How to hire an occupational therapist

How to hire an occupational therapist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step occupational therapist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an occupational therapist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new occupational therapist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an occupational therapist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an occupational therapist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect occupational therapist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of occupational therapists.

   Type of Occupational Therapist	Description	Hourly rate
   Occupational Therapist	Occupational therapists treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working.	$27-46
   Rehabilitation Technician	A rehabilitation technician is responsible for assisting therapists and other medical personnel on supporting the patients in their daily activities and physical therapy sessions. Rehabilitation technicians provide high-quality care services for the patients by administering medications, accompanying them on medical appointments, and ensuring the cleanliness and orderliness of all equipment and facilities to prevent hazards within the premises... Show more	$11-17
   Music Therapy Internship	In a music therapy internship, an intern's duties primarily depend on the directives of a manager or supervising staff. Typically, they are responsible for gaining industry insights and practical experience while performing support tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, conducting research and analysis, setting-up instruments and other devices, and running errands as needed... Show more	$10-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Rehabilitation
   • Home Health
   • Patient Care
   • COTA
   • Occupational Therapy
   • Adaptive
   • OTR
   • Occupational Therapy Assistants
   • Physical Therapy
   • SNF
   • Treatment Programs
   • Adaptive Equipment
   • Discharge Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
   • Manage outpatient occupational therapy rehabilitation program.
   • Provide home assessment and recommend adaptive equipment and/or home modification needs to maximize safety of patients in their own environment.
   • General debility, CVA, joint replacement, upper extremity weakness, ADL 's
   • Founder of TLC program to educate patients, staff and family about CVA.
   • Complete evaluations and IEP's for home school children and perform on-going therapy for the kids.

   More occupational therapist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your occupational therapist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An occupational therapist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an occupational therapist in South Dakota may be lower than in California, and an entry-level occupational therapist usually earns less than a senior-level occupational therapist. Additionally, an occupational therapist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average occupational therapist salary

   $75,707yearly

   $36.40 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level occupational therapist salary

   $58,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average occupational therapist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$108,453	$52
   2	Nevada	$95,402	$46
   3	Oregon	$92,075	$44
   4	Washington	$90,031	$43
   5	District of Columbia	$85,893	$41
   6	Arizona	$82,646	$40
   7	Massachusetts	$77,848	$37
   8	New Jersey	$77,309	$37
   9	Virginia	$77,114	$37
   10	Colorado	$76,138	$37
   11	Maryland	$75,539	$36
   12	Oklahoma	$75,307	$36
   13	New Hampshire	$72,971	$35
   14	Texas	$72,954	$35
   15	New York	$72,296	$35
   16	Ohio	$71,983	$35
   17	New Mexico	$71,753	$35
   18	Indiana	$70,820	$34
   19	Minnesota	$70,382	$34
   20	Pennsylvania	$70,032	$34

   Average occupational therapist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Waters	$95,375	$45.85
   2	Mayo Clinic	$92,293	$44.37	51
   3	Parkway	$91,707	$44.09	2
   4	Visting Nurse Service & Affiliates	$90,996	$43.75
   5	Consonus Healthcare	$90,879	$43.69
   6	SYNERTX Rehabilitation	$90,625	$43.57	1
   7	Therapy Resources Management	$89,700	$43.13	2
   8	Renewal Rehab	$89,311	$42.94	11
   9	CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield	$89,036	$42.81	8
   10	Reliant Rehabilitation	$88,989	$42.78	693
   11	Concept Rehab	$88,789	$42.69	222
   12	Rehab Pro	$88,609	$42.60
   13	Care Ventures Inc	$88,561	$42.58
   14	Infinity Rehab	$88,514	$42.55	56
   15	Weinberg Campus	$88,499	$42.55
   16	The Osborn	$88,441	$42.52
   17	Functional Pathways	$88,415	$42.51	205
   18	Aegis Therapies	$88,395	$42.50	522
   19	The Weston Group	$88,197	$42.40	129
   20	EnduraCare Therapy Management, Inc.	$87,887	$42.25

4. Writing an occupational therapist job description

   A good occupational therapist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an occupational therapist job description:

   Occupational therapist job description example

   Part-Time - 24 (Sat, Sun & Mon)

   Here is your opportunity to channel the full extent of your knowledge, skills, ambition, and experience on a daily basis. Inspire our patients to progress each day as you:

   • Effectively delegate tasks and supervise occupational therapist assistants and technicians.

   • Provide occupational therapy treatment and patient care according to hospital, state and federal regulations and professional guidelines.

   • Maintain open and ongoing communication with hospital departments to ensure that patient, staff and hospital needs are met.

   Credentials:

   • Current state licensure or certification on or before first day of employment required.

   • CPR certification preferred, unless otherwise required by hospital policy.

   • Successful completion of a degree from an accredited therapy program or one that is determined to be substantially equivalent to a U.S.-accredited program by an appropriate certifying agency preferred.

   • Effective communication skills for working with patients, families, and caregivers required.

   • Demonstrated competency in occupational therapy evaluation, assessment, care planning and treatment.

   Enjoy competitive compensation and benefits that start on day one, including:

   • Benefits that begin when you do.

   • Affordable medical, dental and vision plans provided to meet the needs of full and part-time employees and their families.

   • Generous paid time off that increases with tenure.

   • Tuition reimbursement and continuing education opportunities.

   • Company-matching 401(k) and employee stock-purchase plans.

   • Flexible spending and health savings accounts.

   About Us:

   Helping patients regain hope and independence, Encompass Health is a national leader in post-acute care. We operate rehabilitation hospitals and offer home health and hospice care in 36 states as well as Puerto Rico. Following the Encompass Way, we are driven by our core values: We proudly set the standard, lead with empathy, do what’s right, focus on the positive, and remain stronger together.

   Realize the powerful difference you can make. Take this opportunity to join our team.

   
   Address: 13031 Wortham Center Drive, Houston 77065
   Schedule: Part-time

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right occupational therapist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with occupational therapists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit occupational therapists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your occupational therapist job on Zippia to find and recruit occupational therapist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit occupational therapists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new occupational therapist

   Once you've decided on a perfect occupational therapist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an occupational therapist?