Occupational Therapists
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Job description
These individuals assess the functional abilities of patients who have various health problems (illnesses, injuries, psychological problems, etc.). They develop treatment and intervention plans, compensate for disabilities, reduce disability situations, and adapt the environment to promote the optimal autonomy of people. They are self-employed or work in:
- Clinics and private practices
- Industrial settings and companies
- Community organizations
- Research organizations
- Universities
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
Main tasks
- Analyze the capabilities and expectations of clients in carrying out their daily activities.
- Assess the functional abilities of individuals and the interaction of their personal and environmental factors.
- Use a variety of assessment methods such as interviews, role-playing, structured observations, and standardized tests.
- Establish intervention programs to develop and maintain people’s skills.
- Contribute to medical diagnosis and prognosis.
- Maintain records.
- Develop intervention plans in collaboration with other professionals.
- Supervise and train support staff and interns.
- Participate in educational activities with friends and family and training activities with other stakeholders.
- Participate in research and management activities.
Advancement and mobility
- Experience and additional training allow you to advance to executive or management positions.
- Additional training or experience allows these individuals to develop particular expertise with a specific population (e.g., children), in the treatment of particular problems (e.g., dementia) or in particular interventions (e.g., vocational rehabilitation).
- Occupational therapists who hold a psychotherapist's permit issued by the Ordre des psychologues du Québec (Quebec Order Psychologists) are authorized to practise psychotherapy.
Hourly wage
The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.- Minimum
- $35.00
- Median
- $45.00
- Maximum
- $55.00
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Very good
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
5,000
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 92.8% Female
- 7.2% Male
Not available.
- 92.8% Female
- 7.2% Male
Job types
All of Québec
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
$79,500
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- Non traditional for men
- None
All of Québec
- Non traditional for men
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 621, 622, 62391% of jobs
-
NAICS 614% of jobs
-
NAICS 6244% of jobs
-
NAICS 911% of jobs
-
NAICS 55, 560% of jobs
-
Others0% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 621, 622, 62391% of jobs
-
NAICS 614% of jobs
-
NAICS 6244% of jobs
-
NAICS 911% of jobs
-
NAICS 55, 560% of jobs
-
Others0% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
University
Occupational therapy
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 85.3%
10.9% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 88.8%
8.2% of graduates pursue further studies
This discipline is taught in the following institutions:
Also required
- Membership in the Ordre des ergothérapeutes du Québec (OEQ [Quebec Order of Occupational Therapists]).
Sometimes required
- A Class 5 driver’s licence and car may be required or may be an asset.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Result evaluation
- Service oriented
- Reading comprehension
- Active listening
- Oral expression
- Judgment and decision-making
- Critical thought
- Social perception
- Active learning
- Written expression
- Coordination
- Teaching
- Time management
- Learning strategies
- Information processing
- Operation analysis
- Persuasion
- Solving complex problems
- System analysis
- Systems evaluation
- Human resource management
- Negotiation
Abilities
- Awareness of issues
- Speech clarity
- Oral comprehension
- Verbal skills
- Deductive reasoning
- Inductive reasoning
- Written comprehension
- Speech recognition
- Written expression
- Information organization
- Idea generation
- Originality
- Selective attention
- Classification
- Near vision
- Processing flexibility
- Digital dexterity
- Hand-arm stability
Knowledge and attributes
- Critical thinking
- Capacity to adapt
- Spoken and written bilingualism (French and English)
- Knowledge of customer and personalized services
- Capacity to work in a team
- Versatility
- Sense of initiative
- Capacity to be discrete
- Respect others
- Knowledge of medicine or dentistry
- Knowledge of therapy and counselling
Interests
- Watch, defend, and secure
- Create, design
- Carry out research
- Assist and advise
- Teach or educate
- Assist or care for people
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Social
- People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
- Investigative
- People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
Official name of the NOC 31203
Occupational therapists
Job titles
- Occupational therapist (ot)
- Occupational therapy rehabilitation consultant
- Home care occupational therapist
- Clinical occupational therapist
- Research occupational therapist
- Community occupational therapist
- Research and development occupational therapist
- Occupational therapist vocational evaluator
- Case manager occupational therapist
- Clinical occupational therapy specialist
Skill type
Health
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Last update: January 29, 2026
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