1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
What is a Staff Occupational Therapist?
The average staff occupational therapist salary is $73,477. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an occupational therapy major. It usually takes zero years of experience to become a staff occupational therapist. Staff occupational therapists with a Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 18% and produce 23,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Staff Occupational Therapist Do
There are certain skills that many staff occupational therapists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, patience and compassion.
How To Become a Staff Occupational Therapist
If you're interested in becoming a staff occupational therapist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 73.4% of staff occupational therapists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 21.4% of staff occupational therapists have master's degrees. Even though most staff occupational therapists have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Staff Occupational Therapist Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a staff occupational therapist can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as senior technician specialist, progress to a title such as manager and then eventually end up with the title service director.
Staff Occupational Therapist
Service Director
9 Years
Director Of Social Services
6 Years
Clinical Director
9 Years
Clinical Manager
8 Years
Patient Care Manager
5 Years
Interim Director
10 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Staff Occupational Therapist
Staff Occupational Therapists in America make an average salary of $73,477 per year or $35 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $96,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $56,000 per year.
Average Staff Occupational Therapist Salary
$73,477Â Yearly$35.33 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Staff Occupational Therapist
There are several types of staff occupational therapist, including:
Therapist
Role:
A therapist is the keeper of secrets. Neither therapist nor client is likely to advertise what is going on during sessions. You might have pinned down therapists as doctors of psychology who try to help the weak and crazy among us.
Well, the truth is contrary: it is a humble and courageous gesture to seek the help of a professional, not only in moments of crisis, trying to deal with harmful mental patterns or toxic core beliefs, which cause suffering to the patient and his/her or her environment alike, but also on a preventive basis.
So, just as much as it is the job of therapists to diagnose mental health problems and propose and conduct treatments, it is also their responsibility to make sure a diagnosis will never be necessary.
Well, the truth is contrary: it is a humble and courageous gesture to seek the help of a professional, not only in moments of crisis, trying to deal with harmful mental patterns or toxic core beliefs, which cause suffering to the patient and his/her or her environment alike, but also on a preventive basis.
So, just as much as it is the job of therapists to diagnose mental health problems and propose and conduct treatments, it is also their responsibility to make sure a diagnosis will never be necessary.
- Average Salary: $55,943
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Physical Therapist
Role:
Being active is the name of the game. At least for Physical Therapists. Since most of their day is spent with helping patients improve movement and manage pain, Physical Therapists spend a lot of their time on their feet.
Typically, you can find them working in private offices and clinics, but some work in hospitals, patients' homes and even nursing homes. If you're excited about helping people get their pain under control, then all you need is a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and a license to practice.
Typically, you can find them working in private offices and clinics, but some work in hospitals, patients' homes and even nursing homes. If you're excited about helping people get their pain under control, then all you need is a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and a license to practice.
- Average Salary: $73,070
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Occupational Therapist
Role:
Generally, an occupational therapist prepares rehabilitative programs for disabled individuals to restore the essential functions needed daily. They use various treatment methods to help patients with physical, mental, emotional, or developmental disabilities.
In this field, you may work with individuals suffering from short-term and long-term impairments to improve conditions to advance their quality of life. This may include helping an individual with everyday life and occupation tasks. As a part of your work, you will combine aspects from various disciplines, including medicine, psychology, and sociology, to evaluate and implement comprehensive plans for patients.
If these professionals' education level is Bachelor's Degree, their average salary would be around $88,300 per year. At the same time, if you possess a Master's Degree, you can make a whopping salary of $1,39,000 annually.
In this field, you may work with individuals suffering from short-term and long-term impairments to improve conditions to advance their quality of life. This may include helping an individual with everyday life and occupation tasks. As a part of your work, you will combine aspects from various disciplines, including medicine, psychology, and sociology, to evaluate and implement comprehensive plans for patients.
If these professionals' education level is Bachelor's Degree, their average salary would be around $88,300 per year. At the same time, if you possess a Master's Degree, you can make a whopping salary of $1,39,000 annually.
