{"id":32739,"date":"2026-09-04T10:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T10:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/?page_id=32739---981d1e38-c4a3-4400-85ff-82571c7af9ed"},"modified":"2026-09-30T07:17:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T07:17:16","slug":"is-there-something-i-can-do-to-help-me-decide-if-i-want-to-invest-the-time-to-get-a-masters-in-occupational-therapy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/occupational-therapy-degrees\/is-there-something-i-can-do-to-help-me-decide-if-i-want-to-invest-the-time-to-get-a-masters-in-occupational-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Is There Something I Can Do to Help Me Decide If I Want to Invest the Time to Get a Master’s in Occupational Therapy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Going for your master\u2019s in occupational therapy, one of the highest paying master\u2019s degrees<\/a>, is a big commitment. Before you make this investment of time, money and a lot of hard work, you should be confident that a career as an occupational therapist is what you want. That can be difficult to do, especially if you haven\u2019t had the experience of working with an occupational therapist before. Some of the ways you can determine whether to move forward with earning a master\u2019s in occupational therapy are to observe professionals in this career and take the kind of undergraduate coursework that your master\u2019s program will require. On your own, you can assess whether your personality traits match the qualities an occupational therapist needs to have.<\/p>\n

Observing and Volunteering With Occupational Therapists<\/h2>\n

Perhaps the best way to decide if a career in occupational therapy \u2013 and the graduate degree needed to prepare for it \u2013 is for you is by getting a firsthand glimpse of what it\u2019s like to work in this field. You can do this through shadowing or observation hours, in which you watch an experienced occupational therapist in action. You can see not only what kind of work an occupational therapist does but also how these professionals handle clinical interactions with their patients, documentation in patients\u2019 medical charts and administrative responsibilities.<\/p>\n

When you shadow an occupational therapist, you also get the opportunity to ask questions about the career. You might, for example, ask the professional you are shadowing what they like most and least about their job, what process they had to go through to get licensed and certified and what advice they can share with you as an aspiring occupational therapist. Often, the pros and cons that established professionals bring up are points that prospective students of the field haven\u2019t even thought of yet.<\/p>\n

Some prospective occupational therapists take a slightly different route, volunteering in a capacity related to occupational therapy<\/a>. As a volunteer, you might have the opportunity for more hands-on work in direct service with the kind of patient populations that you could later work with as an occupational therapist. Of course, you won\u2019t be providing actual occupational therapy services, since you\u2019re not trained or qualified to do so. You can, however, see whether you like working with populations like kids in a children\u2019s hospital, seniors in a geriatric facility and patients attending a special needs day program.<\/p>\n

Aside from giving you insight into what it\u2019s like to work in this career, observation hours can help you get into a <\/strong>master\u2019s program in occupational therapy<\/strong>, which many programs require. Shadowing also gives you a qualified person to ask for a letter of recommendation. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Taking the Courses That Count as Prerequisites<\/h2>\n

Undergraduate programs of study for aspiring occupational therapists aren\u2019t an option, since the occupational therapy assistant baccalaureate degree (OTA-B) is intended for occupational therapy assistants. That makes it difficult to really get a feel for what your graduate school curriculum would be like. However, if you check out the prerequisites required for most master\u2019s in occupational therapy degree programs<\/a>, you will at least have an idea of what kind of academic foundation you need to build on.<\/p>\n

Generally, aspiring occupational therapists are going to want to have some prior study in anatomy and physiology, general psychology, abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, statistics and sociology. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Comparing Your Personality and Strengths to the Best Qualities for Occupational Therapists<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE SOURCE: Pixabay<\/a>, public domain<\/p>\n

Whether occupational therapy is the right career path for you isn\u2019t about whether you can or cannot succeed in the field, but rather whether it fits with your goals, strengths and values. It\u2019s a good idea to take an honest assessment of whether you have, or have an interest in and capacity for developing, those skills and qualities. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a> lists adaptability, communication abilities, compassion, interpersonal relations skills and patients as the qualities that matter most for occupational therapists.<\/p>\n

Although technical skills are important, these qualities are largely related to interacting with your patients. Do you possess the compassion and patience to help people with injuries and disabilities overcome the challenges that arise as they try to make progress, even when that progress is slow? Can you establish a positive rapport with your patients to keep them motivated and engaged? If one approach to a patient\u2019s treatment doesn\u2019t work, are you flexible and agile enough to come up with different, sometimes creative measures to achieve a similar outcome? Not everyone has these skills, and that\u2019s okay \u2013 but if you don\u2019t enjoy working closely with people or you find that patience isn\u2019t one of your strong suits, a different career path could be a better fit for you.<\/p>\n

Other important skills for occupational therapists, according to O*NET, are the capacity for monitoring the performance of yourself and others, critical thinking about solutions to problems and service orientation, or an interest in helping others. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Additional Resources <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Where I Am Most Likely to Find a Job as an Occupational Therapist? A Hospital? A University?<\/a><\/p>\n

Why Is There So Much Future Demand for Occupational Therapists?<\/a><\/p>\n

What Is a Typical Admissions Process When Applying for a Master’s in Occupational Therapy?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Going for your master\u2019s in occupational therapy, one of the highest paying master\u2019s degrees, is a big commitment. 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