Occupational Therapy

Introduction

The “Occupational Therapy (OT)”  is also known as “Physical Therapy”.

Occupational therapy incorporates the purposeful profession that enables the physically or mentally challenged people enjoy their everyday life.

“Occupational Therapy is the science of prevent, cure and rehabilitation of the physically, emotionally, mentally and neurological disabled and challenged people”.

Occupational therapy works on the modifying the task, environment adaptation, educating the client and teaching the skills to make them enable in daily activities. In the past, this treatment was known as the ‘Moral treatment’.

The occupational therapy arose around 100 BC in back of centuries by a Greek physician named “Asclepiads”. He initiated the treatment of mentally impaired people using music, massage, exercise and therapeutic bath. In the 18^th and 19^th century, it has been used in some country as the assessment for the mental students. It has been flagged in the 20^th century as the domain occupational therapy.

The occupational therapy overlaps the medical health profession in 1910s and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has been given it the official with the name “Occupational Therapy”.

The professional, who deals with physically, mentally, morally, and mentally challenged people through the help of occupational therapy called as the Occupational Therapist. The occupational therapist works against the dysfunctions cause of the social, biological and economic reasons.

Courses & Eligibility

There are just more than 25 institutions in India offering the courses in the field of occupational therapy. In India, the education programme in occupation therapy is recognized by the All India Occupational Therapist’s Association (AIOTA) and World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT). The colleges offer the programmes in following types:

1. Diploma courses
2. UG degree courses
3. PG degree courses
4. PG diploma courses

Diploma courses are leading to the Diploma in Occupational Therapy (DOT) for the duration of 3 years after the completion of 12^th with the science group as physics, chemistry and biology. The UG degree courses leading to the B.Sc in occupational therapy and BOT (Bachelor of Occupational Therapy) are a four and half-year degree programme after the completion of 12^th with the science group as physics, chemistry and biology.

The PG degree courses leading to the M.Sc in occupational therapy or MOT (Master of occupational therapy) and the PG diploma programmes are the two-year degree and the diploma programmes after the completion of BOT or B.Sc with minimum 55% marks. The students, who have passed the bachelor degree in science, may get the admission in M.Sc in occupational therapy.

For BOT candidates must have physics, chemistry and mathematics or biology as the compulsory subjects. Some private institutions also provide direct admissions based on the marks scored in 10+2 examinations.

Several institutions have been provisioned a Common Entrance Test (CET) for the admission in UG or PG programmes. For the admission to the occupational therapy programme, the candidates must have the following criterion:

• Must have completed the 17 years of age
• Must have passed the 10+2 examination with at least 50% marks
• Must have physics, chemistry and biology in 10+2 standard
• Must have a good score in the entrance test

In the curriculum of these courses, the students are taught the subjects like anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, orthopedics and surgery, medicine psychiatry, psychology along with the fundamental of occupational therapy. The course includes the classroom training and practical session in therapy clinic.

The specializations in the field of occupational therapy are as the following:

• Pediatrics
• Adult rehabilitations
• Hand therapy
• Vision rehabilitations
• Ergonomics
• Community consultation
• Assisted living
• Driver rehabilitations
• Home health
• Neurological
• Musculoskeletal
• Psychiatric
• Industrial rehabilitation
• Developmental Conditions

Career & Jobs

If you are interested to help the people and you have a good and pleasant nature, and you want to do something for the people who are permanently or temporary physically disabled or want to help to the older persons who are living in an old age home or you wish to give your finger to hook up a kid for the first-time step.

If it so! This is the best field for you and you will touch the height of the success in this science field. To find a good job or the best platform, one’s needed to go for the higher study in this field like M.Sc or doctoral programme. There is a good career prospect for the candidates who have done higher education in this field.

After the completion of the degree courses, the students must go for the national certification examination to get the license, in order to practice individually. It is mandatory to have the license for practicing.

At present, the people are facing many problems in their daily lifestyle regarding mentally, emotionally or physically problems. The Occupational therapist is the one who cures out such disorders.

You can work as a freelancer in this field. There is a good opportunity to go abroad after the completion of this course.

Some of the top job profiles or the titles in this field are as the following:

• Teacher
• Consultant
• OT technician
• OT nurse
• Rehabilitation therapy assistant
• Speech and language therapist
• Private practitioner
• Occupational therapist
• Service delivery manager
• Lab technician
• Medical record technician
• National sales manager
• OT in-charge
• Critical care nursing in charge

Employment Areas:

In the field of occupational therapy, there is nothing like one type of  recruiters. The employment area is very much broad. The employment areas of this field are as the following:

• Rehabilitation Centers
• Multispecialty Hospitals
• Non Governmental Organization
• Teaching to Under & Post Graduates
• In Industry for rehabilitation of Injured worker
• Private Practice/ Private clinics
• Mental Hospitals
• Geriatric homes/Old age Homes
• Centers for Physically and Mentally Handicapped Children
• Schools
• Community health centre
• Occupational health centre
• GP practices / primary care
• education establishments
• housing associations
• industrial and commercial organizations
• clients homes
• prisons
• social services and council departments
• residential and nursing homes
• charities and voluntary agencies

Salary

“Handsome salary packages are offered to candidates in this field”.

In the US, the occupational therapists earned a median of annual salary as $73820 per year and the median hourly income of $35.49. The occupational therapists can earn from the Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 at the start of the career. After few years of experience, he/she may go up to handsome salary.

Average courses fee in India ranges between 15000 to 20,000. Per annum salary lies between 2 to 6 lakhs.

Books & Study Materials

Study from good books helps a lot in education. Here we are providing some good books of Occupational Therapy:

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath by Michael Paul Mason

Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 2nd Edition by American Occupational Therapy Association

Clinical and Professional Reasoning in Occupational Therapy by Barbara Schell

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