SIGN UP

Log In

Log In to Save

Sign Up to Save

Sign Up to Dismiss

or

The email and password you specified are invalid. Please, try again.

Email and password are mandatory

Forgot Password?

Don't have an account? Sign Up

reset password

Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Back to Log In

Become A Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Where do you want to work?

To get started, tell us where you'd like to work.
Sorry, we can't find that. Please try a different city or state.

Working As A Pediatric Occupational Therapist

  • Assisting and Caring for Others
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Documenting/Recording Information
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Getting Information

  • Deal with People

  • Unpleasant/Angry People

  • Unpleasant/Hazardous Environment

  • Stressful

  • $80,150

    Average Salary

What Does A Pediatric Occupational Therapist Do

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.

Duties

Occupational therapists typically do the following:

  • Review patients’ medical history, ask the patients questions, and observe them doing tasks
  • Evaluate a patient’s condition and needs
  • Develop a treatment plan for patients, identifying specific goals and the types of activities that will be used to help the patient work toward those goals
  • Help people with various disabilities with different tasks, such as teaching a stroke victim how to get dressed
  • Demonstrate exercises—for example, stretching the joints for arthritis relief—that can help relieve pain in people with chronic conditions
  • Evaluate a patient’s home or workplace and, on the basis of the patient’s health needs, identify potential improvements, such as labeling kitchen cabinets for an older person with poor memory
  • Educate a patient’s family and employer about how to accommodate and care for the patient
  • Recommend special equipment, such as wheelchairs and eating aids, and instruct patients on how to use that equipment
  • Assess and record patients’ activities and progress for patient evaluations, for billing, and for reporting to physicians and other healthcare providers

Patients with permanent disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, often need help performing daily tasks. Therapists show patients how to use appropriate adaptive equipment, such as leg braces, wheelchairs, and eating aids. These devices help patients perform a number of daily tasks, allowing them to function more independently.

Some occupational therapists work with children in educational settings. They evaluate disabled children’s abilities, modify classroom equipment to accommodate children with certain disabilities, and help children participate in school activities. Therapists also may provide early intervention therapy to infants and toddlers who have, or are at risk of having, developmental delays.

Therapists who work with the elderly help their patients lead more independent and active lives. They assess patients’ abilities and environment and make recommendations to improve the patients’ everyday lives. For example, therapists may identify potential fall hazards in a patient’s home and recommend their removal.

In some cases, occupational therapists help patients create functional work environments. They evaluate the workspace, recommend modifications, and meet with the patient’s employer to collaborate on changes to the patient’s work environment or schedule.

Occupational therapists also may work in mental health settings, where they help patients who suffer from developmental disabilities, mental illness, or emotional problems. Therapists teach these patients skills such as managing time, budgeting, using public transportation, and doing household chores in order to help them cope with, and engage in, daily life activities. In addition, therapists may work with individuals who have problems with drug abuse, alcoholism, depression, or other disorders. They may also work with people who have been through a traumatic event, such as a car accident.

Some occupational therapists, such as those employed in hospitals, work as part of a healthcare team along with doctors, registered nurses, and other types of therapists. They may work with patients who have chronic conditions, such as diabetes, or help rehabilitate a patient recovering from hip replacement surgery. Occupational therapists also oversee the work of occupational therapy assistants and aides.

Show More

Show Less

How To Become A Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Occupational therapists need at least a master’s degree in occupational therapy; some therapists have a doctoral degree. Occupational therapists also must be licensed.

Education

Most occupational therapists enter the occupation with a master’s degree in occupational therapy. In 2014, there were nearly 200 occupational therapy programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, part of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Admission to graduate programs in occupational therapy generally requires a bachelor’s degree and specific coursework, including biology and physiology. Many programs also require applicants to have volunteered or worked in an occupational therapy setting.

Master’s programs usually take 2 to 3 years to complete; doctoral programs take about 3 years. Some schools offer a dual-degree program in which the student earns a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in 5 years. Part-time programs that offer courses on nights and weekends are also available.

Both master’s and doctoral programs require at least 24 weeks of supervised fieldwork, in which prospective occupational therapists gain clinical work experience.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

All states require occupational therapists to be licensed. Licensing requirements vary by state, but all require candidates to pass the national examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). To sit for the NBCOT exam, candidates must have earned a degree from an accredited educational program and completed all fieldwork requirements.

Therapists must pass the NBCOT exam to use the title “Occupational Therapist, Registered” (OTR). They must also take continuing education classes to maintain certification.

The American Occupational Therapy Association also offers a number of board and specialty certifications for therapists who want to demonstrate their advanced or specialized knowledge in areas of practice, such as pediatrics, mental health, or low vision.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Occupational therapists must be able to listen attentively to what patients tell them and must be able to explain what they want their patients to do.

