What is the role of an occupational therapist

What are the roles and responsibilities of an occupational therapist?

Occupational therapists treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.

What is the role of an occupational therapist in a hospital?

Occupational therapists are playing a crucial role on crisis/rapid response, admission avoidance and proactive care teams, which all work to reduce unplanned admissions to hospital and prevent unnecessary attendances at A&E.

What does an occupational therapist provide?

Occupational therapy provides support to people whose health prevents them doing the activities that matter to them. An occupational therapist can identify strengths and difficulties you may have in everyday life, such as dressing or getting to the shops, and will help you work out practical solutions.

What is the goal of an occupational therapist?

Occupational therapy is a health-related profession using selected activity to prevent and overcome many physical, emotional or social disabilities in people of all ages. The objective is to promote, maintain and/or restore functional independence in daily living skills .

What are the core skills of an occupational therapist?

Occupational therapy core skills required in practice will focus on core skills of enablement, collaboration, environmental adaptation, assessment, problem solving , group work and the use of activity as a therapeutic tool as defined by the College of Occupational Therapist (2009) Briefing 23 Definitions and Core Skills

What are the qualifications of an occupational therapist?

Master’s degree

What power does occupational health have?

In this case occupational health looks to see if there is a known health problem which is making you sick and unable to attend. They will advise management of the situation, and, based on their knowledge of the workplace and you and the work, go on to make recommendations to improve things for both you and the manager.

What does an occupational therapist do in mental health?

Occupational therapists recognise that engagement in meaningful occupation can promote good mental health , assist recovery and help people achieve personalised outcomes such as being able to care for themselves, engage in work and leisure activities, and participate within the community.

What does an OT assessment involve?

An OT assessment is a process that usually involves an in-person meeting and a written report. During the assessment , the therapist will typically: Gain an understanding of the client’s pre-injury status. How did the client engage in activities before their function decreased?

Is occupational therapy a dying field?

OTA is a dying field . There are NO jobs. If you love OT and have some flexibility about getting a job maybe go ahead. If you need to be able to support yourself or a family, I would look at other fields.

What can I expect from occupational therapy?

At your first appointment, the occupational therapist will: Perform an evaluation to determine a baseline status for the tissues to be treated including range of motion, strength, balance. Discuss with you and set appropriate goals that are function based that will guide further treatment sessions.

How would you describe occupational therapy to a patient?

AOTA defines occupational therapy as “the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do” as well as “[enabling] people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent… injury, illness, or disability.”

What are the 8 areas of occupation?

There are 8 areas of occupation that OTs are trained in: Activities of daily living (ADLs) Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) Sleep and rest. Work. Education. Play. Leisure. Social participation.

Do occupational therapists have clients or patients?

While most counselors prefer to use “ client ,” a psychologist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner, both with many years of schooling and medical training, may use the term “ patients .” Other counselors will find “ patients ” very uncomfortable, yet embrace “ clients .” You’re the only person who will know which suits you and

Why is occupational therapy not well known?

” Occupational therapy is less well – known because unlike physical and speech therapy our duties are not as clearly defined,” said Kathy Jurek, occupational therapist at Warm Springs Specialty Hospital in Luling. Occupational therapists work on everything – everything that occupies your time.