2. Introduction
My name is Emerson Hart and I am a junior Health Science major with minors in
Recreational Therapy and Psychology.
I plan to graduate in December of 2016 and then attend Occupational Therapy school.
The Occupational Therapy school I would like to attend is the Medical University of
South Carolina.
The following slides include:
Description of Occupational Therapy as a career
Populations Helped by Occupational Therapy
History of Occupational Therapy
Job Outlook
Salary Range
Required Training
MUSC OT Requirements and Prerequisites
O*NET Profile Results
3. What Do Occupational
Therapists Do?
Review patients’ medical history, ask patients questions, observe patients.
Evaluate patient’s condition.
Develop treatment plans, identify goals, identify types of activities that will be
used to help patient work towards goals.
Help people with disabilities to perform different tasks.
Demonstrate exercises that can help with chronic conditions.
Educate patient’s family about how to care for patient.
Recommend special equipment if needed and instruct patients on how to use
equipment.
Communicate and work with other healthcare providers.
4. Populations Helped by
Occupational Therapy
Patients with permanent disabilities
Children in educational settings
Early intervention therapy for infants and toddlers
Helping elderly maintain independence
Can help in mental or physical health settings
5. History of Occupational
Therapy
Introduced during 18th century in Europe in the
treatment and rehabilitation of patients with mental
illness
After World War I and II, occupational therapy
expanded beyond just the treatment of mental illness
into physical illness treatments.
Following WWI, the large influx of injured soldiers
caused a high demand for occupational therapists.
6. History, continued
During 1960’s, occupational therapy became
specialized, and occupational therapists became
qualified to work in the fields of pediatrics and
developmental disabilities.
During 1980’s and 1990’s, occupational therapy
refocused on quality of life, becoming more involved in
education, prevention, screenings, and health
maintenance. Focused more on prevention,
maintaining independence, and quality of life.
7. Job Outlook for Occupational
Therapists
Number of Jobs in 2014: 114,600
Job Outlook in 2014: 27% (Much faster than average)
Projected numeric change in employment from 2014 to
2024: 30,400
8. Salary Range of Occupational
Therapists
Median annual wage: $78,810 (May 2014)
Lowest 10% earned <$52,670
Highest 10% earned >$112,950
In nursing care facilities: $86,690
In home healthcare: $86,010
In offices of PT, OT, SLP, audiologists: $82,230
In hospitals: $78,400
In elementary and secondary schools: $68,250
9. Training for Occupational
Therapists
Occupational Therapists need a bachelor’s and a
master’s degree to practice.
Field could possibly move to requiring a doctorate, but
no definite plan yet.
After graduating from a university accredited by
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy
Education, you will also need to pass the National
Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy exam
and complete necessary supervised fieldwork
(minimum of 24 weeks) to obtain your license.
10. MUSC OT
MUSC is my first choice for OT school. It requires 30 hours
of work or volunteer experience, 3 reference forms, GRE
results, 20 prerequisite hours, minimum of a 3.0 GPA, and a
resume.
I have hours of experience from shadowing an Occupational
Therapist in New Zealand, and my internship will also count
towards those hours. I took the GRE last weekend and am
waiting for my official results, but got a 159 for verbal and a
161 for math which is above the 60th percentile that MUSC
requires. I have completed all of the prerequisite courses
and received an A. I have a 4.0 GPA as of now, and will be
completing a resume this semester.
11. Prerequisites for MUSC Master’s of
Occupational Therapy Program
MUSC requires:
8 hours of Anatomy/Physiology
3 hours of Statistics
3 hours of Lifespan Human Development
3 hours of Abnormal Psychology
3 hours of Sociology or Anthropology
I have completed all of these prerequisites, and have a
4.0 prerequisite GPA
12. MUSC OT Program Cost
• Semester in-state tuition: $8,061
• Summer in-state tuition: $8,061
• The OT program lasts for 3 summers and 4
semesters, which will add up to $56,427 total
13. O*Net Profile Results
My highest scores were in social, investigative, and realistic. According
to the O*Net website, Occupational Therapists need high social and
investigative interests.
The Social category involves working with, communicating with, and
teaching people. I think that I fit into this category because I love
spending time with people. I am involved in an organization called
YoungLife where I volunteer at a local middle school, building
relationships and getting to know 6th through 8th grade girls and
becoming a mentor for them. I spend up to 20 hours a week with the
other volunteers at my school and the middle schoolers.
The Investigative category involves working with ideas and thinking,
searching for facts and solving problems. Occupational therapists have
to use investigative skills while working to help find activities that can
help the patients improve their functioning. I have learned many
investigative skills through the various classes and seminars I have
taken during my time at Clemson University.
14. Conclusion
Doing more research into Occupational Therapy has
made me even more excited to continue my education
towards getting my Master’s in Occupational Therapy.
With my education, GPA, GRE scores, and internship
experiences, I am hopeful I will be accepted into
MUSC. I will apply starting July 1, 2016.
I am looking forward to learning even more about
Occupational Therapy through an internship in the next
semester.
