Occupational therapy is one of the fastest growing professions in the healthcare industry. Occupational therapists help patients improve their health and quality of life by helping them to regain or improve the ability to perform daily activities. Working as an occupational therapist is a rewarding and fulfilling career, but one of the questions that many people have is what kind of salary can they expect to make? In this blog post, we will explore how salaries for occupational therapists are determined and what factors can impact how much an occupational therapist earns. We will also discuss factors to consider when negotiating a salary for an occupational therapist position. This blog post will help occupational therapists and those considering a career in the field to understand the salary landscape for occupational therapists.
Average salary for occupational therapists
Occupational and physical therapists have many similarities. The same advice applies to both professions when it comes to raising your salary. How to earn more money as an occupational or physical therapist is provided below:
Improve your skills
Employers prefer to hire and compensate individuals with a high level of expertise in their industry. By providing improved care for patients with developmental disabilities, home health care, early intervention techniques, cerebral palsy, autism, or limb loss, occupational therapists can hone their skills.
Physical therapists can also advance their knowledge of autism, home healthcare, early intervention, and developmental disabilities. Physical therapists may increase their understanding of medical conditions like strokes and their abilities to treat patients who have mobility problems as a result of chronic conditions like diabetes or obesity.
Earn advanced certification
Physical and occupational therapists with specialized knowledge in their field may receive a higher salary from employers. Additionally, certifications can lead to more senior positions, such as management and leadership roles, which typically pay higher salaries.
Specialty and subspecialty certifications for occupational therapists include:
Subspecialty areas include:
Consider where you work
Change your workplace as one possible way to earn more money. Depending on the patient load, required expertise, and level of care, different types of facilities may pay more or less, according to BLS data gathered in 2020.
National average salaries for particular facilities included:
National average salaries for particular facilities included:
Move to a higher-paying area
Along with switching employers, you might think about relocating to a region with higher wages, such as a major city, where there may be a high demand for your profession. Remember that the cost of living is higher in urban areas, so you should account for this when calculating your budget.
According to BLS, the top-paying metropolitan areas include:
According to BLS, the top-paying metropolitan areas include:
Higher salary jobs
Although the occupations of occupational and physical therapists pay well, you might also look into related fields to earn more money. To view Indeed’s most recent salary data, select the link next to each job title below:
Speech-language pathologists’ main responsibilities are to identify and treat patients with language and speech disorders. Based on their patients’ individual needs, they screen patients and develop treatment plans.
Primary responsibilities: Senior physical therapists also have leadership duties in addition to their regular physical therapy duties. They assess patients, assist with treatment plans, and manage other physical therapists, assistants, and aides.
A medical device sales representative’s main responsibilities are to pitch and sell their products to healthcare providers. They produce device brochures, manage a sales territory, create presentations, respond to inquiries about the medical devices they’re selling, and instruct medical professionals about the use and advantages of purchasing the equipment or device for their facility.
A wellness manager’s main responsibilities include developing wellness programs for organizations, corporations, and nonprofits. They encourage others to participate in wellness programs, bargain insurance discounts for people who meet certain wellness standards, and draft company policy with a focus on employee wellness.
A recruiter’s main responsibilities are to locate qualified applicants to fill open positions. They look for candidates in the occupational and physical therapy fields who they believe might be suitable for a particular position opening in a hospital, clinic, or private practice. The recruiter contacts prospective candidates to extend an invitation to apply for a position, and then conducts interviews with candidates to ascertain whether they are a good fit. Additionally, many recruiters are authorized to make job offers to applicants and negotiate terms of employment, including pay, benefits, and scheduling
A director of rehabilitation oversees the daily operations of a rehab facility or department as one of their main responsibilities. In order to ensure that staff members can provide patients with high-quality therapy, rehabilitation department directors typically evaluate staff performance, monitor productivity, and coordinate services with other rehabilitation departments or medical facilities when patients require specialized care. Additionally, a director of rehabilitation may handle business-related duties like keeping records and creating budgets.
Primary responsibilities: Physician assistants, who are also referred to as physician associates, diagnose patients’ illnesses and underlying conditions and create a customized treatment plan for them. Physician assistants provide medical examinations, record patients’ medical histories, write prescriptions, and assist the hospital’s surgical staff while working under a licensed physician.
Occupational Therapist Salary (2019) – Occupational Therapist Jobs
FAQ
What is the highest paying field in occupational therapy?
- Nursing care facilities: $92,260 per year.
- Home healthcare services: $91,830 per year.
- Hospitals: $86,910 per year.
- Offices: $86,830 per year.
- Elementary and secondary schools: $76,560 per year.
What is a occupational therapist salary?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the typical annual wage for occupational therapists is around $87,480. But depending on your location of employment, salaries in this field can vary. Child day care services pay the highest wage for OTs at $106,070.
Can occupational therapists be rich?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the typical annual wage for occupational therapists is around $87,480. But depending on your location of employment, salaries in this field can vary. Child day care services pay the highest wage for OTs at $106,070.
