What Is Occupational Therapy?

Where Occupational Therapists Work

Occupational therapists work in a variety of settings depending on their training and specialization. Some occupational therapists may work only with adults, and others may specialize in working with children. Occupational therapists often work in nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and physician's offices, and they may also provide occupational therapy services in patient's homes. Recent statistics show twenty-seven percent of occupational therapists work in state, local, or private hospitals, and twenty-six percent of occupational therapists work in clinics with physical therapists, speech therapists, and audiologists. An estimated eighteen percent of occupational therapists work in skilled nursing facilities or home healthcare services, and roughly eleven percent of these professionals are employed in elementary or secondary schools. Occupational therapists can specialize in more than twenty areas. For example, some therapists may specialize in mental health, physical rehabilitation, or environmental modification. Other occupational therapists opt to specialize in helping those with low vision or with swallowing issues, and some choose to become certified hand therapists.

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