The Occupational Therapist is a professional who works with patients to help them recover from injuries and disabilities, as well as to manage the symptoms of chronic illnesses.
Here are some alternative careers for Occupational Therapists:
- Physical Therapist – Occupational therapists work closely with physical therapists, who focus on rehabilitating patients who have suffered injuries or illnesses that make it difficult for them to move around easily. For example, an occupational therapist might work with a patient who has suffered a stroke by helping them relearn how to walk or use their hands.
- Medical Assistant – Many occupational therapists start out as medical assistants before moving up in their profession or going into private practice. This job requires you to be trained in the basics of medical procedures and standards of care, which can help you develop your skills as an occupational therapist later on down the line!
- Occupational Safety Manager – If you’re interested in making sure workplaces are safe and healthy environments for employees, this could be a great option for you! An occupational safety manager would make sure all necessary precautions are taken when it comes to keeping employees safe from hazards like chemicals or machinery that could cause injury if used improperly
Alternative Careers For Occupational Therapist
1. Rehabilitation technician
National average salary: $30,828 per year
Primary duties: A rehabilitation technician acts as an assistant to an occupational or physical therapist and helps them with their responsibilities. This can involve preparing areas for use by gathering the necessary equipment, maintaining the cleanliness of rehabilitation spaces and equipment by disinfecting and organizing after each use and helping therapists to assess patient needs. A rehabilitation technician can also communicate with patients before and after their treatment to ensure they remain comfortable and respond to any questions they might have.
2. Case manager
National average salary: $38,804 per year
Primary duties: A case manager helps clients with mental or physical conditions find the right options for care. Case managers can meet with clients to discuss their needs, communicate with care providers and medical facilities to place patients in care and educate their clients about different treatment options, such as occupational therapy or physical therapy. A case manager might also work with service organizations to promote and administer care to patients in underserved communities.
Related: Learn About Being a Case Manager
3. Technical writer
National average salary: $57,857 per year
Primary duties: A technical writer is someone who writes about advanced, technical subjects to make information more accessible to public audiences. Technical writers with a background in occupational therapy might create informational pamphlets that can be distributed at occupational therapy offices, write training manuals or reference documents for occupational therapists to use in appointments and work with other professionals in the field to ensure they present accurate information. A technical writer can also review and edit work from other technical writers, which can help enhance quality and confirm accuracy in documents before publication.
Related: Learn About Being a Technical Writer
4. Vocational rehabilitation counselor
National average salary: $61,769 per year
Primary duties: A vocational rehabilitation counselor is a mental health professional who helps clients with disabilities and conditions from previous employment find a new job. This can involve meeting with clients individually to discuss and assess their personal needs, determining whether clients are prepared to reenter the workforce and creating job plans for clients who are ready to look for a new job. Vocational rehabilitation counselors can also help clients find training programs that can support them in building new skills and expertise.
5. Educator
National average salary: $63,835 per year
Primary duties: An educator is someone who teaches others about specific information related to an area of study or topic. Educators in occupational therapy can teach courses in occupational therapy to inform aspiring occupational therapists about the career, prepare lesson plans about advanced concepts in occupational therapy and answer questions from students who want to enter the occupational therapy field. An educator specializing in occupational therapy might work as a professor at a college or university or as a training or clinical instructor in a medical facility.
6. Health administrator
National average salary: $68,405 per year
Primary duties: A health administrator is the manager of a healthcare organization who can oversee an entire facility or a specific department. Health administrators can recruit new staff for the departments they manage, make sure that all employees follow health laws and regulations and write proposals to request funding for a facility. A health administrator can also meet with management executives and investors to discuss methods for improving a facility and its operations.
Related: Learn About Being a Health Administrator
7. Occupational therapy consultant
National average salary: $69,158 per year
Primary duties: A consultant is an expert in a certain field who uses their expertise to offer advice to organizations that want to improve their operations. In occupational therapy, a consultant can visit rehabilitation facilities and observe their operations to determine which areas might benefit from improvement, find creative solutions to challenges that arise in a rehabilitation facility and make recommendations for ways that a facility can improve its procedures. Many consultants work as independent contractors, which means they can function as their own boss and own their own consulting business.
Related: Learn About Being a Consultant
8. Clinical liaison
National average salary: $70,547 per year
Primary duties: A clinical liaison is a professional in therapy who helps to place patients in the correct rehabilitation facilities. Clinical liaisons can evaluate new patients to determine what type of therapy they might need, prepare paperwork for patients newly entering a rehabilitation facility and engage in outreach in their community to publicize their services and find more patients. Most clinical liaisons work for inpatient rehabilitation facilities with acute rehab units.
9. Recruiter
National average salary: $97,315 per year
Primary duties: A recruiter is a business professional who finds qualified candidates to fill job openings. Recruiters can find candidates that they think might be right for a specific job opening, reach out to potential candidates to invite them to apply for a position and interview applicants to determine whether they’re a good fit. Many recruiters also have the authority to offer jobs to candidates and negotiate their terms of employment, such as salary, benefits and scheduling.
Related: Learn About Being a Recruiter
10. Director of rehabilitation
National average salary: $106,985 per year
Primary duties: A director of rehabilitation is a top-level executive who manages the operations of a rehab facility or department. Directors of rehabilitation typically review the performance of staff members to ensure they can provide high quality therapy to patients, evaluates the department to track productivity and coordinates services with other rehabilitation departments or medical facilities when patients need specialized care. A director of rehabilitation can also engage in business-related tasks like maintaining records and preparing budgets.
