Occupational Therapist Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
An occupational therapist job description has to do two things at once: state a licensed clinical role precisely enough for credentialing, and convince an OT who already has a job that yours is worth a phone call. Occupational therapists evaluate patients, set the plan of care and treat the skills people need for daily life, work and school. This page has an occupational therapist job description template you can copy, the licensure to state, what to drop from the requirements, and what the role pays.
What an occupational therapist does
O*NET defines the job as assessing, planning and organizing rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking and daily living skills, and general independence, for people with disabilities or developmental delays. In plain terms: the OT works out why someone cannot dress, cook, write, return to work or get through a school day, and then changes the skill, the task or the environment until they can.
The distinction that matters for your posting is between the occupational therapist and the assistant. The OT evaluates, sets goals and writes the plan of care; the occupational therapy assistant delivers much of the treatment within that plan under the OT’s supervision. If you are hiring for both, write two postings.
Occupational therapist duties
- Test and evaluate patients’ physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to set realistic rehabilitation goals
- Plan, organize and conduct occupational therapy programs in hospital, institutional or community settings
- Select activities that help patients learn work and life-management skills within their capabilities
- Evaluate progress and prepare reports; complete and maintain the clinical record
- Train caregivers to meet the patient’s needs during and after therapy
- Recommend adaptive equipment and changes to the patient’s home or work environment
- Design, create or requisition splints, braces and adaptive equipment
- Consult with the rehabilitation team to coordinate OT with other therapies
- Supervise occupational therapy assistants and aides, and train students and staff in therapy techniques
O*NET’s work context data shows a close-contact, team-based job with a lot of independent judgment:
| Working conditions | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| Face-to-face discussions | 91% every day |
| Indoors, environmentally controlled | 91% every day |
| Constant contact with others | 82% |
| 77% every day | |
| Physical proximity, near touching | 68% |
| Exposed to disease or infections | 59% every day |
O*NET also reports that 59 percent say they have a lot of freedom to set their own tasks, priorities and goals. Say how caseloads are set.
Licensure and certification
These are the lines every OT reads first. State them exactly.
- Education. BLS lists a master’s degree as the typical entry-level education. O*NET reports that 86 percent of occupational therapists surveyed said a master’s degree is required and 14 percent a bachelor’s, which reflects therapists who qualified before the entry-level degree moved up. Entry-level programs today award a master’s or a doctorate; do not require the doctorate.
- National exam. According to NBCOT, candidates for the OTR exam must graduate with an entry-level occupational therapy degree from an ACOTE-accredited OT program. Therapists educated outside the United States go through NBCOT’s Occupational Therapist Eligibility Determination (OTED) process first.
- Keeping the credential. NBCOT certification renewal runs on a three-year cycle and requires 36 professional development units. Decide whether you require active NBCOT status or only the state license, and say which.
- State license. States regulate occupational therapy practice through their OT licensing boards. Name the state license you require, say whether you hire people who are license-eligible, and check your board for current rules on temporary permits and supervision of OTAs.
Occupational therapist job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields, and delete what does not apply. It is written for a hospital or skilled nursing and rehab setting; the customization section covers outpatient, schools, pediatrics and home health.
Job title
Occupational Therapist (OTR/L), [Full-time / Part-time / PRN], [Facility name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Facility name] is hiring an occupational therapist for our [setting, e.g. inpatient rehab unit / skilled nursing and short-term rehab / outpatient clinic] in [city]. You will evaluate patients, set goals with them and their families, and lead treatment that gets them back to dressing, bathing, cooking, working and living as independently as possible. You will work with [number] OTs, [number] COTAs and a rehab team that includes PT and speech.
[Schedule, e.g. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., one weekend in four]. [Pay range]. [Caseload or productivity expectation, as a number]. [One sentence on what is good about working here.]
