Occupational Therapy Degrees - Key Facts

If you enjoy helping people and you’re hoping to go into the health care profession, you could do a lot worse than a degree in occupational therapy…

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What is Occupational Therapy?

According to the NHS Careers Website, “Occupational therapy is the assessment and treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of life.” Put simply, this means that you’ll be working closely with a variety of patients in an attempt to increase their daily quality of life. Occupational therapy can therefore be an incredibly challenging and rewarding career.

What Will the Degree Teach You?

A degree in occupational therapy is designed to train you and equip you with all the skills needed to become an occupational therapist. Here’s how:

- Like most medical-based qualifications, you’ll learn through a combination of practical work placements and theory

- You’ll be taught the science that underpins the different areas of occupational therapy

- You’ll undertake work placements at a variety of different clinics, with the aim being to build your experience across the different branches of occupational therapy

- You’ll eventually be supervised to manage a small case-load (as a final preparation for the job)  

What Will Your Future Career be Like?

It’s no exaggeration to say that there will be a massive range of possible career options available to you after you graduate. Occupational therapists are needed in a number of different places (ranging from schools, hospitals and nursing homes to prisons), and because of this you could end up working with any number of different age groups and people. You also have the option of going into a variety of different fields within occupations therapy (such as the mental health services or paediatrics); all of this means you’ll be spoiled for choice when selecting a career path after graduation.

5 occupational therapy courses that may interest you

• Sports and Dance Therapy, London Metropolitan University
• Occupational Therapy, University of Essex
• Occupational Therapy. University of Plymouth
• Occupational Therapy, University of Southampton
• Occupational Therapy, Northumbria University

Sam Haysom