What to Look for When Choosing an Occupational Therapy School

The rise in the popularity of occupational therapy as a career has led to the increase in the number of occupational therapy schools around. It is expected that the demand for occupational therapists will grow significantly through 2018. This is the reason why more and more people are looking into studying OT to take advantage of the demand for therapists. But before you choose an occupational therapy school, there are some important factors that you need to keep in mind.

The first thing you would want to know is whether the school you are considering has an accreditation. Before qualifying for a national certification exam, you are required to complete an Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education program or ACOTE. And so, you have to make sure that the occupational therapist school you choose is carrying an ACOTE accreditation as OT schools without it is not considered reputable at all.

You should also know that occupational therapists schools may offer bachelors-masters program or standalone masters programs. The type of program you may choose will depend on what your goal is. So knowing the kind of degree that you need will help a lot in narrowing down your options for schools that offer degree programs in occupational therapy.

Considering the kind of instruction and training that OT students need, there are currently no occupational therapists school that offers exclusively online programs. You may find schools for occupational therapists offering online courses just as a part of the entire program. With that being said, you would also need to take into consideration the location of the OT school you will choose.

If you are currently employed and you find it a huge challenge to have time to go to school, you have to look for an OT school that offers weekend or part time programs. This setup will be very helpful especially for those who cannot afford to quit their jobs in order to attend college. Not all occupational therapists schools have these kinds of programs, so this should be an important factor to consider in choosing a school.

In choosing among various OT schools out there, another important aspect to think of is the practical training or education that you can receive. Also, you need to look for more opportunities for internship and job placements. Therefore, you should take a look at the duration of the hands on training a certain 

OT program offers. Verify also the affiliations of the OT school as you would want to have a background in training in a reputable institution.

Finally, you would want to choose an occupation therapy school that offers some sort of student financial assistance. This is vital especially if you have a family to support while you are completing your degree program. With the number of OT schools these days, you will find no trouble in looking for a great one. It is just a matter of you knowing what to look for in an outstanding occupational therapy school.

If it turns out occupational therapy looks like a professional career you could be interested in you can easily look up a occupational therapy school right at this moment simply by hitting the featured web page link to our absolutely free online Occupational Therapy School Guide.