What is Occupational Therapy?

You might have heard of Occupational Therapy, but do you know what the role actually entails? Find out more about the rewarding career, and how you can get there by studying the MSc Occupational Therapy course.

The basics

Occupational therapy aims to improve people’s ability to do everyday tasks if they are having difficulties. People of any age or walk of life may use or need an occupational therapist, such as those who are physically disabled, recovering from an illness, have mental health problems or are elderly.

They Occupational therapists look at activities people may find difficult and see if there's another way they can do them. An example of this could be helping somebody to choose and operate special equipment such as wheelchairs or helping to improve a client’s basic skills such as cooking, motor skills or using a computer.

As an Occupational Therapist, you could be working in a client’s home, in a hospital (NHS or private), at a care home or a GP practice. 

To study the MSc Occupational Therapy degree, you will need a relevant undergraduate degree. This could be in Psychology, Sociology or another health or life science related course. Having already studied a degree in a relevant subject will help you to already have a basic understanding of the course principles, and give you a head start.

What skills do you need to be an Occupational Therapist?

To become an Occupational Therapist, you’ll need a diverse set of skills.

Importantly, yYou will need to be understanding and non-judgemental in order to listen to individuals with sensitive issues and make them feel seen and heard. You will also need to be flexible, patient and ready for change. The role of an Occupational Therapist is varied and the types of people and situations you will deal with on a day-to-day basis will vary hugely, so you will need to be prepared and able to remain calm in moments of stress and change. You will need to have excellent communication skills to be able to connect with people from all walks of life.

Knowledge of psychology and counselling is key, as well as an understanding of human physiology and anatomy to be able to create bespoke and effective treatment plans for clients. As well as this you will need a breadth of knowledge about different technologies and equipment to be able to recommend and give information to clients.

Studying the MSc Occupational Therapy degree means you will be able to develop your skills in these areas through working with real service users and get hands on experience you can take forward into your new career.

What careers can you do with an Occupational Therapy degree?

You’re more than likely going to be starting your career as an Occupational Therapist if you have undertaken the degree, but your role may vary slightly.

For example, you could choose to specialise in an area such as children’s services or working with the elderly. You also have the option to go into the education sector and work within schools, become a researcher orand continue your studies or start your own private practice.