Occupation Summary

Occupational Therapists

O*NET 29-1122.00

Description:

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.

Annual Wages:
$103,149.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 19.96%.
Education Level:
Master's Degree. According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Public Service, Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM)

  1. Complete and maintain necessary records.
  2. Evaluate patients' progress and prepare reports that detail progress.
  3. Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
  4. Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities.
  5. 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.
  6. Recommend changes in patients' work or living environments, consistent with their needs and capabilities.
  7. Consult with rehabilitation team to select activity programs or coordinate occupational therapy with other therapeutic activities.
  8. Help clients improve decision making, abstract reasoning, memory, sequencing, coordination, and perceptual skills, using computer programs.
  9. Develop and participate in health promotion programs, group activities, or discussions to promote client health, facilitate social adjustment, alleviate stress, and prevent physical or mental disability.
  10. Provide training and supervision in therapy techniques and objectives for students or nurses and other medical staff.
  11. Design and create, or requisition, special supplies and equipment, such as splints, braces, and computer-aided adaptive equipment.
  12. Plan and implement programs and social activities to help patients learn work or school skills and adjust to handicaps.
  13. Lay out materials such as puzzles, scissors and eating utensils for use in therapy, and clean and repair these tools after therapy sessions.
  14. Advise on health risks in the workplace or on health-related transition to retirement.
  15. Conduct research in occupational therapy.
  16. Provide patients with assistance in locating or holding jobs.
  17. Train caregivers in providing for the needs of a patient during and after therapy.


National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Occupational Therapists employed Annual Growth Rate
Offices of other health practitioners 29 2.31
General medical and surgical hospitals 21.6 0.36
Elementary and secondary schools 12.3 0.00
Home health care services 7.5 1.84
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) 7 -0.31
Specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals 6.8 0.91
Offices of physicians 2.6 0.27
Individual and family services 2.2 1.79


Labor Market Information


2024 Statewide average hourly wage $49.59
2024 National average hourly wage $47.23
2022 National employment 139,600
2022 Texas employment 9,004
Texas projected employment by 2032 10,801
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 716




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Therapy and Counseling
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
93.60%
Psychology
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
91.00%
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
85.40%
Medicine and Dentistry
Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
84.60%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
82.00%
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
77.20%
Biology
Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
69.00%
Sociology and Anthropology
Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
64.80%
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
56.40%
Administrative
Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
56.40%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
82.40%
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
82.40%
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
82.40%
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
80.00%
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
80.00%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
80.00%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
80.00%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
80.00%
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
80.00%
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
80.00%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
82.40%
Written Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
80.00%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
80.00%
Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
80.00%
Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
80.00%
Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
77.60%
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
77.60%
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
77.60%
Speech Recognition
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
77.60%
Speech Clarity
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
77.60%


  • Documenting/Recording Information
    -- Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others
    -- Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Getting Information
    -- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    -- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    -- Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Other Activities


  • Achievement
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
  • Relationships
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.



Tools

Adaptive communication switches for the physically challenged: Wobble switches; Computer switch interfaces; Switch use tools;

Braille devices for the physically challenged: Braille printers;

Computer mouse: Trackballs;

Cutlery or utensils for the physically challenged: Adaptive cutlery;

Domestic electric knives: Electric knives;

Domestic sewing machines: Sewing machines;

Drilling machines: Drill presses;

Electronic blood pressure units: Electronic blood pressure units;

Gait belts for rehabilitation or therapy: Gait and transfer belts;

Game pads or joy sticks: Joy sticks;

Goniometers or arthrometers: Goniometers or arthrometers;

Hand held camcorders or video cameras: Video cameras;

Hand looms: Looms;

Headpointers or mouthsticks for the physically challenged: Tongue switches;

Keyboards: Alternative computer keyboards;

Medical acoustic stethoscopes: Mechanical stethoscopes;

Mercury blood pressure units: Manual blood pressure cuffs;

Mill saw file: Single-cut mill saw files;

Notebook computers: Laptop computers;

Orthopedic splint systems: Splints;

Orthotics or foot care products: Orthotics;

Patient care beds for general use: Adjustable beds;

Patient ceiling hoists: Hoists;

Patient lifts: Lift chairs;

Patient scooters: Scooters;

Personal computers: Personal computers;

Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers: Personal digital assistants PDA;

Power drills: Power drills;

Power sanders: Power sanders;

Pulleys for rehabilitation or therapy: Pulleys;

Resistive exercise bands or putty or tubing for rehabilitation or therapy: Resistive exercise bands;

Saws: Saws;

Scanners: Portable scanning pens;

Soldering iron: Soldering irons;

Therapeutic balls: Exercise balls;

Touch pads: Trackpads;

Tracer or duplicating or contouring lathe: Lathes;

Vascular or compression apparel or support: Pressure care garments;

Visual presenters: Video magnifiers;

Voice synthesizers for the physically challenged: Voice output communication aids;

Walkers or rollators: Wheeled walkers;

Weights or sets for rehabilitation or therapy: Weights;

Wheelchairs: Electric wheelchairs; Wheelchairs;


Technology

Accounting software: Fifth Walk BillingTracker;

Computer based training software: Language arts educational software; Math educational software; Physical education educational software; Science educational software; Social studies educational software; Special education educational software; Text reader software; Text to speech software;

Data base user interface and query software: FileMaker Pro;

Device drivers or system software: Screen magnification software; Screen reader software;

Electronic mail software: Email software;

Graphics or photo imaging software: Computer drawing software; Mayer-Johnson Boardmaker;

Internet browser software: Internet browser software; Synapse Adaptive Connect Outloud;

Medical software: Rehab Documentation Company ReDoc Suite; HMS; Lexrotech LxPediatric; Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR; Casamba Smart; eClinicalWorks EHR software;

Music or sound editing software: Music software;

Office suite software: Microsoft Office software;

Optical character reader OCR or scanning software: Duxbury Braille Translator; Text scanning software;

Pattern design software: Tactile graphic production kits software;

Spreadsheet software: Spreadsheet software; Microsoft Excel;

Voice recognition software: Speech recognition software;

Web page creation and editing software: Facebook;

Word processing software: Crick Software Clicker 4; Microsoft Word; OpenOffice WRITER; Word processing software;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Occupational Therapists include:
  • 29-1141.02 Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses
  • 29-1141.04 Clinical Nurse Specialists
  • 29-1122.01 Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists
  • 31-2011.00 Occupational Therapy Assistants
  • 29-1229.04 Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians
  • 31-2021.00 Physical Therapist Assistants
  • 29-1123.00 Physical Therapists
  • 29-2053.00 Psychiatric Technicians
  • 29-1125.00 Recreational Therapists
  • 21-1015.00 Rehabilitation Counselors


Sources of Additional Information
  • For more information about occupational therapists, visit: American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.
  • For more information about the certification exam for Occupational Therapist, Registered, visit: National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
  • For information regarding the requirements for practice as an occupational therapist in schools, contact state occupational therapy regulatory agencies.
  • Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists
  • Occupational Therapists

  • Contact Texas Workforce Commission
    Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
    Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

    ** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.