If you aspire to make a difference in other people’s lives, a strong set of occupational therapist skills will make or break your career success in the field.

However, these capabilities also form the basis for your career satisfaction as potential occupational therapy practitioners.¹ With a strong grasp of the skills needed to be an occupational therapist, you can facilitate the best patient outcomes—results that will serve as a continual reminder of why you chose a “helping” career.

But what are the skills required for occupational therapist success, exactly? That’s the topic of this guide. Below, we’re breaking down eighteen must-have skills for aspiring and current occupational therapists and touching on how to develop these through advanced occupational therapy education.

MOT Degree

Interpersonal and Communication Skills 

The most important skills for an occupational therapist are related to communication:

1. Empathy and compassion – To support your patients successfully, OTs need to put themselves in their shoes and understand their psychological, emotional, and functional needs.
2. Active listening – Effective listening is a crucial part of a good occupational therapist’s interpersonal skills when it comes to understanding patient concerns and trust-building. Asking follow-up questions and affirming that you’re hearing the patient are just two active listening strategies to incorporate.
3. Clear communication skills – As an OT, you’ll need to explain complex information to patients in a simple, easily understood way. You’ll also have to brief patients’ other caregivers (including their relatives) and engage with other members of their healthcare team.

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking 

Other occupation therapist skills required for unlocking a successful career are related to critical thinking and problem-solving. These skills will help you find creative, effective solutions to patient issues during your sessions.

Some of these cognitive skills include:

1. Assessment and diagnosis – OTs must use their critical thinking skills to draw conclusions about patients’ needs and abilities. Assessment and diagnostic skills also help OTs develop personalized treatment plans.
2. Adaptability – Depending on how patients (or their caregivers) respond to a treatment plan, you may have to be flexible. This might mean adjusting processes or treatment approaches as patients progress or change.
3. Decision-making – OTs often must make professional judgments and decisions confidently and quickly—and in challenging scenarios. Thinking on your feet is a must-have capability for OTs.

Technical and Clinical Skills 

What about technical and clinical skills? A successful occupational therapist needs:

1. Knowledge of the human body – Expertise in human anatomy and physiology forms the foundation of all of OTs’ therapeutic activities. It's important to note that there’s a difference between an occupational therapist and physical therapist as their approaches and patient goals differ. As aspiring healthcare professionals, you must have a general understanding as to how the body works to help patients improve their functioning
2. Proficiency in therapeutic techniques – From physical exercises to assistive devices, OTs need to know the ins and outs of the techniques that drive positive results for patients—approaches they can use to help patients progress.
3. Comfort with technology – As an OT, you’ll need to navigate software, adaptive devices, and other healthcare technologies. These are only becoming more important for patient success in the modern OT space.

Organizational and Time Management Skills 

Organization and time management are critical occupational therapy skills, but what do these look like in real time?

1. Case management – OTs manage multiple patient cases at a time—which means they need to be able to prioritize tasks and carefully organize their treatment materials and patient files.
2. Documentation and reporting – Speaking of patient files, accurate and timely documentation is a must for OTs and their patients. A focus on thorough, quick documentation will help OTs meet regulatory and insurance requirements.
3. Balancing workload – Managing multiple cases while ensuring that each patient gets the attention and support they need can be a difficult balancing act—one that OTs must perform every day to promote patient progress.

Emotional Resilience and Patience 

In any “helping” career, experts need to maintain emotional sticktoitiveness and be patient with their charges—and themselves. That looks like:

1. Managing challenging cases – When a patient seeks the help of an OT, they’re struggling to meet their everyday needs.² There are many reasons why patients may reach this place (long-term or severe disabilities, for instance), and these can be difficult to navigate. OTs have to contribute their expertise to find solutions, even in the most challenging situations.
2. Self-care and stress management – Professionals in “helping” careers are at an increased risk for burnout, compassion fatigue, and other mental health challenges.³ OTs need to be able to recognize the need for self-care and enact their own personal mental health care plans as needed.
3. Building long-term relationships – Ideally, you’ll form relationships with patients that will help them progress over time. To do this, you’ll need to be patient with the people you’re treating—show them kindness, compassion, and a willingness to help every step of the way.

Leadership and Advocacy 

In addition, occupational therapists need to harness some leadership and advocacy skills to promote positive patient outcomes:

1. Collaborative skills – OTs play a role in multidisciplinary healthcare teams; they must work together with other professionals to provide patient-centered care. This versatility shows the diverse settings where occupational therapists can work, from hospitals to community health centers.
2. Patient advocacy – The ability to promote patients’ best interests, rights, and needs is a must for OTs—both in the healthcare space and in broader contexts.
3. Professional development – Since technologies, care approaches, and clinical data are always developing and advancing, OTs must commit to professional growth, especially if they want to pursue leadership roles.

Developing These Skills Through Advanced Education 

How can OTs—current and prospective—develop the skills above to bolster their career foundations? Understanding how to become an occupational therapist through advanced education is a crucial step. Consider an advanced education program, like the Master’s in Occupational Therapy degree at Alliant International University.

Our occupational therapy program curriculum focuses on both:

• Hands-on learning – Both in the classroom and in the field, we equip students with the hard and soft skills they need to support patients,
• Real-world experience – Our curriculum transcends the classroom environment and the lab—we connect students with clinical placement where they can develop their skills with support from working professionals.

When it comes to developing occupational therapist skills for success, our program is leading the charge.

Start Your Journey to Becoming a Skilled Occupational Therapist 

The skills above form the basis of any qualified occupational therapy professional—they’re must-have items in the OT’s toolkit.

Apply today to start your advanced OT education with skilled professionals.

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Sources: 

1. “Occupational Therapy Student Stories.” American Occupational Therapy Association. https://www.aota.org/career/become-an-ot-ota/start-your-career-journey/…. Accessed August 29, 2024.
2. “What Is Occupational Therapy?.” American Occupational Therapy Association. https://www.aota.org/about/what-is-ot. Accessed August 29, 2024.
3. Josephine Ferraro. “Helping the Helpers to Overcome Compassion Fatigue and Burnout.” Therapy Aid Coalition. May 13, 2020. https://www.therapyaid.org/blog/helping-the-helpers-to-overcome-compass…. Accessed August 29, 2024.