPIST AND O CCUPATIONAL T HERAPY A SSISTANTS HELP INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES WITH MENTAL, PHYSICAL, AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS. T HE GOAL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IS GETTING THE CLIENT TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF FUNCTION USING THEIR OCCUPATIONS AND ROLES. Google Images

S CHOOLING : Occupational Therapist role: Evaluation of Client “Over Sees” the OTA Paperwork Length: 3 years in addition to a Bachelors degree Masters Level (University of Utah) Beginning Salary: ranges from $60,000-$82,000 a year *depending on site* Occupational Therapy Assistant role: Works under the OTR Helps plan and carry out treatment sessions Length: 2 years after completion of prerequisites Associate Level (Salt Lake Community College) Beginning Salary: ranges from $30,000-$50,000 a year *depending on site* Occupational Therapist Occupational Therapy Assistant

OTA PROGRAM AT SLCC ction=share

W HERE CAN AN O CCUPATIONAL T HERAPY P RACTITIONER WORK ? School Districts Rehabilitation Orthopedics Transitional Rehab Acute care Skilled Nursing Homes Home Health Home Evaluation companies

O CCUPATIONAL T HERAPY R EHAB SETTING Strokes Brain Injuries Spinal Cord Injuries The individual comes to rehab and works on getting back to their highest level of functioning. They can do this by working on their ADL’s and IADL’s. Examples:

O CCUPATIONAL T HERAPY F OR K IDS

A child’s main occupation is to PLAY! Children learn and develops skills by playing. OTA’s help a child develop a skill by turning it into play.

W HAT KINDS OF THINGS TO OT PRACTITIONERS DO TO HELP KIDS ? Play, learn, socialize, sensory regulation, handwriting, typing, drawing, art making, building, running, jumping, hand mobility, fine motor skills, sleep, eating, Self-help skills, using ad/ae, communicate, participate in sports and other activities, and much more!! almost every occupation you can think of!

W HERE DO OT PRACTITIONERS WORK WITH KIDS ? Schools Rehabilitation centers and hospitals Private practice and specialties -hippotherapy, aquatherapy, sensory therapy, in-home Early intervention

O CCUPATIONAL T HERAPY A SSISTING IS AN AWESOME CAREER ! Questions?

R EFERENCES : (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014) (Salary, 2014) Somers, F. (2008). Occupational therapy practice framework. (2 nd ed). Bethesda, MD: The Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.