How To Become An Occupational Therapist?

An occupational therapist (also known as health care experts) helps their patients recover from common disabilities, stress-related issues, depression, spinal cord injuries, traumatic injuries, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and many more.

As occupational therapy is an extensive field, patients may range from teenagers to older people. A career as an Occupational Therapist is among the most challenging yet gratifying job designations in the industry.

In this article, you will get to know about how to become an occupational therapist. If you wish to become an occupational therapist, you should be emotionally, physically, and mentally strong. Occupational therapy is a challenging and robust profession that makes a precious difference in people’s lives.

As a health care expert or OT, you will deal with a wide variety of applicants who want to achieve complete or partial physical body functionality.

What Is The Role Of Occupational Therapist? 

Occupational therapists or OT checks a patient’s house or office and, based on the applicant’s health requirements; recognize future improvements, like marking kitchen cabinets for older adults with a bad memory.

Visiting offices to know what challenges an injured employee may encounter when trying to return to work.

An occupational therapist or OT checks the applicant’s medical past, ask the various questions, and watch them perform jobs.

Check superior-risk manual jobs at offices to decide how they may be worked more safely.

To conduct workshops on health and wellbeing issues.

Qualification Needed To Become An Occupational Therapist:

The applicants must have passed the 10+2 exam in chemistry, physics, biology, and English with nearly 50% marks. For admission to the Master of Occupational Therapy course, an applicant must have passed Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (B.O.Th.) from a recognized University or Institute by UGC, with 50% marks.

How to Become an Occupational Therapist? 

Get The Bachelor’s Degree: 

The first step is to get a bachelor’s degree from a recognized University or Institute. A four-year undergraduate Occupational Therapy course is prepared to help students learn the basics features of occupational therapy. To become a wholly certified OT, you will require a master’s degree.

Earn a Master’s Degree

You can also do the master degree to become an Occupational Therapist

Clear The NBCOT Exam:

After getting the bachelor’s or master’s degree, you will have to clear the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam. You can take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy examination through offline and online mode.

Apply and Get The License:

Every state needs that OTs must have a license. Though acquiring a permit will differ as per the state. You must apply for the license in the state in which you wish to practice. To keep your license or permit active, you will have to take continuing learning courses during your career.

Final Words:

Becoming a health care expert or OT is hard work, but it is worth it. To become an Occupational Therapist, you need to earn the degree, pass the NBCOT exam, and get a state license. Consequently, when you have to follow the above-provided steps to become an occupational therapist, you will advantage of the massive potential of the job to bring changes in the lives of applicants struggling with the simplest of daily works.