What you will do
• Evaluate patients’ physical, cognitive and functional abilities and write the occupational therapy plan of care
• Treat patients individually and in groups: daily living skills, upper extremity function, cognition and safety
• Recommend and train patients and families on adaptive equipment and home modifications
• Supervise and co-treat with certified occupational therapy assistants [and rehab technicians] within [state] rules
• Document evaluations, daily notes, progress reports and discharge summaries in [EHR system] within [timeframe]
• Take part in care conferences and discharge planning with nursing, case management and PT
• [Fabricate splints / run the lymphedema program / supervise fieldwork students]
What you need
• Master’s or doctoral degree from an ACOTE-accredited occupational therapy program
• Current [state] occupational therapist license, or eligible for one before start
• NBCOT certification [active, or eligible to sit the exam if your state allows a temporary permit]
• [CPR / BLS certification]
• Able to assist with patient transfers [with lift equipment available]
Nice to have
• Experience in [setting or population]
• [Specialty certification, e.g. hand therapy, low vision, neuro, pediatrics]
• [Second language spoken by your patients]
What we offer
• [Pay range], [sign-on bonus or loan repayment, if offered]
• [Productivity expectation and how it is measured]
• [Continuing education budget and paid CEU days]
• [Benefits and the eligibility date]
• [Mentorship for new graduates, fieldwork educator opportunities]
How to apply
[One step. Name the rehab director and say how fast they respond.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| License and certification | Required and non-negotiable. State the license, whether you accept license-eligible candidates, and whether NBCOT status must be active. |
| Doctorate (OTD) | Do not require it. Master’s-prepared OTs hold the same license and are most of the workforce. |
| Years of experience | Soften it. “Two years of acute care experience required” removes every new graduate and most therapists moving between settings. Offer mentorship instead. |
| Setting experience | A nice-to-have. Evaluation skills transfer; setting-specific documentation and payer rules can be taught. |
| Productivity | State it as a number. Experienced OTs screen employers on it, and hiding it costs you at the offer stage. |
| Specialty certification | Only require it when the program depends on it, as in a hand clinic. Elsewhere, list it as a plus. |
| Physical demands | Be specific about transfers and the lift equipment available. |
Customizing it by setting
O*NET lists health care and social assistance and educational services as the top industries for occupational therapists. Within those, the job changes a great deal by setting.
Hospitals and inpatient rehab
Short stays, fast-changing patients and discharge planning. Name the units covered, the weekend rotation, and whether the OT is expected to see ICU patients.
Skilled nursing and short-term rehab
Productivity and the relationship with nursing are what candidates ask about. Say whether therapists are employed directly or through a contract therapy company, and how many COTAs the OT supervises.
Outpatient clinics
Lead with patient mix (hand therapy, neuro, pediatrics), visit length and schedule. If you have a hand therapy program, say whether you support the certified hand therapist credential.
Schools and early intervention
Lead with the school calendar and summers. Name the caseload, the age range, whether the role covers several buildings, and how IEP meetings and documentation time are scheduled.
Home health
Say how visits are paid (per visit or salaried), the territory, mileage reimbursement and the documentation technology.
What occupational therapists earn
Occupational therapists had a median wage of $100,330 a year, or $48.24 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $71,690 a year and the highest 10 percent more than $131,950. Put your range in the posting.
BLS counted 169,600 occupational therapists in 2025 and projects employment to grow 14.8 percent to 194,800 by 2035, with about 10,000 openings a year. For comparison, occupational therapy assistants had a May 2025 median of $72,300. In a licensed occupation of this size, most of the people you want are already employed, so the posting competes on caseload, schedule and pay, stated plainly.
What it costs to reach an occupational therapist
Occupational therapists fall in our therapy (PT / OT / SLP) role family, which has the highest median of the fifteen families in our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark: a median cost per applicant of $74.62 on Meta, with the middle half of campaigns between $44.85 and $171.40, a blended figure of $64.12 and a 5 percent apply rate. The all-role median is $13.88.
The reason is the form, not the auction. Across the benchmark, applicant conversion explains 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant, and licensed clinicians abandon long applications. For OTs, a short on-platform form that asks for license status, setting and preferred schedule, followed by a same-day call from the rehab director, moves the number more than any change to the ad. Our therapy staffing page covers agency costs against recruiting direct.