- Average Salary: $75,707
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Staff Occupational Therapist Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active staff occupational therapist jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where staff occupational therapists earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Staff Occupational Therapist Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 7,953 | $115,629 |
| 2 | Texas | 4,773 | $72,703 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | 3,113 | $69,355 |
| 4 | Illinois | 2,824 | $68,730 |
| 5 | New York | 2,810 | $69,955 |
| 6 | Florida | 2,329 | $67,419 |
| 7 | Georgia | 2,222 | $67,586 |
| 8 | Ohio | 2,156 | $71,328 |
| 9 | New Jersey | 1,912 | $83,360 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 1,888 | $76,954 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 1,866 | $68,830 |
| 12 | Virginia | 1,858 | $76,632 |
| 13 | Washington | 1,754 | $87,223 |
| 14 | Indiana | 1,568 | $70,206 |
| 15 | Michigan | 1,450 | $63,824 |
| 16 | Missouri | 1,376 | $67,413 |
| 17 | Maryland | 1,364 | $74,938 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 1,264 | $73,531 |
| 19 | Colorado | 1,264 | $74,567 |
| 20 | Minnesota | 1,155 | $69,751 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 1,069 | $74,192 |
| 22 | Arizona | 981 | $80,681 |
| 23 | Alabama | 915 | $61,276 |
| 24 | Oregon | 910 | $90,599 |
| 25 | South Carolina | 780 | $69,701 |
| 26 | Iowa | 751 | $70,480 |
| 27 | Kansas | 728 | $68,121 |
| 28 | Kentucky | 687 | $64,188 |
| 29 | Louisiana | 664 | $81,799 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 637 | $74,916 |
| 31 | Nebraska | 581 | $69,055 |
| 32 | Utah | 557 | $71,311 |
| 33 | Arkansas | 520 | $70,315 |
| 34 | Connecticut | 488 | $72,135 |
| 35 | Nevada | 466 | $93,255 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | 410 | $72,432 |
| 37 | New Mexico | 391 | $69,988 |
| 38 | Maine | 348 | $68,266 |
| 39 | West Virginia | 327 | $66,389 |
| 40 | Idaho | 305 | $75,941 |
| 41 | Mississippi | 300 | $67,157 |
| 42 | Rhode Island | 269 | $77,046 |
| 43 | Montana | 256 | $71,488 |
| 44 | Vermont | 243 | $60,988 |
| 45 | Delaware | 232 | $67,205 |
| 46 | North Dakota | 214 | $64,124 |
| 47 | South Dakota | 174 | $64,772 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 158 | $97,661 |
| 49 | Alaska | 135 | $97,315 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 120 | $69,301 |
Top Colleges for Staff Occupational Therapists
2. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,382
Enrollment
5,597
7. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
Top Skills For a Staff Occupational Therapist
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 26.9% of staff occupational therapists listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and patience are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Staff Occupational Therapist Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Staff Occupational Therapist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Staff Occupational Therapist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Staff Occupational Therapist Demographics
Staff Occupational Therapist Gender Distribution
Female
80%
Male
20%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among staff occupational therapists, 79.6% of them are women, while 20.4% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among staff occupational therapists is White, which makes up 75.4% of all staff occupational therapists.
- The most common foreign language among staff occupational therapists is Spanish at 63.6%.
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Best States For a Staff Occupational Therapist
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a staff occupational therapist. The best states for people in this position are California, Hawaii, Alaska, and Nevada. Staff occupational therapists make the most in California with an average salary of $115,629. Whereas in Hawaii and Alaska, they would average $97,661 and $97,315, respectively. While staff occupational therapists would only make an average of $93,255 in Nevada, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. California
Total Staff Occupational Therapist Jobs: 7,953
Highest 10% Earn:
$157,000
Location Quotient:
1.26
$115,629
Avg. Salary
2. Nevada
Total Staff Occupational Therapist Jobs: 466
Highest 10% Earn:
$126,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
$93,255
Avg. Salary
3. Washington
Total Staff Occupational Therapist Jobs: 1,754
Highest 10% Earn:
$113,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
$87,223
Avg. Salary
How Do Staff Occupational Therapist Rate Their Jobs?
Top Staff Occupational Therapist Employers
Most Common Employers For Staff Occupational Therapist
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aegis Therapies | $87,616 | $42.12 | 9 |
| 2 | FOX Rehabilitation | $86,437 | $41.56 | 6 |
| 3 | Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation | $85,193 | $40.96 | 8 |
| 4 | Kindred at Home | $85,075 | $40.90 | 7 |
| 5 | Visiting Nurse Association | $83,032 | $39.92 | 5 |
| 6 | New York University | $82,324 | $39.58 | 9 |
| 7 | Encompass Health | $80,632 | $38.77 | 9 |
| 8 | Methodist Hospital Of Henderson, Kentucky | $79,878 | $38.40 | 6 |
| 9 | HCR ManorCare | $78,265 | $37.63 | 13 |
| 10 | Amedisys | $76,987 | $37.01 | 11 |