Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy (OT)  is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). OT practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. 
 
Common OT interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. OT services typically include: 

• an individualized evaluation where the patient/family and OT determine the patient’s goals and customize interventions to improve the patient’s ability to perform daily activities

• an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan

OT practitioners have a holistic perspective. Their focus is on adapting the environment and/or task to fit the patient, and the patient is an integral part of the therapy team. It is an evidence-based practice deeply rooted in science.

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has divided OT practice into the following settings:

• Academia & Research

• Home & Community Settings

• Hospitals

• Long-Term Care

• Mental & Behavior Health Settings

• Other Innovative or Emerging Settings

• Outpatient Clinics

• Schools, Early Intervention, and Community Education Settings

OT job outlook - According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of OTs is projected to grow 11% from 2023-2033, much faster than the average growth for all occupations.  The need for OTs is a result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force (retirement).  The median annual salary for an OT was $96,370 in May 2023.

OT job ranking - Occupational Therapists (OT) rank #4 in Best Health Care Jobs for 2024 and #19 in The Best Jobs in 2024, according to the U.S. News & World Report.

Find an OT Program - https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Find-School.aspx

Texas OT Schools - * Indicates Accreditation - Candidacy/Accredited

• Abilene Christian University (ACU), MSOT & OTD - Abilene

• Army Baylor, OTD - Fort Sam Houston

• Baylor, OTD - Waco

• Tarleton State University, OTD - Stephenville *

• Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC), OTD - Lubbock

• Texas Womens University (TWU), OTD - Denton, Dallas, and Houston

• University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), OTD - San Antonio *

• ​University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB), MSOT - Belton

• University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS), MOT & OTD - Austin and Dallas

• University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), OTD - El Paso *

• University of Texas Tyler, MOT - Tyler

• UTMB Health, OTD - Galveston

• UTRGV, OTD - Edinburg

• UT Health San Antonio, OTD - San Antonio

1. Check OT school websites, the OPSA pre-OT listserv, and OTS website for opportunities to visit OT schools.

2. Speak with school representatives when they are on campus for:

   • Graduate and Professional School Day in the fall

   • OPSA’s annual Health Symposium each spring

   • OTS meetings

3. Attend school webinars

4. Attend the Occupational Therapy Virtual Fair hosted by AOTA annually

What should I major in? Since OT programs do not prefer one major over another and Texas A&M doesn’t have a designated pre-OT major, students may choose from over 200 major fields of study. Most students select majors which include the prerequisites and provide an alternate career choice. We have Aggies applying to OT school who have majored in different areas of business, education, engineering, liberal arts, and more.

Prerequisites - Students must complete all required prerequisite courses prior to beginning an OT program. Some schools require all prerequisite courses be completed prior to applying, so it is important for you to review the admissions requirements on each school’s website.
 
We have a prerequisite chart on the OT handout as a guide to assist you. Prerequisites can change, so it is ultimately the applicant’s responsibility to check with each OT school on a regular basis.  Applicants must get any course exceptions approved by individual OT schools.
 
While prerequisites vary between schools, OT prerequisites usually include at least the following:

• Human Anatomy & Physiology (BIOL 319 & 320)
• Abnormal Psychology (PBSI 306)
• Statistics
• Lifespan Human Development (PBSI 225)
• Physics
• Behavioral/Social Sciences (ANTH, SOCI, PBSI)
• Medical Terminology

Most TX OT schools have additional prerequisites, so be sure to check the OT handout and OT school websites for specifics.

OT Observation Hours - A realistic understanding of OT including the diversity within the field is imperative. With the ever increasing competitiveness of getting into OT school, you want diverse shadow experiences which can lead to better articulated and dynamic personal statements as well as more opportunities for positive letters of recommendation.

Most TX OT schools require a minimum of 20-80 hours of documented volunteer, observation, or paid work experience with a licensed OT. Schools prefer applicants to have experience in more than one OT setting. Some schools have a form they require applicants fill out, so it is important for you to review each school’s website for more information.

Letters from evaluators - Schools have different requirements, so it is important to review each school’s website.  Be prepared to ask a professor and at least one OT.  You are encouraged to start building relationships with your professors and the OTs you observe. You want to stay in touch with all the OTs you observed because you may need them to officially verify the time you spent with them when it is time to apply.

Experiences - Employment, extracurricular activities, healthcare experience, internships and clinical experiences, research, teaching experience, volunteer, and leadership experience are all hours you can include on your OTCAS application. You are encouraged to keep a spreadsheet of all experiences, dates, hours worked, etc., so you do not forget important information and you can copy and paste the information when it is time for you to apply.

