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Senior Occupational Therapist

Healthcare

You're the OT with enough experience to specialize — hand therapy, pediatrics, neuro rehab, driving rehabilitation — and you're the one complex cases get referred to. You mentor junior OTs, contribute to evidence-based practice, and handle the patients who aren't responding to standard protocols. The clinical depth is real, and so is the documentation burden.

Salary Range

Low

$90k

Median

$105k

High

$125k

10-Year Growth

12%

US Workers

30K

Education

Master's or Doctorate in OT + specialty certification (CHT, BCPR, etc.) + 5-8 years experience

Environment

indoor

Tools & Technical Skills

  • ▸Specialty certification (CHT, BCPR, SCLV)
  • ▸Advanced assessment tools
  • ▸Evidence-based treatment protocols
  • ▸Clinical supervision
  • ▸Research & program development
  • ▸Cognitive rehabilitation techniques
  • ▸Driving rehabilitation assessment

People & Mindset Skills

  • ▸Clinical reasoning
  • ▸Mentoring
  • ▸Leadership
  • ▸Communication
  • ▸Analytical thinking
  • ▸Creativity
  • ▸Continuing education discipline

What you'll actually do

  • 01Manage a caseload of complex patients who need specialized OT interventions
  • 02Mentor and clinically supervise junior OTs and OTAs
  • 03Develop evidence-based treatment protocols for your specialty area
  • 04Perform specialized assessments — hand function, driving readiness, cognitive rehabilitation
  • 05Collaborate with physicians and other therapists on interdisciplinary care plans
  • 06Present at case conferences and contribute to facility-wide quality improvement
  • 07Keep up with continuing education that your certification board demands — it never ends

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