Staffing the rest of the rehab team? See the occupational therapy assistant, physical therapist assistant, rehab technician and speech-language pathology assistant job descriptions. When you get to interviews, use our occupational therapist interview questions.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document for HR and credentialing. The ad has to stop an OT who is not looking.
- Lead with setting, schedule and pay, then the productivity expectation.
- Name the team: how many OTs, COTAs, PTs and SLPs, and who the OT reports to.
- Say “new grads welcome” if you mean it, and describe the mentorship.
- Keep the form to license status, setting preference and a phone number.
For flexible coverage, see PRN staffing; for the ad itself, job ad copywriting.
Frequently asked questions
What should an occupational therapist job description include?
The setting and schedule, the pay range, the caseload or productivity expectation, the duties (evaluation, plan of care, treatment, documentation, supervision of COTAs), and the exact credentials: an entry-level degree from an ACOTE-accredited program, the state license, and whether NBCOT certification must be active. Add the team you work with and one step to apply.
What does an occupational therapist do?
An occupational therapist evaluates a patient’s physical, cognitive and functional abilities, sets goals and writes the plan of care, and treats the skills needed for daily living, work and school. OTs recommend adaptive equipment and home modifications, train caregivers, document progress and supervise occupational therapy assistants.
What is the difference between an occupational therapist and an occupational therapy assistant?
The occupational therapist evaluates the patient and sets the plan of care; the assistant carries out treatment within that plan under the OT’s supervision. OTs typically enter with a master’s degree and OTAs with an associate’s degree. May 2025 medians were $100,330 for occupational therapists and $72,300 for assistants.
What license does an occupational therapist need?
A state occupational therapist license, issued by the state OT licensing board. Candidates sit the NBCOT exam after graduating with an entry-level occupational therapy degree from an ACOTE-accredited program; therapists educated outside the U.S. go through NBCOT’s OTED process first. Check your state board for temporary permit rules.
Does an occupational therapist need a doctorate?
No. Entry-level programs award a master’s or a doctorate, and both lead to the same exam and license. BLS lists a master’s degree as the typical entry-level education, and O*NET reports 86 percent of occupational therapists surveyed said a master’s degree is required. Requiring an OTD shrinks your pool for no clinical gain.
How much do occupational therapists make?
The median wage was $100,330 a year, or $48.24 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $71,690 and the highest 10 percent more than $131,950. Pay varies by setting and region, so publish your own range in the posting.
Is occupational therapy a growing field?
Yes. BLS projects employment of occupational therapists to grow 14.8 percent from 2025 to 2035, from 169,600 to 194,800, with about 10,000 openings a year. For employers that means competing for therapists who already have jobs.
How often do occupational therapists renew NBCOT certification?
Every three years. NBCOT requires 36 professional development units per renewal cycle. Whether active NBCOT status is needed to keep a license depends on the state, so check your board and say in the posting whether you require it or only the state license.
What interview questions should I ask an occupational therapist?
Ask how they set goals with a patient who does not share the team’s priorities, how they supervise and delegate to a COTA, how they keep documentation current on a full caseload, and when they push back on a discharge plan.
Why is it expensive to recruit occupational therapists?
Because few licensed clinicians finish long applications. Therapy roles in our benchmark ran a median of $74.62 per applicant on Meta with a 5 percent apply rate. Shortening the form and responding the same day moves that number more than changing the ad.
Related job descriptions
Hiring occupational therapists?
The description is the document. Reaching licensed OTs who are not on job boards, and getting them through a short application, is the part we do.
Wage, employment and projection data for occupational therapists (SOC 29-1122): U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025–35 (data.bls.gov/projections) and May 2025 OEWS (OEWS occupational profiles); tasks, work context, education and top industries from O*NET OnLine 29-1122.00; assistant median from BLS Employment Projections for SOC 31-2011; exam eligibility and renewal from NBCOT. Read at source 28 September 2026. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.