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What does a Pediatric Occupational Therapist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a Pediatric Occupational Therapist do

A pediatric occupational therapist is a health care professional who works directly with children, helping them develop essential skills and lead an active life. Part of their job is to meet with patients to identify their needs through various assessments and examinations, conduct extensive research and analyses, and create treatment plans and strategies to develop the children's cognitive and social skills, motor functions, and other abilities to help them grow healthy. Moreover, a pediatric occupational therapist coordinates with parents or guardians, providing them with the necessary care advice.

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Pediatric occupational therapist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real pediatric occupational therapist resumes:

  • Participate in IEP planning and goal writing for students to help them achieve as much academic success as possible.
  • Train PRN staff on Medicare / Medicaid reimbursement documentation and facility policies.
  • Apply sensory integration approach with children to promote adaptive responses for improve interactions within environments.
  • Create and implement skil occupational therapy services with pediatric patients to promote safety and independence with their occupational performance.
  • Oversee COTA (s) and direct plan of care.
  • Supervise COTA's and students.
  • Design therapies for children with autism and other medical disabilities.
  • Experience in fabrication of splints and serial casting for spasticity.
  • Lead clinical discussion child s performance, therapy goals, and rehabilitation potential.
  • Assess swallowing safety and form dysphagia diagnoses via clinical bedside evaluation and MBS.
  • Perform MBS of dysphagia caseload; mobile radiologic unit and at area hospitals.
  • Work with treatment activities for increase strengthening, fine motor skills, increase ROM.
  • Participate in several treatment teams to establish goals and objectives for IEP's for school age children.
  • Counsele families on best treatment practices and aid as a consultant through the transition period to CPSE.
  • Coordinate, develop, and monitor care plan including preparation for discharge, and implementation of adaptive devices.

Pediatric occupational therapist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 21% of Pediatric Occupational Therapists are proficient in Patients, Rehabilitation, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Patience, Communication skills, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Pediatric Occupational Therapists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Patients, 21%

    Create and implement skilled occupational therapy services with pediatric patients to promote safety and independence with their occupational performance.

  • Rehabilitation, 8%

    Worked in an outpatient rehabilitation clinic serving primarily pediatric population with occasional coverage at local nursing home.

  • Patient Care, 8%

    Prioritize highest need in patient care as well as task management for scheduled procedures.

  • Autism, 8%

    Developed and updated behavioral treatment plans consistent with Medicaid and TriCare standards for children under the Autism Demonstration Project.

  • Home Health, 7%

    Provided pediatric (ages 0 -3) home health occupational therapy to a two county area for DHEC in South Carolina.

  • COTA, 5%

    Level 1 Fieldwork Coordinator for OT and COTA students.

Most pediatric occupational therapists use their skills in "patients," "rehabilitation," and "patient care" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential pediatric occupational therapist responsibilities here:

Patience. One of the key soft skills for a pediatric occupational therapist to have is patience. You can see how this relates to what pediatric occupational therapists do because "occupational therapists work with clients who have problems with everyday activities." Additionally, a pediatric occupational therapist resume shows how pediatric occupational therapists use patience: "obtained good interpersonal skills, patience with great communication skills. "

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform pediatric occupational therapist duties is communication skills. Pediatric occupational therapists responsibilities require that "occupational therapists must listen closely to clients." Pediatric occupational therapists also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "follow individualized aba protocols and utilize augmented communication devices. "

Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of pediatric occupational therapists is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday pediatric occupational therapist duties, as "occupational therapists spend much of their time interacting with clients and explaining treatment." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "strengthened interpersonal skills with patients, caregivers, and facility staff members"

Compassion. A big part of what pediatric occupational therapists do relies on "compassion." You can see how essential it is to pediatric occupational therapist responsibilities because "occupational therapists work with patients who may struggle with life’s daily activities." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical pediatric occupational therapist tasks: "demonstrate competency in providing quality care to patients according to their individualized needs with compassion. "

See the full list of pediatric occupational therapist skills

Choose from 10+ customizable pediatric occupational therapist resume templates

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Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Resume

Compare different pediatric occupational therapists

Pediatric occupational therapist vs. 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. They may also assist and work with clients under the supervision of a therapist. Moreover, they must understand and adhere to the facility's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.

The annual salary of music therapy interns is $45,449 lower than the average salary of pediatric occupational therapists.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between pediatric occupational therapists and music therapy interns are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like patients, patient care, and occupational therapy.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a pediatric occupational therapist are more likely to require skills like "rehabilitation," "autism," "home health," and "cota." On the other hand, a job as a music therapy internship requires skills like "mental health," "individual therapy sessions," "group therapy sessions," and "substance abuse." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Music therapy interns tend to reach lower levels of education than pediatric occupational therapists. In fact, music therapy interns are 23.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Pediatric occupational therapist vs. Therapist

A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.

Therapist positions earn lower pay than pediatric occupational therapist roles. They earn a $26,350 lower salary than pediatric occupational therapists per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both pediatric occupational therapists and therapists have skills such as "patients," "rehabilitation," and "patient care. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that pediatric occupational therapist responsibilities requires skills like "home health," "cota," "adaptive," and "occupational therapy." But a therapist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "social work," "group therapy sessions," "crisis intervention," and "mental health."

On average, therapists earn a lower salary than pediatric occupational therapists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, therapists earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $55,972. Whereas pediatric occupational therapists have higher pay in the internet industry, with an average salary of $81,776.therapists earn similar levels of education than pediatric occupational therapists in general. They're 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Pediatric occupational therapist vs. Health information specialist

A health information specialist is in charge of overseeing and developing strategies to optimize information management procedures in hospitals, physicians' offices, and other similar environments. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering and updating medical records, receiving and organizing files, and updating databases according to the appropriate coding systems and procedures. Furthermore, as a health information specialist, it is essential to coordinate with nurses and other staff to ensure accuracy in documentation, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

An average health information specialist eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of pediatric occupational therapists. The difference in salaries amounts to health information specialists earning a $48,950 lower average salary than pediatric occupational therapists.Using the responsibilities included on pediatric occupational therapists and health information specialists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "patients," "patient care," and "home health.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a pediatric occupational therapist is likely to be skilled in "rehabilitation," "autism," "cota," and "adaptive," while a typical health information specialist is skilled in "hipaa," "medical terminology," "excellent organizational," and "cycle management."

Health information specialists earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $33,177. Comparatively, pediatric occupational therapists have the highest earning potential in the internet industry, with an average salary of $81,776.Most health information specialists achieve a lower degree level compared to pediatric occupational therapists. For example, they're 35.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Pediatric occupational therapist vs. Early intervention occupational therapist

Early intervention occupational therapists typically earn lower pay than pediatric occupational therapists. On average, early intervention occupational therapists earn a $5,002 lower salary per year.While both pediatric occupational therapists and early intervention occupational therapists complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like autism, home health, and adaptive, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "patients," "rehabilitation," "patient care," and "cota" are skills that commonly show up on pediatric occupational therapist resumes. On the other hand, early intervention occupational therapists use skills like intervention services, family service plan, ei, and service coordination on their resumes.early intervention occupational therapists reach higher levels of education compared to pediatric occupational therapists, in general. The difference is that they're 7.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of pediatric occupational therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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