Guidance to family members and attendants in safe and effective methods of caring for individuals. Occupational therapy practitioners are skilled professionals whose education includes the study of human growth and development with specific emphasis on the social, emotional, and physiological effects of illness and injury. The occupational therapist enters the field with a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree. The occupational therapy assistant generally earns an associate's degree. Practitioners must complete supervised clinical internships in a variety of health care settings, and pass a national examination.
Most states also regulate occupational therapy practice.
OT practitioners must also complete a supervised fieldwork program and pass a national certification exam. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, an Puerto Rico regulate the practice of occupational therapy. Many of these jurisdictions mandate periodic continuing education requirements. AOTA also has accredited the nation's OT educational programs since 1935. In addition to dealing with an individual's physical well-being, occupational therapy practitioners address psychological, social, and environmental factors that may impede independent functioning in all aspects of life.