Occupational Therapist – What You Do and How Much You Earn
Index
The occupational therapist is a professional trained in higher education with an average duration of 4 years and works in the study and treatment of mental and physical disorders, in addition to emotional and social maladjustments, through various types of activities.
Functions
The job of an occupational therapist requires a lot of patience, planning and willingness to help others. Through planned activities and the help of various types of technology, professionals in the field seek the reintegration of their patients into life in society, addressing disorders, phobias and dysfunctions. The development of the individual’s self – confidence is one of the biggest challenges for an occupational therapist.
Women in the Occupational Therapy Market
As in other health care professions, the occupational therapist was one of the great escape valves to establish the social role of women in the job market at a time when opportunities were much less than today.
In this specific case, the main reason why women achieved prominence is that, in the early days of the profession, many of the functions attributed to occupational therapists were functions considered to be female, as many similar activities were done in the family environment. Regardless, the truth is that even today the labor market is a very good space for women , the vast majority of whom are professionals in the field.
What is the Profile of an Occupational Therapist?
An occupational therapist needs, first of all, to understand that her work will require a lot of patience and contact with different people with different personalities. Each patient will have their problem and their rehabilitation time, so the two main characteristics that women who want to work in the area need to have are patience and a taste for what they are doing.
Characteristics of the Professional
Organization is also a fundamental requirement for those who want to work with occupational therapy, since a good part of the work requires planning activities for the different types of patients that the professional will treat. In addition, a taste for psychology , biology and various health disciplines will also help occupational therapy professionals to develop more effective work.
What Does an Occupational Therapist Do?
Several places need the work of occupational therapists for various reasons, whether to improve the social development of their patients or for specific treatments, these places rely on occupational therapists to get the job done more efficiently. Some of the main places of work are:
Work Areas
- Rehabilitation Clinics
- Retirement Homes
- Basic Health Units
- Community Centers
- Private Clinics
- Social Assistance Organizations
- Companies
The work carried out in each of these places is different and has different objectives . Since the occupational therapist can do her job in so many ways and with so many ramifications that it is important to know, at least a little, about each of these ways of acting.
Occupational Therapy in Education
One of the main jobs that an occupational therapist can do is in the area of education. The work of this type of professional is done in conjunction with teachers, parents and students within the school environment.
With the students, the work of these professionals can be done to help in the adaptation of those who have physical or motor problems and therefore have difficulties to follow the rest of the class.
The occupational therapist who works in education also deals with students who have learning problems and difficulties , developing exercises and activities that help them with no school development.
Contrary to what many people think, a good part of the work that an occupational therapist does in schools is not done with children with learning difficulties, but with groups of professionals who work in the school environment, helping them in the best way to deal with differences in kids.
They also focus on ways to collaborate with the development of various pedagogical activities that normally involve the inclusion of children with difficulties in integrating into groups.
Gerontology
The job market for occupational therapists working in the field of gerontology is in great demand. This is because the inclusion of elderly people in society has been an issue that is increasingly present in social debates.
The occupational therapist who works with gerontology works with the elderly, enabling them to make the best use of the activities they are capable of . The role of this type of professional in this context is not only physical or psychological, but both at the same time, since, in addition to providing the well-being of their patients through activities, it also gives them motivation and autonomy, an important point in life of an elderly person.
In addition, it is also the job of the occupational therapist to participate in disease prevention and health prevention campaigns for the elderly, alerting them about the best ways to live this fragile part of life well.
Occupational Therapy and Psychiatry
Since we know that occupational therapy can be a complement to several psychological treatments, it is not difficult to imagine that another area very sought after by professionals in the field is precisely that of psychiatry. Hospitals, private offices and inpatient clinics are the most common working environments for those who wish to continue in this area.
An occupational therapist’s work with psychiatric patients plays a very strong role in her treatment. When a person falls ill, he often loses his mental balance , feeling insecure, incapable, which can end up causing major complications in the future.
The main objective of an occupational therapist in this case is to make the patient able to express his feelings and understand the reality that surrounds him. This is done so that, little by little, the patient can relieve himself and be able to return to live life in a balanced way, or at least more balanced than in his sick state.
Social Reintegration
Social reintegration is one of the main functions of an occupational therapist, in addition to being considered one of the most challenging and, at the same time, most satisfying jobs for a professional in the field.
Workplaces can be different: rehabilitation centers for juvenile offenders, reintegration centers for drug addicts, centers for underprivileged children and even prisons. Despite the differences, all of these places are intended to reintegrate patients into ordinary life in society.
As each of these workplaces is occupied by different types of people, it is clear that the activities for each are done in different ways, in addition to having partnerships with other professionals.
An occupational therapist who works in rehabilitation centers for juvenile offenders will count on the help of psychologists to achieve their goals, while the one who works in centers for underprivileged children will also count on the help of social workers .
