Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is a healthcare branch that treats patients with sensory, physical, mental and cognitive ailments hindering the ability to perform day-to-day activities. An Occupational Therapist is a professional responsible for using therapeutic techniques that rehabilitate and maintain the capacity of the patients to perform daily chores. An Occupational Therapy course can be studied after 10+2 and may require six months to 10 years of study. 

Students can complete a certificate, diploma, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy. Some of the popular entrance exams for Occupational Therapy courses are KMCHCOTEE, CMCVEE and AIIMPREE. The course can be done in both offline and online modes, however, students must remember that only certificate and diploma courses may be offered online. 

An Occupational Therapy course is best suited for those who wish to focus on treating the patient holistically rather than addressing a particular disease or ailment. They teach patients to be independent and use tools for the improvement of their quality of life. The top universities to pursue Occupational Therapy in India are KMCH College of Occupational Therapy, Jaipur Occupational Therapy College and Hospital, Bihar College of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy and All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The course fee ranges from INR 5,000 to INR 1,00,000.

For easy reference for students, the key highlights of an Occupational Therapy course have been mentioned below:

A career in Occupational Therapy has its own benefits. Often the duties pertaining to jobs in the sector are challenging and rewarding. That said, the job is primarily client-centric and therapists get enriched by helping them directly. Briefly, the benefits of Occupational Therapy are:

It is a financially sound career with plenty of job opportunities. There is high demand for these professionals in a densely populated country like India.

Occupational therapists can choose to work part-time or full-time which provides flexibility and can thus enable work-life balance.

There are numerous specialities in which occupational therapists can work such as geriatrics, orthopaedics, psychiatry, hand therapy and vision therapy. They also get to work with various age groups and therefore always have the scope to expand their knowledge.

Working as an occupational therapist is an enriching experience when they see patients making progress and benefitting from the therapy. In case one works with a patient for an extended period of time, there is a possibility that they get emotionally attached to their journey.

There is job satisfaction due to positive interactions with patients and other healthcare professionals. Helping patients rebuild their life provides immense joy and happiness.

Occupational therapists mainly work to improve their skills or work around their loss of skills in different job settings. The main purpose of the courses is to create professionals who better the mental or physical health conditions of patients. The different types of Occupational therapy courses are:

Certificate Occupational Therapy Courses

Certificate Occupational Therapy courses are available to students in both online and offline modes. A certificate course lasts for six to 12 months, which makes it best suited for those who wish to get a degree without much hassle.

The course deals with the basics of human anatomy and physiology, helping clients to build self-esteem and confidence, developmental disorders and career options. One can start with a certificate course and can move on to a diploma or other degrees to enhance their knowledge and skills.

Diploma Occupational Therapy Courses

Diploma in Occupational Therapy is a course of two to three years. It provides students with knowledge of the problems faced on a day-to-day basis. Also, subjects such as physiology, anatomy, psychology and related areas are taught. Students can advance to a postgraduate diploma or PG Diploma after completing undergraduate diploma courses.

Bachelors in Occupational Therapy

A bachelor's in Occupational Therapy course is of three to four years including six months of internship. The course deeply studies biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, surgery and others. The course focuses on adapting the environment according to the needs of the patient and helping them survive in daily activities without relying on someone.

Masters in Occupational Therapy

Masters in Occupational Therapy is a two-year course. Those with a bachelor’s degree in the subject or related fields can study a master’s course in Occupational Therapy. Students also have to undergo a period of internship in hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. 

Individuals get advanced knowledge of skills and attribute to work with clients of all ages who have challenges to address. They get the expertise to learn more about the complexity of clients' needs and how to adapt to them.

Doctorate in Occupational Therapy

The duration of a doctorate in Occupational Therapy course is usually two to four years. The programme provides research opportunities, internships and programmes that help one be the best in the field. It typically includes 24 weeks of fieldwork, apart from which, students have to work on a dissertation topic.

Diploma and certificate courses do not require students to appear for entrance exams. However, one has to sit for an entrance test if they want to study a bachelor’s or master’s course in Occupational Therapy. One must note that not all universities require students to take admission tests. Here are the various entrance tests applicants might have to take:

It is necessary to know the eligibility criteria for Occupational Therapy before applying for a course. The eligibility for different course levels is:

Students opting for a course in operational therapy must be aware of the admission process required for the course. Admission to the courses requires students to meet the eligibility criteria as well as the cut-off of the particular college. The common steps for admission to Occupational Therapy courses are given below:

• For diploma and certificate programmes, the entrance exam is not mandatory. However, students must meet the score requirement of universities or course providers.

• For bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes in Occupational Therapy, there can be an entrance test or admission can be purely based on merit.

• Candidates must first shortlist the colleges and universities they wish to apply to.

• Then, students must fill out the application forms as soon as they are out.

• They also need to submit supporting documents such as identity proof, mark sheets and other certificates.

• After that it is necessary to pay the application fees.

• Then they will have to appear for an entrance test or personal interview which solely depends on the university one is applying to. Or, they may be selected directly based on the marks of their previous education.

• Once selected, they can start the admission process by paying admission and related fees for the course.

Students can select their preferred government or private institutions in India to study various Occupational Therapy courses. The choice of the university can be influenced by various factors such as distance, ranking, cost and etc. Here is a comprehensive list of some of the top occupational therapy colleges in India:

Students who wish to study Occupational Therapy abroad will benefit from in-depth studies in areas of disability, rehabilitation and sensory processing from a global perspective. The universities offering Occupational Therapy courses abroad are:

The fees for Occupational Therapy for various courses in Indian colleges are given below:

The syllabus of Occupational Therapy may differ as per level and institutions. The common subjects taught under the course are given below:

The course curriculum of a few topics of the syllabus is provided in detail below:

Students can find numerous opportunities after completing a degree in Occupational Therapy. The top recruiters are governmental hospitals, private hospitals, NGOs and rehabilitation centres. The various job profiles to work and their average salary sale in India are:

Occupational therapists earn a good remuneration in exchange for the care they provide to patients. In addition, the average salary earned increases with experience. Here is a list of salaries according to the degree:

An individual pursuing job roles related to Occupational Therapy must have a combination of various hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills include knowledge of the subject while soft skills are those related to dealing empathetically with patients. The following qualities help to become a good Occupational Therapist:

• An in-depth knowledge of the tools and techniques used in Occupational Therapy.

• Must have active learning skills. The field is dynamic and new study comes up now and then.

• Must be caring and patient to deal with clients.

• Must be enthusiastic and motivated.

• Should be able to take quick decisions.

• Should be a good communicator.