The effectiveness of the activity and progress of the patient are carefully monitored and recorded by occupational therapists. Therapists provide adaptive equipment when needed such as wheelchairs, splints, and eating and dressing aids. They also work with rehabilitation engineers to design special equipment or develop computer-aided equipment for use in the home, at work, or in school. Therapists need to be patient, creative, and imaginative in order to gain the patients' trust and adapt activities to each person's individual needs. Areas of Specialization Therapists tend to specialize with individuals in a particular age group or with a particular disability.
Most occupational therapists work in hospitals.
They may also work in schools, mental health facilities, nursing homes, job training services, residential care facilities, and in private offices with other health practitioners. They usually work 40-hour weeks. The job can be physically demanding because the therapists often must lift patients and equipment. This increase is due to the growth in all age groups of the population. After two years on the job, staff therapists may qualify as senior therapists.