Occupational therapy (OT) is a health profession that helps people participate more fully in the activities that make up everyday life. Occupational therapists work with people of all ages to develop, maintain, or regain the skills they need to function independently, participate in their communities, and improve their quality of life.
In occupational therapy, “occupation” doesn’t refer only to a job. It encompasses the meaningful things people need or want to do, from dressing, cooking, and caring for family to attending school, working, socializing, playing, pursuing hobbies, and participating in the community. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) identifies occupations as “activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, health management, rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation.”
As The Chicago School expands its approach to integrated healthcare into the field of occupational therapy, prospective students have a new opportunity to prepare for a profession centered on helping people live fuller, more independent lives.
What Does an Occupational Therapist Do?
Occupational therapists help people overcome barriers that make everyday activities difficult. Those barriers might result from an injury, illness, disability, developmental condition, mental health concern, cognitive change, environment, or other circumstances affecting a person’s ability to participate in daily life.
OT begins by understanding the individual: What activities matter to this person? What can they currently do? What is getting in the way? An occupational therapist can then develop an individualized intervention that addresses those challenges and helps the person work toward meaningful goals.
The work can take many forms. An OT might help someone recovering from a stroke relearn how to dress independently, help a child develop skills needed to participate at school, recommend adaptations that allow an older adult to remain safely at home, or help someone experiencing cognitive or mental health challenges establish routines that make daily life more manageable.
This focus on meaningful activity distinguishes occupational therapy. Rather than considering a diagnosis or physical limitation in isolation, OT examines how the person, their environment, their abilities, and the activities they want to perform interact. This whole-person perspective closely aligns with The Chicago School’s approach to preparing healthcare professionals.
Who Do Occupational Therapists Work With?
Occupational therapy spans the lifespan. OTs may work with infants and children, adolescents, working-age adults, older adults, families, groups, and communities.
Their work can address physical, cognitive, psychological, social, and environmental factors affecting participation. That gives occupational therapy a broad scope encompassing areas such as physical rehabilitation, pediatrics, aging, mental and behavioral health, chronic-condition management, health promotion, prevention, and community wellness.
An OT’s goal therefore isn’t always to “restore” a lost ability. Depending on the person and situation, occupational therapy might develop a new skill, modify an activity, adapt an environment, introduce an assistive tool, establish a healthier routine, or find another way for the person to participate successfully.
Where Do Occupational Therapists Work?
Because occupations happen everywhere, occupational therapists work in a wide variety of settings. These include hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, schools, early intervention programs, mental and community health organizations, home healthcare, and private practice.
OTs can also contribute beyond traditional clinical environments. AOTA notes that occupational therapy expertise can be applied in areas including health information technology, human-centered design, community health, health promotion, education, and community mobility.
How Is Technology Changing Occupational Therapy?
Technology is expanding the ways occupational therapists can help people participate in everyday life. Assistive and adaptive technologies have long been part of OT practice, while today’s practitioners may also work with telehealth, digital health tools, wearable technologies, virtual environments, and other emerging healthcare technologies. AOTA recognizes both assistive technology and telehealth within contemporary OT practice, including the use of technology to improve access to care and support function in a person’s actual environment.
The Chicago School makes human-centered technology and digital health a defining component of its approach, preparing students to work with assistive and adaptive technologies, telehealth and remote service delivery, digital health solutions, and emerging healthcare technologies. For students entering this new program, that means preparing for occupational therapy as it is evolving, not simply as it has traditionally been practiced.
Central to that approach is the idea that technology should serve the person, not the other way around. Students learn to evaluate new tools in relation to each client’s individual needs and goals and consider how technology can improve access, participation, inclusion, independence, and quality of life. In a healthcare environment increasingly shaped by digital tools and new models of service delivery, The Chicago School aims to prepare occupational therapists not simply to use emerging technologies, but to determine when and how those technologies can meaningfully improve people’s lives.
What Are Occupational Justice and Health Equity?
A person’s ability to participate in everyday life isn’t determined solely by physical or mental ability. Social, cultural, environmental, economic, institutional, and systemic factors can also create barriers to meaningful occupations.
This is where occupational justice intersects with health equity. Occupational justice is concerned with people’s opportunities to participate in the meaningful activities of life. An occupational therapist might therefore consider not only what an individual can do, but whether their environment and circumstances provide a realistic opportunity to do it.
The Chicago School makes this broader perspective a significant part of its approach. Equity, inclusion, and occupational justice are a focus, with attention to social determinants of health, cultural humility, and advocacy for underserved populations. Students will learn to recognize barriers to participation and consider the physical, psychological, social, cultural, environmental, and systemic factors affecting the people they serve. The goal is to prepare occupational therapists who can provide culturally responsive, whole-person care while also helping advance health equity for individuals and communities.
How Does Occupational Therapy Fit Into Integrated Healthcare?
Occupational therapists frequently work alongside other healthcare professionals rather than in isolation. Depending on the setting and a person’s needs, an OT may collaborate with physicians, nurses, physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, speech-language pathologists, educators, and other professionals.
Within an integrated healthcare team, occupational therapy contributes a distinctive perspective: how health conditions and other factors affect a person’s ability to function and participate in everyday life. Interprofessional collaboration can connect that perspective with other forms of expertise to address the whole person rather than treating individual needs separately. The Chicago School’s approach to occupational therapy education builds on this integrated model, preparing students to collaborate across healthcare disciplines and contribute OT expertise as part of a broader care team.
Is Occupational Therapy a Good Career for You?
Occupational therapy may appeal to people who are interested in healthcare but also drawn to problem-solving, creativity, human behavior, and close interaction with others.
Because OT is highly individualized, practitioners need to understand what matters to different people and find practical ways to help them achieve their goals. The profession can be particularly suited to people who value whole-person care and want to combine scientific and clinical knowledge with adaptable, human-centered solutions.
The career outlook is also strong. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of occupational therapists to grow 14% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.
How Do You Become an Occupational Therapist?
Becoming an occupational therapist requires graduate-level professional education and clinical training. In the United States, candidates seeking the Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR) credential must graduate from an entry-level occupational therapy program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) to be eligible for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification examination.
After passing the NBCOT examination, occupational therapists must meet the licensure requirements of the state or jurisdiction in which they intend to practice. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, so prospective occupational therapists should understand the education, certification, and licensing requirements associated with where they plan to work.
Explore Occupational Therapy at The Chicago School
For students considering a career in occupational therapy, a new opportunity is taking shape at The Chicago School. Its new Doctor of Occupational Therapy program will bring together the themes explored throughout this article, including whole-person care, emerging technology, health equity, and collaboration across an integrated healthcare environment.
The program’s first cohort is planned for fall 2027, giving prospective students the opportunity to be part of its inaugural class. Complete the brief form below to request more information about the program, important dates, and how to apply.