About the Profession

Occupational Therapists (OTs) work with individuals as early as the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and throughout the lifespan who are unable to engage in the things they want and need to do – in other words, their occupations. In the NICU, for example, an OT works with the baby to develop the muscle tone and sensory regulation needed to be able to engage in age-appropriate play in the future. On the other end of the life span, an OT might work with an aging adult who is having difficulty getting in and out of the bathtub by adapting the bathroom and the task to reestablish independence. In the middle, an OT might work with an adult who had a brain injury to regain the motor control and cognition needed to be able to return home to care for her young children. You will find OTs in schools, hospitals, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation centers, mental health facilities, home health, skilled nursing facilities, and specialty settings such as low vision clinics and driver rehabilitation.