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What does a Staff Occupational Therapist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
What does a Staff Occupational Therapist do
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Staff occupational therapist responsibilities

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

  • Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
  • Implement ADL techniques and fabricate adaptive equipment for increase modified independence.
  • Provide accurate assessments/evaluation on rehabilitation patients.
  • Work contingent for Beaumont home care and at SNF's.
  • Perform screens & evaluations for upper & lower extremity splints.
  • Fabricate and modify a variety of hand and elbow splints.
  • Provide services as primary occupational therapist at a SNF within an interdisciplinary approach in a geriatric setting.
  • Assess and treat patients with neurological, orthopedic, cardiovascular, respiratory and psychological conditions in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
  • Assist with start up of sub-acute units and provide skilled sub-acute therapy including community re-entry home safety evaluations for adult patients.
  • Focus is on improving clients overall independence and safety within their home environment through education, physical rehabilitation and adaptive techniques.
  • Develop and implement evidenced-based individualize care plans in an interdisciplinary environment.
  • Provide accurate assessments/evaluation on rehabilitation patients.

Staff occupational therapist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 27% of Staff Occupational Therapists are proficient in Patients, Rehabilitation, and Physical Therapy. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Patience, and Compassion.

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

  • Patients, 27%

    Designed and implemented treatment plans to help patients recover functional mobility in preparation for role resumption at home and within community.

  • Rehabilitation, 12%

    Provided full range of occupational therapy services in an inpatient rehabilitation setting with largely an orthopedic population.

  • Physical Therapy, 10%

    Conduct weekly occupational therapy evaluations as well as joint evaluations with physical therapy using standardized assessments.

  • Occupational Therapy, 7%

    Provided home and school system occupational therapy evaluation and treatment services to children with developmental, neurological and genetic disorders.

  • COTA, 4%

    Performed evaluations, provided patient treatment, supervised COTA

  • Direct Patient Care, 4%

    Provide direct patient care to a variety of diagnosis: orthopedics, cardiac, general medical, and oncology.

Common skills that a staff occupational therapist uses to do their job include "patients," "rehabilitation," and "physical therapy." You can find details on the most important staff occupational therapist responsibilities below.

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a staff occupational therapist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what staff occupational therapists do because "occupational therapists must listen closely to clients." Additionally, a staff occupational therapist resume shows how staff occupational therapists use communication skills: "discharge planning and communication with facility nursing staff. "

Patience. Another essential skill to perform staff occupational therapist duties is patience. Staff occupational therapists responsibilities require that "occupational therapists work with clients who have problems with everyday activities." Staff occupational therapists also use patience in their role according to a real resume snippet: "obtained good interpersonal skills, patience with great communication skills. "

Compassion. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of staff occupational therapists is compassion. This skill is critical to many everyday staff occupational therapist duties, as "occupational therapists work with patients who may struggle with life’s daily activities." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "have received repeated commendations from supervisor, patients and referring practitioners for providing high-quality, compassionate care. "

Interpersonal skills. For certain staff occupational therapist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a staff occupational therapist rely on this skill, as "occupational therapists spend much of their time interacting with clients and explaining treatment." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what staff occupational therapists do: "demonstrated excellent interpersonal communication skills with patients and interdisciplinary team and a strong professional nature as per ci report. "

Most common staff occupational therapist skills

Choose from 10+ customizable staff occupational therapist resume templates

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Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume
Staff Occupational Therapist Resume

Compare different staff occupational therapists

Staff 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 $36,633 lower than the average salary of staff occupational therapists.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between staff 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, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a staff occupational therapist are more likely to require skills like "rehabilitation," "cota," "direct patient care," and "acute care." 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 similar levels of education than staff occupational therapists. In fact, music therapy interns are 4.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Staff 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 staff occupational therapist roles. They earn a $17,534 lower salary than staff 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 staff occupational therapists and therapists have skills such as "patients," "rehabilitation," and "discharge planning. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, staff occupational therapist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "physical therapy," "occupational therapy," "cota," and "direct patient care." Meanwhile, a therapist has duties that require skills in areas such as "social work," "group therapy sessions," "crisis intervention," and "mental health." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, therapists earn a lower salary than staff 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 staff occupational therapists have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $73,237.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Therapists tend to reach higher levels of education than staff occupational therapists. In fact, they're 20.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Staff occupational therapist vs. Physical therapist

Physical therapists are health care professionals who diagnose and treat patients with health conditions and limited ability to move and perform daily activities. They help in restoring physical function and mobility and teach how to properly use therapeutic exercise techniques. They also help promote overall wellness and encourage healthier and more active lifestyles. They design a recovery plan unique for every patient, provide treatment and therapy to help improve and manage their condition. They provide care to all kinds of individuals, from newborns to people at the end of their life.

An average physical therapist eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of staff occupational therapists. The difference in salaries amounts to physical therapists earning a $407 lower average salary than staff occupational therapists.Using the responsibilities included on staff occupational therapists and physical therapists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "patients," "rehabilitation," and "physical therapy.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, staff occupational therapists are more likely to have skills like "cota," "otr," "program development," and "patient treatment." But a physical therapist is more likely to have skills like "quality care," "physical therapy treatment," "restore function," and "compassion."

Physical therapists earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $74,879. Staff occupational therapists earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $73,237.physical therapists typically earn lower educational levels compared to staff occupational therapists. Specifically, they're 7.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 16.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Staff occupational therapist vs. Student physical therapist

A student physical therapist assists physicians in handling patients in a medical facility or a similar setting. As students, they typically follow directives and work under the supervision of a physical therapist. Besides assisting in treating patients, a student may also perform various clerical tasks such as filing paperwork, producing reports, running errands, managing schedules, responding to inquiries, and answering calls and correspondence. They may also coordinate with other hospital personnel and attend meetings, all while adhering to the medical facility's policies and standards.

Student physical therapists tend to earn a lower pay than staff occupational therapists by an average of $474 per year.While both staff occupational therapists and student physical therapists complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like patients, rehabilitation, and physical therapy, 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. "cota," "direct patient care," "home health," and "family education" are skills that commonly show up on staff occupational therapist resumes. On the other hand, student physical therapists use skills like patient care, physical therapy assistants, adaptive, and orthopedic diagnoses on their resumes.student physical therapists reach lower levels of education compared to staff occupational therapists, in general. The difference is that they're 18.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 9.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of staff 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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