50 Best Jobs for Your Personality

__________________________________________________Social Occupations: Occupational Therapists

Occupational Therapists

! Personality Code: SI

! Education/Training Required: Master’s
degree
! Annual Earnings: $63,790

! Beginning Wage: $42,330

! Earnings Growth Potential: Low

! Growth: 23.1%

! Annual Job Openings: 8,338

! Self-Employed: 8.6%

! Part-Time: 29.8%

Assess, plan, organize, and participate in reha-

bilitative programs that help restore vocational,

homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as

general independence, to disabled persons. Plan,

organize, and conduct occupational therapy pro-

grams in hospital, institutional, or community set-

tings to help rehabilitate those impaired because of

illness, injury, or psychological or developmental

problems. Test and evaluate patients’ physical and

mental abilities and analyze medical data to deter-

mine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients. Select

activities that will help individuals learn work and

life-management skills within limits of their mental

and physical capabilities. Evaluate patients’ progress

and prepare reports that detail progress. Complete

and maintain necessary records. Train caregivers to

provide for the needs of patients during and after

therapies. Recommend changes in patients’ work or

living environments, consistent with their needs and

capabilities. Develop and participate in health pro-

motion programs, group activities, or discussions to

promote client health, facilitate social adjustment,

alleviate stress, and prevent physical or mental dis-

ability. Consult with rehabilitation team to select

activity programs and coordinate occupational ther-

apy with other therapeutic activities. Plan and imple-

ment programs and social activities to help patients

learn work and school skills and adjust to handicaps.

Design and create, or requisition, special supplies

and equipment such as splints, braces and com-

puter-aided adaptive equipment. Conduct research

in occupational therapy. Provide training and super-

vision in therapy techniques and objectives for stu-

dents and nurses and other medical staff. Help clients

improve decision making, abstract reasoning, mem-

ory, sequencing, coordination, and perceptual skills,

using computer programs. Advise on health risks in

the workplace and on health-related transition to

retirement. Lay out materials such as puzzles, scis-

sors, and eating utensils for use in therapy, and clean

and repair these tools after therapy sessions. Provide

patients with assistance in locating and holding jobs.

GOE—Interest Area/Cluster: 08. Health Science.

Work Group: 08.07. Medical # erapy. Other Jobs

in " is Work Group: Audiologists; Massage # er-

apists; Occupational # erapist Aides; Occupational

# erapist Assistants; Physical # erapist Aides; Phys-

ical # erapist Assistants; Physical # erapists; Radia-

tion # erapists; Recreational # erapists; Respiratory

# erapists; Respiratory # erapy Technicians; Speech-

Language Pathologists.

Skills: Systems Evaluation; Systems Analysis; Social

Perceptiveness; Judgment and Decision Making; Ser-

vice Orientation; Persuasion; Management of Person-

nel Resources; Complex Problem Solving.

Education and Training Program: Occupational

# erapy/# erapist. Related Knowledge/Courses:

# erapy and Counseling; Psychology; Sociology and

Anthropology; Medicine and Dentistry; Biology;

Education and Training.

Work Env ironment : Indoors; disease or infections;

standing.

Social–

O