How many years do you have to go to school to be an occupational therapist
Isabella Wilson
Published May 14, 2026
To become an occupational therapist, you will need to earn both an undergraduate and graduate degree and pass the required licensure exams. You can expect to spend six to seven years in school: four years for an undergraduate degree and two to three years for a graduate degree (if attending on a full-time basis).
How many years does it take to study occupational therapist?
This pathway would generally take 5 to 5 ½ years (3 years for the undergraduate degree and 2 to 2 ½ years for the master’s program). There may be prerequisite subjects that you must complete in your undergraduate course to be eligible to apply for a master’s program to become an Occupational Therapist.
Is Occupational Therapy stressful?
Being an occupational therapist can be stressful. Almost every setting has productivity requirements, with some settings less strict than others. So while you do get to provide meaningful treatments and help people achieve their goals, you do have to deal with the struggle of meeting your productivity on a daily basis.
Is becoming an OT hard?
The short answer is: YES, occupational therapy school is hard. … These programs want to ensure you’re equipped to competently and safely work in the healthcare field, so you’re going to have a good amount of science classes involved in any of these programs, along with challenging clinical/fieldwork rotations.Does occupational therapy involve math?
In order to become an Occupational Therapist you will need to have an understanding of a variety of topics. … You will need to understand statistics and then have completed classes in a Social Science such as Psychology (beyond the classes mentioned), Sociology, Anthropology or Math.
Do occupational therapists wear scrubs?
Do Occupational Therapists Wear Scrubs? Yes. Occupational therapists are required to wear scrubs at certain rehabilitation centers and hospitals. If scrubs are not required wherever the OT is employed, they often wear a polo shirt with either dark colored pants or scrub pants.
Is occupational therapy a happy career?
Occupational therapists are below average when it comes to happiness. … As it turns out, occupational therapists rate their career happiness 2.9 out of 5 stars which puts them in the bottom 27% of careers.
Is occupational therapy a science?
Here’s the science behind occupational therapy Occupational therapy is based on the discipline of occupational science, which attempts to study and draw conclusions on human occupations and how people accomplish basic tasks.Do you have to be good at science to be an occupational therapist?
OTs need to be somewhat analytical, but also patient and encouraging. They should enjoy science (especially anatomy and kinesiology) and enjoy working with the general public. OTs need to be excellent listeners and problem-solvers, and also need to understand how to effectively teach others.
Does OTA require math?The Associate OTA Degree Coursework Spoiler: Good news for many: there’s not a lot of math. You do have preliminary coursework, 24 college hours of subjects like English composition, psychology, anatomy and physiology, and healthcare terminology.
Article first time published onWhat personality type is an occupational therapist?
Occupational therapists tend to be predominantly social individuals, meaning that they thrive in situations where they can interact with, persuade, or help people. They also tend to be investigative, which means that they are quite inquisitive and curious people that often like to spend time alone with their thoughts.
What are the happiest jobs?
- Teaching assistant. National average salary: $26,243 per year. …
- Ultrasonographer. National average salary: $33,393 per year. …
- Sound engineering technician. …
- Early childhood education teacher. …
- Esthetician. …
- Event planner. …
- Contractor. …
- Heavy equipment operator.
What does an occupational therapist do in schools?
School occupational therapists (and occupational therapy assistants, under the supervision of the occupational therapist) support academic and non-academic outcomes, including social skills, math, reading and writing (i.e., literacy), behavior management, recess, participation in sports, self-help skills, prevocational …
What GPA is required for occupational therapy?
Programs will have “Minimum of 3.0 GPA required.” However, even with a 3.50 you are still competing with tons of other applications with 3.8’s – 4.0’s. But don’t let this completely stress you out. If you’re about to graduate, your overall GPA is not something you can change drastically.
What do occupational therapists wear to school?
- dress pants with stretch.
- more “formal” looking yoga pants.
- nice leggings.