With different environments and activities to be developed, occupational therapy in social reintegration is a type of work that usually demands a lot from its professionals, but that can also generate incredibly satisfactory results for them.
Graduation in Occupational Therapy
Several public and private institutions offer the occupational therapy course in Brazil. The average duration is 4 years and some of the main subjects taught are:
Subjects
- Therapeutic resources
- Arts
- Sociology
- Collective Health
- Child Health
- Ethics and Citizenship
In addition to these main disciplines, many others involve studies of biology and medicine , in addition to studies of society and specific to the area of health. After graduating, the student who wants to work in the area still needs to register with CREFITO (Regional Council of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy).
Main Universities of Occupational Therapy in Brazil
- Federal University of São Carlos – São Carlos (SP)
- University of Fortaleza – Fortaleza (CE)
- Federal University of Paraná – Curitiba (SP)
- University of Franca – Franca (SP)
- Federal University of Sergipe – São Cristóvão (SE)
- Federal University of São Paulo – Santos (SP)
- Federal University of Pernambuco – Recife (PE)
- Anhanguera Educational Center – São Paulo (SP)
- Federal University of Minas Gerais – Belo Horizonte (MG)
- Sorocaba University – Sorocaba (SP)
Specializations in Occupational Therapy
To follow the different paths that the profession of occupational therapist provides, making a specialization can be the fundamental piece. There are several postgraduate courses that can make the professional in the field specialize and can not only achieve better positions in the job market, but can also acquire knowledge and establish herself as a great professional in the field.
Some of the graduate programs that occupational therapists can take are:
- Occupational Therapy in Inclusive Education
- Occupational Therapy Applied to Neurology
- Occupational Therapy in Mental Health
Usually, the student already knows what she wants to do in graduate school during the undergraduate course and the choice is made through her affinities with certain subjects or with the practical work that each one of them offers.
Each of the courses is designed so that this previous taste is realized and transforms the professional , with specific curricular matrices, they aim to train professionals to act with total efficiency in their area of choice.
Occupational Therapy in Inclusive Education
This postgraduate course aims to train professionals to work in all types of school environments . The whole theory learned from occupational therapy is now applied in the educational context, both for children with motor difficulties and for those who are prevented from obtaining complete learning due to psychological problems.
The course generally has monthly fees below R $ 500.00 and is perfect for professionals who wish to deepen their education in inclusive education, research and work in the area.
Occupational Therapy Applied to Neurology
One of the most common postgraduate courses in the field of occupational therapy is aimed at students who intend to deepen their knowledge in caring for patients with neurological problems of all types, from simple parents to the most complex. This type of graduate program can last from 6 months to 1 year and the monthly fee does not exceed R $ 500.00 in most institutions.
Occupational Therapy in Mental Health
Course made for occupational therapists who aim to work specifically with patients’ mental health problems. The subjects taught in this course address several points in psychology and the health area , in addition to deepening knowledge obtained in the undergraduate course.
Although the average duration is from 6 months to 1 year, several institutions have also offered the option of postgraduate distance learning, which allows the student to choose the best hours and even to determine the duration of the course, which has monthly fees that vary from R $ 390.00 to R $ 900.00 .
How Much Does an Occupational Therapist Earn?
The average salary of occupational therapy professionals is based on the positions they occupy in the job market and how each type of professional in the field receives them. It is noticed that there are differences between the types of work performed and the salaries received, but this does not necessarily mean that one type of professional will receive more than another just for working in an area with higher salaries.
Experience obviously also counts as a factor in the variation between the salaries of occupational therapists. As we can see, the biggest positions are usually held by older professionals, with more experience in the area and also with more academic backgrounds.
How Much Does an Occupational Therapist Trainee Earn?
- Small Business: R $ 1,413.00
- Average Company: R $ 1,837.00
- Large Company: R $ 2,389.00
How Much Does a Full Occupational Therapist Earn?
- Small Business: R $ 2,208.00
- Average Company: R $ 2,871.00
- Large Company: R $ 3,732.0
How Much Does a Master Occupational Therapist Earn?
- Small Business: R $ 3,451.00
- Average Company: R $ 4,486.00
- Large Company: R $ 5,832.00
How Much Does an Occupational Therapist Earn? By Sector
Several sectors that need the services of occupational therapists have different salaries for these professionals.
- Industries: R $ 5,000
- Public Institutions: R $ 4,100
- Associations: R $ 3,200
- Hospitals: R $ 3,100
Being an occupational therapist requires not only love for what you do, but a lot of dedication and the certainty that this is really what you want to do for your life. As with most health care professions, being an occupational therapist often requires that the professional have flexible hours and work on dates that most professions do not work on.
That is why it is important to reflect and think about all these aspects when choosing whether occupational therapy is really the right job for you. If you’re sure, set goals, focus on your goals and achieve them.
See also: Nurse – What do you do and how much do you earn?
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.