Occupational Therapy is a rehabilitative therapy that improves a person’s quality of life through daily activities. It is called occupational therapy because it relates to anything that is meaningful or “occupies” one’s time. Our scope of practice can be found in a variety of settings including: pediatrics, adult, geriatrics, vocational, homeless, neurological, orthopedic, mental health, inpatient rehab, acute hospitals, and so much more. Our holistic view on a patient allows us to create individualized therapeutic interventions.

A huge barrier to Occupational Therapy is many people do not know or understand what we do. This is because of the outdated name. Occupational therapy was founded in 1917 and named in 1921 with a emphasis on mental health. In May 2018, a survey was conducted regarding the knowledge of occupational therapy and it found that over 48% of people in the country had poor knowledge and understanding of the profession. We are the only healthcare profession that has to constantly explain and advocate for our services. 

Occupational therapy has a huge benefit to society and the healthcare community. An independent study by health policy researchers published in Medical Care Research and Review (Rogers, Bai, Lavin, & Anderson, 2016) found that “occupational therapy is the only spending category where additional spending has a statistically significant association with lower readmission rates” for the three health conditions studied: heart failure, pneumonia, and acute myocardial infarction. The authors point out that “occupational therapy places a unique and immediate focus on patients’ functional and social needs, which can be important drivers of readmission if left unaddressed.

We were taught to advocate for our profession. Which is why I created this. I’m tired of people not realizing the value of OT. Over hundreds of therapists agree this should have happened decades ago, but aren’t sure how to go about changing the name. Something like “functional therapy, ergonomic therapy, restorative therapy” is much more aligned to what our profession is. By signing this, you are fighting for the value of our profession.