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Occupational therapists help people overcome difficulties caused by physical or mental illness, disability, accidents or ageing.
You could work: 9am to 5pm;
There will be
3.8% more Occupational therapist jobs in 2027.
In your local area
In this role, you could:
You may need to wear a uniform.
You could work at a client's home, in an NHS or private hospital, at a client's business, at a GP practice or at an adult care home.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a degree in occupational therapy, approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.
Courses combine practical placements with academic study.
You may be able to do a postgraduate conversion course if you've got a degree in a related subject like:biological science; health science; psychology
You'll usually need:
You can do an occupational therapist degree apprenticeship.
This typically takes 4 years to complete and is a combination of workplace learning and academic study with an approved university.
You'll usually need:
You could start as an occupational therapy support worker. With backing from your employer, you could study for a degree part-time to qualify as an occupational therapist.
You'll find it helpful to get some paid or voluntary experience in care or healthcare work before you apply for training.
You could contact the voluntary services co-ordinator at your local NHS trust for further advice.
You'll need to:
When applying for courses and jobs, you'll be expected to have an understanding of how NHS values apply in your work.
You can find out more about careers and training in occupational therapy from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and Health Careers.
You could specialise, for example in elderly care or services for children.
You could also go into private practice, education or research.
With experience and further training you could move on to more senior and management roles within the NHS.
There are also opportunities for occupational therapists to work overseas.