Occupational therapists
Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual's environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.
Occupational therapists assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. The role reports a median annual salary of $98,340 in the US and is projected to grow 14% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Master's degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.26 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include hygiene in a health care setting, health care legislation, occupational physiology, medical terminology, orthopaedics.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £42,079 a year for Other health professionals n.e.c. (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £34,346 to £49,077 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2259). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Occupational therapists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Qualification Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (B.OT), 5 years after Class 12[1]
- 2 · Registration Enrolment on the allied and healthcare professionals register under the NCAHP Act[2]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
1 open listing on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Therapy and Counseling
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Biology
- Sociology and Anthropology
A day in the life
You start the day reviewing the files of patients recovering from strokes, injuries and surgery, noting what each wants to be able to do again. Your first session is with a man learning to dress himself after a stroke; you break the task into small steps, practising with adapted buttons and a long-handled shoehorn. Next you work with a child who has trouble holding a pencil, using games to build hand strength. Mid-morning you assess a patient's home safety by asking detailed questions and suggesting simple changes like grab rails. After lunch you run a group session teaching work skills to people recovering from mental illness. Later you train a caregiver to help a patient move safely between bed and chair. The day ends with writing progress reports and updating goals. Progress is often slow, but seeing someone make a cup of tea by themselves again is a moment of real triumph.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
- Complete and maintain necessary records.
- Plan, organize, and conduct occupational therapy programs in hospital, institutional, or community settings to help rehabilitate persons with disabilities because of illness, injury or psychological or developmental problems.
- Plan and implement programs and social activities to help patients learn work or school skills and adjust to handicaps.
- Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities.
- Evaluate patients' progress and prepare reports that detail progress.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Occupational therapists do?
Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual's environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.
What does a typical day look like in Occupational therapists?
You start the day reviewing the files of patients recovering from strokes, injuries and surgery, noting what each wants to be able to do again. Your first session is with a man learning to dress himself after a stroke; you break the task into small steps, practising with adapted buttons and a long-handled shoehorn. Next you work with a child who has trouble holding a pencil, using games to build hand strength.
How much does Occupational therapists earn?
The median annual salary for Occupational therapists in the US is $98,340.
What is the job outlook for Occupational therapists?
The role is projected to grow 14% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 160,000 workers.
How do I become occupational therapists?
The typical entry education is a Master's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Occupational therapists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include hygiene in a health care setting, health care legislation, occupational physiology, medical terminology, orthopaedics, health care occupation-specific ethics. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Occupational therapists?
Our AI-durability model gives Occupational therapists a score of 0.26 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Occupational therapists has high barrier to entry — highly gated — a graduate degree or extended training/apprenticeship is typically required.