Pre-Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy as a Career

• Explore Health Careers.org: Occupational Therapy Overview and Occupational Therapist
• Go Occupational Therapy Schools.com: Occupational Therapy Schools Overview
• American Occupational Therapy Association: Students, OT Doctoral-Level Programs - Accredited and OT Master's-Level Programs - Accredited

University Course Work

• Meet with your pre-OT adviser every semester and add your name to the “pre-OT email distribution list.”
• Carefully check admission requirements at OT schools of most interest and take the required coursework.  Common prerequisites courses include anatomy, physiology, chemistry, biology, statistics, English, general psychology, abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, and sociology/anthropology. For those schools participating in the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS), review prerequisite course information and average GPAs of the most recently admitted class
• Maintain a competitive GPA.

School (Your Time at University)

• Get OT shadowing and clinical experience and maintain a formal log (Professional Development Activities Log (Word)).  Find out firsthand what the profession is like, decide if it is right for you, explore different areas of the field and in different settings, and be sure to meet clinical experience requirements of your preferred schools. 
• Develop strong relationships with faculty, OT professionals, and others who will be writing letters of reference
• Get involved in the Pre-PT Club and extracurricular, leadership, and volunteer activities

Applying to Occupational Therapy School

• Depending on OT school requirements and participation, the application process may consist of taking the GRE and then applying through Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). Carefully check the application requirements and process at each school.
• Regional OT programs include Idaho State University, Eastern Washington University, University of Puget Sound, University of Washington, Pacific University and University of Utah.