Skip redundant pieces
School of Health Professions  :  Occupational Therapy  :  What is an Occupational Therapist?

What is an Occupational Therapist?

About a Career in OT

Occupational Therapy is a career which continues to be in high demand across the country. As the general population ages and advances in health care extend lives, the role of the OT will be critical to our communities. Learn about the profession and employment opportunities in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (U.S. Dept of Labor)

Prospective Students

Join AOTA for a live phone or chat session to learn about a career in OT. Or listen to a previously recorded session at AOTA.org.

The Kansas City Library provides a great resource for students looking at career opportunities, including OT

See Also:

KOTAonline.org: Kansas Occupational Therapy Association

American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)


Email Print Facebook Twitter
More ...
Occupational therapy helps people improve their ability to perform tasks in living and working environments. It's a science-driven profession that enables people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health and live actively with illness, injury or disability.

The occupational therapist enters the field with a master's or doctoral degree, while the occupational therapy assistant generally earns an associate degree. Practitioners must complete supervised clinical internships in a variety of health care settings, and pass a national examination. Most states also regulate occupational therapy practice.

Occupational therapy practitioners work with individuals of all ages who have conditions that are mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling. They help individuals to develop, recover, or maintain daily living and working skills. Occupational therapy practitioners not only help individuals to improve basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also compensate for permanent loss of function. Service to clients may include helping autistic children interact with other children in the classroom, working with stroke patients to help them master feeding and clothing themselves or suggesting memory aids and enlarged computer programs for seniors living in assisted living.

The goal of an occupational therapy practitioner is to help individuals have independent, productive, and satisfying lives.

KU Degree Programs in Occupational Therapy

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)
Program prepares students to enter the profession of occupational therapy. Following one year of undergraduate study, the program continues with 2 years at the graduate level. Graduates are eligible to take the national certification examination to obtain OT licensure. >> See MOT program details

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Clinically-based doctorate program for practicing occupational therapists who want to pursue the highest level of advaudents and faculty compiled a booklet of Transportation Resources in the greater Kansas City metropolitan region. Acrobat Reader (free from Adobe.com) is needed to view this 37-page document.

top of page