Your Guide to the Best Occupational Therapy Degrees Online

The ability to take OT courses on your own schedule is a major benefit of attending an online program. Even blended programs that have in-person curriculum requirement make obtaining a master’s degree in occupational therapy so much easier when the bulk of the curriculum is available online. When completing these in-person requirements, many online programs still keep things convenient by allowing you to find a nearby location where you can complete the field requirements. Since this hands-on training takes place near the end of the program, you’ll already have the knowledge and skills to hit the ground running.

Online OT programs can often be less expensive than their on-campus counterparts, even at the same university. And even if the tuition isn’t cheaper, you may not have to pay certain fees as an online student, lowering your total out-of-pocket costs. Still, you’ll want to make sure you understand all of the costs involved and have a plan to finance your OT program before you enroll. As an online student, you’re eligible for the same type of financial aid as traditional students aside from a few scholarship opportunities that may only be offered to students attending classes on campus. The key to securing financial aid is to start early. You can learn more about financial aid opportunities that can help pay for your online OT degree by reading our comprehensive guide to financial aid and browsing our list of scholarships for OT students.

When you’re working as an occupational therapist, persistence is the name of the game. Many patients will need guidance for quite some time; their advances might seem so incremental that it becomes frustrating for everyone involved. And some patients might not be willing or ready to receive your help, which means you must be even more persistent when convincing them, from one session to another, to stick with what they need to do. Having the discipline to remain persistent in helping a patient or finding alternative treatments is essential. Completing an online degree requires persistence, too. The self-directed nature of the program means you must have firm self-discipline to complete assignments on your own, often by creating a personal schedule that requires you to stick to the program.

Online programs provide maximum flexibility, which is why they typically attract those with other obligations, such as work or family. As a result, online students quickly become masters of multi-tasking. Those multi-tasking skills can carry over to practice as an occupational therapist. It’s common for occupational therapists to juggle several things at once, such as keeping track of how many times a patient does a particular action, anticipating what activity the patient will choose to do next and figuring out how to apply that as a treatment. Then, while the occupational therapist is typing up notes following the treatment, they are planning what activities to suggest when working with the next patient.

Depending on the program, online students may take the same amount of time to graduate as traditional, on-campus students. However, in many cases the online degree path for an occupational therapy master’s degree takes longer, sometimes up to a whole year. This added time in school can mean more money spent in tuition and a delay in when the first paycheck as an occupational therapist will arrive.

Practically all occupational therapy online programs have a real-world component. These fieldwork courses usually take place in the final year of the program. How an online student completes these fieldwork requirements will depend on the specific program; many of them have predetermined locations where students can take their fieldwork courses. But these facilities don’t work for all online students. Therefore, sometimes students must work with their program officials to find a facility that can more easily accommodate the student’s needs with scheduling or geographic location. This can take some serious communication and coordination, potentially leading to extra time and frustration.

Occupational therapists must be able to communicate effectively with patients, family members of patients and colleagues. The ability to communicate with all parties involved with a patient’s treatment is critical because some patients may not be able to communicate on their own. Additionally, consulting with fellow occupational therapists may be required in situations where a team approach to treating a patient is useful.

Critical thinking is a bit of a buzzword these days, but that doesn’t diminish its importance. Occupational therapists should expect to deeply review research data, medical files and other relevant patient records to not only establish treatment models, but identify any unknown issues that must be also be addressed.

The ability to understand and feel what the patient is going through helps create a rapport. This is important not just to establish good communication, but also to build credibility, respect and trust with the patient. An occupational therapist will be far less effective when a patient is constantly second guessing the value or motivation of the assistance offered.

Patience is another must for occupational therapists. It might be nice to quickly treat and assist a patient, but often injuries, illnesses and certain medical conditions are simply so severe or complex that they cannot be easily treated. Therefore, occupational therapists must ensure they take the necessary time to deliver quality treatment while keeping the patient comfortable and at ease.

Every patient is unique, and even though they may have a “textbook” health issue, that doesn’t always mean a therapist can utilize a textbook treatment approach. And in some cases, a patient may present unique challenges that require the occupational therapist to devise some clever or unconventional treatments.