Occupational Therapists
Official O*NET title: Occupational Therapists (29-1122.00)
Also called: assistive technology trainer, certified hand therapist, early intervention occupational therapist, home health occupational therapist, industrial rehabilitation consultant
Do you do this at work?
Answer each card — it takes about a minute.
Do you do this at work?
Develop and participate in health promotion programs, group activities, or discussions to promote client health, help with social adjustment, alleviate stress, and prevent physical or mental disability
Swipe right for yes, left for not me. On a keyboard: → yes, ← not me, Z undo. +2 XP per answer.
How AI is changing occupational therapists work
2 of 15 measurable main tasks for this job show up in real AI-use data, so we rate it Green (little AI use yet) — 13%. 1 newer task is not in the data yet and left out.
This shows where people already use AI, not whether the job will disappear. How we measure this.
Tasks in this job and recorded AI use
- Develop and participate in health promotion programs, group activities, or discussions to promote client health, help with social adjustment, alleviate stress, and prevent physical or mental disability (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Evaluate patients' progress and prepare reports that detail progress (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Complete and maintain necessary records (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Plan, organize, and conduct occupational therapy programs in hospital, institutional, or community settings to help rehabilitate persons with disabilities because of illness, injury or psychological or developmental problems (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Plan and put in place programs and social activities to help patients learn work or school skills and adjust to handicaps (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Train caregivers in providing for the needs of a patient during and after therapy (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Lay out materials such as puzzles, scissors and eating utensils for use in therapy, and clean and repair these tools after therapy sessions (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Consult with rehabilitation team to select activity programs or coordinate occupational therapy with other therapeutic activities (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Design and create, or requisition, special supplies and equipment (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Recommend changes in patients' work or living environments, consistent with their needs and capabilities (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Provide training and supervision in therapy techniques and objectives for students or nurses and other medical staff (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Help clients improve decision making, abstract reasoning, memory, sequencing, coordination, and perceptual skills, using computer programs (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Conduct research in occupational therapy (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Advise on health risks in the workplace or on health-related transition to retirement (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Provide patients with assistance in locating or holding jobs — no recorded AI use
Tasks: O*NET 31.0. AI use: Anthropic Economic Index (exact or close text match).
Your first steps (guidance)
- Week 1: Open a free AI assistant and say hello. Follow our “Getting started with AI” guide. Ask it one simple question about your work.
- Week 2: Use AI on one task you do often. Try the prompt for: “Develop and participate in health promotion programs, group activities, or discussions to promote client health, help with social adjustment, alleviate stress, and prevent physical or mental disability”. Try the prompt for: “Evaluate patients' progress and prepare reports that detail progress”.
Tick your own tasks above to get a plan based on what you really do. The first 2 weeks are free; Premium (coming soon) adds weeks 3–12. New to AI? Read our beginner’s guide.
Questions about AI and occupational therapists
Will AI replace occupational therapists?
Our data can’t predict job losses, and we don’t try to. What it does show: 2 of the 16 main tasks for this job match tasks people already use AI for (Anthropic Economic Index), giving a Green rating (little AI use yet). Using AI on a task is not the same as AI doing the whole job, and 14 of the 17 listed tasks show no recorded AI use yet.
Which occupational therapist tasks is AI used for most?
In the data, the most AI use among this job’s tasks is for: develop and participate in health promotion programs, group activities, or discussions to promote client health, help with social adjustment, alleviate stress, and prevent physical or mental disability; evaluate patients' progress and prepare reports that detail progress.
Which occupational therapist tasks show little or no AI use?
For example: test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients; complete and maintain necessary records; plan and put in place programs and social activities to help patients learn work or school skills and adjust to handicaps. These are good places to keep building your own skills.
How does this job compare to others?
In Microsoft Research’s “Working with AI” study, this job’s AI applicability score is equal to or higher than 35% of the occupations they scored. That measures overlap with AI chat use, not risk of job loss.
How can a occupational therapist start learning AI?
Start small: open a free AI assistant, try it on one task you do often, and always check facts and numbers yourself. The plan on this page is guidance, not professional advice.
See how this job ranks
Occupational Therapists ranks #417 of 572 jobs for the share of main tasks with AI use (#1 = most), and #53 of 80 in Healthcare.
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