Occupational Therapist Salary

Medicine is one of those sectors in which billions of dollars are invested to ensure your wellness. Today, we have an easy and comfortable lifestyle as compared to the past, but then at the same time, we still have to face health problems; some of which are related to our lifestyle in addition to those, age-old problems. And everyone wants to live to the best, and is ready to shell out a decent amount of money for it. Needless to say, the healthcare industry is booming, and there is increasing demand for healthcare workers. What we shall look upon is one of the part of the healthcare industry, i.e., occupational health, and also discuss occupational therapist salary.

If you are thinking of making a career in the healthcare industry then being an occupational therapist can be a rewarding career option. With the increasing market demand for occupational therapists, one can find a variety of jobs in this domain.

Occupational Therapists

The occupational therapists (OTs) are specialists who have been trained in occupational therapy. Most of their clients are mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabled. These practitioners help their clients perform tasks effortlessly by focusing on individual needs. They find a way to circumvent their client's disability, then they help them to overcome it by training them to do various tasks in order to make them independent. They help them to perform their daily tasks, be it at home or at their work place. The goal of these therapists is to let their patient acquire the sense of independence and satisfaction with their lives. It appears to be a severely challenging job as you make yourself available as the only support for your patients.

Occupational therapists help them to perform tasks like cooking, dressing, operating a computer, also helps them to do physical exercises which help to increase their strength and endurance. They work on one-on-one basis with their patients, providing them with mental as well as physical support. Since they are required to give the much needed support, it becomes important for occupational therapists to be physically emotionally and mentally fit.

Occupational Therapist Salary

The work of an occupational therapist involves working in a number of settings like hospitals, clinics, healthcare centers, etc. Hence, it can be calculated that their average salary depends upon the location and the setting they work in. There are still additional factors which determines, to some extent, the salary of an occupational therapist. Some of these are state or city of employment, the training or the education the therapist has taken, relevant experience and specialization.

Based on Hourly Rates
If we go through occupational therapist salary survey based on hourly rates they are paid, then according to national statistic, it is between $24.30-$46. These individuals may also get overtime pay between $22.69-$64. A top-notch, self-employed professional in this field can get between $5.14-$147.95 per hour. Schools are also good employers and pay hourly salary between $21.33-$51.61. On hourly basis, an occupational therapist can get between $45,621-$90,499 per year.

Based on Experience
An occupational therapist with less than one year of experience can expect salary in range of $43,505-$68,686. Those with one to four years of experience may earn between $40,622-$71,676. Therapists with an experience of five to nine years may earn in salary range of $41,022-$76,020. Most preferred occupational therapists are those with an experience of ten to nineteen years. These individuals are paid in range of $40,658-$94,944. Those with 20+ years of experience can expect in range of $45,000-$86,476.

Based on City
New York (New York) is the gold mine for the occupational therapists. This city pays in the salary range of $21,000-$80,000. Second best employer (city-wise) which offers salary in range of $55,955-$78,611, is Houston (Texas). Next in line are Los Angeles (California) and Chicago (Illinois) and offer salary in ranges of $56,000-$75,000 and $39,641-$66,910, respectively. City of Spokane (Washington) offers between $51,227-$60,497 and St. Louis (Missouri) pays between $41,116-$58,958.

Based on Certifications
Right from the chance to work in the city you prefer most or getting selected at the facility you always coveted to join, depends to some extent, on the certification you carry. An occupational therapist (registered) may earn between $43,000-$90,000. Licensed occupational therapists can earn in range of $54,349-$79,400. You can also choose certifications in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Basic Life Support or may like to become an Assistive Technology Professional or Certified Hand Therapist to improve your prospects.

Based on Industry and Employer
Apart from the hard-core healthcare (up to $75,165) or home healthcare industry (up to $100,672), there are also other industries who employ either full-time or part-time occupational therapists. Some of these are K-12 schools (up to $71,006), child/adult day care services, companies (up to $86,718), pediatrics (up to $75,167), rehabilitation (up to $74,218), etc. Also, there are a number of occupational therapists who get picked up by the government (up to $94,500) and military. Depending upon the field, the occupational therapist annual salary varies.

In addition to the fruitful salary for occupational therapists, they are also entitled to many other perks and benefits. Some of the benefits they are entitled to are pension, insurance, healthcare, education reimbursement, bonus, paid holiday, etc. Considering all of this, the total occupational therapist salary a professional with experience and certifications can earn, easily shoots up to $100,000. Please bear in mind that the figures mentioned over here are just approximate figures and the actual salary may differ depending upon various factors.