Were you originally interested in a different healthcare area when you came to college, and have hours in that area? Those hours will count, not as OT hours but it's something you can list on your application as healthcare experience.

Click here for more information on the different types of experiences you can include on your application.

Community Service - ​A non-medical related type of community service is recommended, (soup kitchen, Habitat). OT programs want to know that you care about your community and have leadership skills.

What is the GRE? - The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is a multiple-choice, computer based, standardized exam that is required for admission to some TX OT schools. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine which programs require it. This exam consists of 3 sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing.

Most students take this exam in the spring or early summer of the year in which they apply. The exam can be taken on weekday mornings or afternoons and your score is given to you at the conclusion. You can take the exam more than once, yet you must wait 21 days in between testing.  

When should I take it and how should I prepare? - You can start taking your first practice GRE as soon as you know you are interested in OT. Kaplan offers a free practice exam online.  Magoosh offers a free trial.  Professional School Advising makes no claims about the efficacy of prep programs, but only provides the names of known providers as a service.  After taking the practice exam, you should be able to determine whether you will take a commercial prep course (in-person or on-line), or prepare yourself. The GRE also tests endurance as it is 3 hours and 45-minute online test. If you want to start OT school immediately following graduation, then you want to take your free practice test sooner rather than later. We advise applicants to take the official GRE by the spring semester or the summer of the year you are applying to OT school. Tests can be taken through your personal computer at home or in the General Services Complex multiple times a week.

Many OT schools have minimum GRE requirements and advertise their previous admission scores to help applicants compare competitive scores. You can retake the GRE after 21 days, but when submitting your GRE scores to OT School, you usually share all attempts. 

Registration for the exam is on-line at: http://www.ets.org/gre.
 

What is a competitive score? - While each program has different requirements, earning over 150 on the verbal and quantitative sections and at least a 4 on the analytical writing portion is competitive for most TX schools that require the GRE.

Keep in mind competitive scores differ by school and application cycle.

GRE Prep Companies

• Professional School Advising makes no claims about the efficacy of various GRE prep programs, but provide the names of known providers as a service.

  • Cutts Graduate Reviews
  • Economist Education
  • Kaplan Test Prep
  • Magoosh
  • Manhattan Prep
  • Parliament Tutors
  • Powerscore
  • PrepScholar
  • Scoreperfect 
  • Study Prof
  • TEES GRE Test Prep
  • The Princeton Review

  GRE Study Tips

• Review tx.ag/opsavideos  Intro to OT and/or Interested in a Career in Rehabilitative Care videos as soon as you know you are interested in OT or to help you decide whether OT or PT are right for you.
• Meet with your OT advisor as soon as you know you are interested in OT
• Keep your overall and prerequisite GPAs up
• Remember grades from all college level institutions are factored into your overall and prerequisite GPAs in OTCAS.
  • Yes, this includes dual credit.
• Research OT programs
  • Do the schools you are interested in have a required shadow experience form? If so, be sure to print it and take it with you to your shadowing experiences.
  • Review prerequisites on OT school websites and the OPSA OT handout
  • Where is the school located?
  • What type of program do they offer (e.g. MOT, MSOT, OTD)?
  • What was the passing rate for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)?
• Speak with your professors and OTs
• Get involved in extracurricular activities (e.g. join student organizations, gain community service hours, work, etc.)
• Prepare for and take the GRE, if the programs you are interested in require it.
• Attend the office of Professional School Advising (OPSA) annual Health Symposium, Graduate and Professional School Day, etc. and speak with OT representatives
• Shadow OTs-Be sure to create your own verification form, if a program you are interested in doesn’t have a form. If they do, don’t forget to take it with you to shadowing.
• Decide who you would like to ask for letters of recommendation.
• Aggies are encouraged to:
  • Attend an OPSA application workshop the spring prior to applying or watch it by visiting tx.ag/opsavideos.
  • Bring their personal statement/essays to the Health Profession Essay Review Session held each spring/summer
  • Attend a Health Professions Interview Workshop, held each summer/early fall semester.

• Attend an OPSA application workshop the spring prior to applying or watch it by visiting tx.ag/opsavideos.
• Bring their personal statement/essays to the Health Profession Essay Review Session held each spring/summer
• Attend a Health Professions Interview Workshop, held each summer/early fall semester.