Occupational therapist
Occupational therapists are health care professionals whose task is to promote and maintain people's functional capacity in everyday activities. Occupational therapists usually work as entrepreneurs in social welfare, health care and rehabilitation. In addition to therapy skills, the profession calls for perseverance, patience and interaction skills.
As entrepreneurs and in social welfare and health care.
The profession of occupational therapist requires an understanding of human activities, health problems and their impacts on everyday activities and quality of life. Supporting functional capacity requires an occupational therapist to apply theoretical knowledge to practice, such as selecting suitable exercises and advising the customer.
Occupational therapists help customers shape their living environments to meet their needs and help them acquire the necessary aids. Occupational therapists work in close co-operation with other health care and social welfare professionals, which means that the ability to engage in multiprofessional co-operation is necessary.
Occupational therapists must be able to encounter people open-mindedly and in a manner that supports them in difficult transitions in life. The profession requires good interaction skills and empathy. In addition, the work requires perseverance, patience and discretion.
Manual skills and problem-solving capabilities are also important. In the development of new assistive devices and rehabilitation methods, occupational therapists are required to have creativity, planning ability, three-dimensional perception and practicality.
At the university of applied sciences, you can acquire a bachelor's degree in social and health care. The degree title is occupational therapist.
In Finland, the profession of occupational therapist is a licensed profession. Practise of the profession is restricted to licensed professionals. On application, Valvira grants licensing to practise the profession for health care professionals trained in Finland and in other countries and, once granted, enters the right to practise the profession in the central register of health care professionals.
Median salary
2813 €/mo
Private sector
2890 €/mo
Public sector
2794 €/mo
The data is based on the median income, meaning the amount of salary which is the middle of the salary amounts arranged in order of magnitude.
Source: Statistics Finland's structural statistics on wages and salaries