- jeans (if allowed – some schools only let staff wear these on certain days)
- joggers.
- blouses.
- tunics.
- themed t-shirts (like for your school, or for OT)
Do OTs wear white coats?
Students recite the Oath of an Occupational Therapist. In front of faculty, administrators, family and friends, more than 200 occupational therapy graduate students donned their new white coats, a traditional symbol of professional responsibilities in health care. …
What major is OT?
Major: Occupational Therapy. … Students of occupational therapy (OT) learn the skills necessary to help others overcome learning, physical, and other challenges to perform everyday tasks.
What subjects are needed for occupational therapy in high school?
- Introduction to Medical Sciences.
- Chemistry I.
- Fundamentals of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy I.
- Physics I.
- Introduction to Psychology I.
- Basic Principles of Group and Individual I.
- Human Behavioural Sciences I.
What are the 8 areas of occupation?
- Activities of daily living (ADLs)
- Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)
- Sleep and rest.
- Work.
- Education.
- Play.
- Leisure.
- Social participation.
What do occupational scientists do?
Occupational science research includes exploration of the relationship between occupation and development, and how occupation changes over the life course. It addresses how people organize daily occupations and the personal and socio-cultural meanings of occupation.
What jobs can you get with an occupational science degree?
- Occupational Therapist. …
- Occupational Therapy Supervisor. …
- Director of Rehabilitation. …
- Rehabilitation Liaison. …
- Occupational Therapy Assistant.
What do you study in Ota?
The training at the Academy covers a wide range of physical and mental activities like physical training, weapon training, map reading, drill, tactics, intellectual development and leadership training.
What skills are needed for occupational therapy?
- Communication skills. Occupational therapists must be able to listen attentively to what patients tell them and be able to explain what they want their patients to do.
- Compassion. …
- Flexibility. …
- Interpersonal skills. …
- Patience. …
- Writing skills.
What qualities do you need to be an occupational therapist?
- Patience.
- Determination.
- Enthusiasm.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- An interest in working closely with people.
- Good teamworking skills.
- Ability to find solutions to problems.
What skills do you need to be an OTA?
- Sensory Acuity. Occupational therapy assistants need to be keen observers. …
- Written and Verbal Communication. …
- Multi-tasker, Prioritizer. …
- Physical Strength. …
- Coordination and Creativity. …
- Professional Behaviors and Work Ethic. …
- Emotional Stability, Empathy Skills.
What is a fun job?
- Video game designer. National average salary: $10.80 per hour. …
- Fashion consultant. National average salary: $10.87 per hour. …
- Radio announcer. National average salary: $13.61 per hour. …
- Event planner. …
- Race car driving instructor. …
- Pet groomer. …
- Race car mechanic. …
- Sommelier.
What is the least stressful job?
- Hairstylist: 6.72.
- Audiologist: 7.28.
- University professor (tenured): 8.42.
- Medical records technician: 8.52.
- Jeweler: 9.
- Operations research analyst: 9.09.
- Pharmacy technician: 9.19.
- Massage therapist: 10:39.
What is a good career?
RankOccupation# of Jobs1Dentist27,6002Registered Nurse712,9003Pharmacist69,7404Computer Systems Analyst120,440
Is an occupational therapist a teacher?
Occupational therapists have been providing educationally related services to students in public schools since the 1970s. … Examples of credentialed personnel are teachers, school psychologists, school counselors, social workers, nurses, audiologists, and speech and language pathologists.
What do you do if you don't get into OT school?
- It’s okay to be upset. …
- Many people get into OT school on the second (even third) application process. …
- Look at your application and find room for improvement. …
- Take the next year to really beef up your application. …
- Budget for increased applications for next year.
How is OT different from PT?
The Basic Difference The most basic difference between physical therapy and occupational therapy is that a PT focuses on improving the patient’s ability to move their body whereas an OT focuses on improving the patient’s ability to perform activities of daily living.