Compassion. Occupational therapists are usually drawn to the profession by a desire to help people and improve their daily lives. Therapists must be sensitive to a patients’ needs and concerns, especially when assisting the patient with his or her personal activities.

Flexibility. Occupational therapists must be flexible when treating patients. Because not every type of therapy will work for each patient, therapists may need to be creative when determining the treatment plans and adaptive devices that best suit each patient’s needs.

Interpersonal skills. Because occupational therapists spend their time teaching and explaining therapies to patients, they should be able to earn the trust and respect of those patients and their families.

Patience. Dealing with injuries, illnesses, and disabilities is frustrating for many people. Occupational therapists should be patient in order to provide quality care to the people they serve.

Writing skills. When communicating in writing with other members of the patient’s medical team, occupational therapists must be able to explain clearly the treatment plan for the patient and any progress made by the patient.

Show More

Show Less

Pediatric Occupational Therapist jobs

Add To My Jobs

Pediatric Occupational Therapist Typical Career Paths

Pediatric Occupational Therapist Demographics

Gender

  • Female

    87.8%

  • Male

    10.3%

  • Unknown

    1.9%

Ethnicity

  • White

    83.2%

  • Asian

    7.7%

  • Hispanic or Latino

    6.9%

  • Unknown

    1.5%

  • Black or African American

    0.7%
Show More

Languages Spoken

  • Spanish

    43.8%

  • French

    12.5%

  • Hebrew

    12.5%

  • German

    6.3%

  • Cantonese

    6.3%

  • Gujarati

    6.3%

  • Mandarin

    6.3%

  • Italian

    6.3%
Show More

Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.

Pediatric Occupational Therapist Education

Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Unfortunately we don’t have enough data for this section.

Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary

Real Pediatric Occupational Therapist Salaries

Job Title Company Location Start Date Salary
Pediatric Occupational Therapist School Based/Clinic John E. Goodfellow Visalia, CA Nov 01, 2014 $87,654 -
$91,828
Pediatric Occupational Therapist School Based/CL John E. Goodfellow Visalia, CA Jun 04, 2014 $87,654 -
$91,828
Pediatric Occupational Therapist School Based/CL John E. Goodfellow Visalia, CA Jun 24, 2014 $87,654 -
$91,828
Pediatric Occupational Therapist School Based/CL John E. Goodfellow Visalia, CA Aug 01, 2014 $87,654 -
$91,828
Pediatric Occupational Therapist School Based/CL John E. Goodfellow Visalia, CA Sep 03, 2014 $87,654 -
$91,828
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Savina Kollmorgen & Maria Katz Physical Therapist Prof Corp Los Angeles, CA Dec 27, 2016 $83,480
Pediatric Occupational Therapist School Based/Clinic John E. Goodfellow Visalia, CA Oct 01, 2014 $83,480 -
$87,654
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Ascend Rehab Services, Inc. Union City, CA Dec 20, 2013 $78,909 -
$99,779
Pediatric Occupational Therapist School Based/Clinic John E. Goodfellow Visalia, CA Sep 01, 2015 $76,843 -
$83,292
Pediatric Occupational Therapist School Based/Clinic John E. Goodfellow Visalia, CA Dec 10, 2014 $76,843 -
$83,292
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Social Mind Center, LLC Davie, FL Sep 09, 2015 $75,000

No Results

To get more results, try adjusting your search by changing your filters.

Show More

Top Skills for A Pediatric Occupational Therapist

SensoryIntegrationTechniquesDiagnosesDevelopmentalDelayCerebralPalsyOccupationalTherapyServicesTreatmentPlansIEPDownSyndromeSensoryProcessingDisorderCaseloadAutismSpectrumDisorderPhysicalTherapistsCotaAdhdTreatmentSessionsSpecialNeedsVisualMotorSensoryProfileDailyLivingIfsp

Show More

Top Pediatric Occupational Therapist Skills

  1. Sensory Integration Techniques
  2. Diagnoses
  3. Developmental Delay
You can check out examples of real life uses of top skills on resumes here:
  • Implement a variety of Sensory Integration techniques into treatment.
  • Provided individual center based sensory integration therapy in a private practice to children with a variety of diagnoses.
  • ResponsibilitiesProvided clinic-based and in-home services to pediatric clients with developmental delays and other diagnoses.
  • Designed occupational therapy interventions for children with motor delays, sensory processing difficulties, autism, spina bifida, cerebral palsy.
  • Provided occupational therapy services within the school system.

Top Pediatric Occupational Therapist Employers

Show More

Find Pediatric Occupational Therapist Jobs In Every State

Related Jobs
Best Companies Nearby